New Zealand - A Sailing Nation
 Amidst the buzz of preparation before the start of the last Volvo Ocean Race, an American journalist was bemused. 'Why is it,' he asked, 'that
every boat I approach, I end up talking to a New Zealander?'
The question was appropriate, because, as is typical with most major international sailing events, New Zealand was disproportionately represented. Virtually
every yacht, regardless of its nationality, had New Zealanders in the crew. The America's Cup in Auckland in 2002-2003 revealed a similar distribution
of New Zealand sailors through the various syndicates, although the rules of the regatta now require them to fulfil a two-year residency in the country
they represent.
Over the years, New Zealand sailors have won most of the top international trophies, including the America's Cup (twice), the Whitbread Race
(three times), the Admiral's Cup (once), the Kenwood Cup (three times), the Southern Cross Cup (four times), all the Ton Cups and various others.
At a conservative count, New Zealanders have won more than 60 world titles, while sailing's 10 medals make it New Zealand's most successful Olympic
sport. So, what is the secret of its sailing success? Like most simple questions, there is no simple answer.
Dedication from an early age, constant exposure to strong competition in home waters and a highly competent marine industry, which nurtures
active sailors, all play their part. Much of it, of course, has to do with geography. As an island nation, New Zealand's maritime traditions
are deep rooted. From its earliest settlers the Polynesians, who migrated across the mighty Pacific and, later, the Europeans, who voyaged
even further New Zealand's rugged terrain and relative isolation demanded self-reliance.
Dependent on the sea for trade and communications, New Zealanders were forced to build seaworthy, reliable boats and to develop a close understanding
of seamanship. No part of New Zealand is far from the coast and, from its thousands of bays and coves, New Zealanders venture forth from an early
age in all manner of boats. An often quoted, though difficult to prove, statistic is that there are more boats per head of population in New
Zealand than anywhere else in the world.
Known as a nation of do-it-yourself people, many of these boats are home-built. Unlike some other parts of the world, sailing in New Zealand
has never been an elitist pursuit. Many of New Zealand's top sailors began their careers in boats that emerged from hours of devoted labour in
garages and backyard sheds.
The late Sir Peter Blake, for example, whose sailing successes included the America's Cup, the Whitbread Race and the Jules Verne trophy, tested
his mother's patience and ruined her flower beds by building his first boats in the family garden. Designer Bruce Farr, whose yachts have won
most of the world's silverware, produced lightning fast dinghies and skiffs in the family shed.
Legions of others have similar stories. Peter Lester, national coaching director for Yachting New Zealand, came from a similar background and
went on to reap international success. 'Easy access to the water and boats, a temperate climate and a vast coastline all play a big role in the
development of our sailors,' he says. 'It is a very natural part of the New Zealand experience to go to the beach and play in or on the water.'
Part of Lester's job is to identify new and emerging young talent at various regattas run through the network of more than 100 sailing clubs
around New Zealand. Like most other sports, sailing faces challenges as changing lifestyles, increasing workloads, the erosion of traditional
weekends and other interests compete for leisure time.
But, he is encouraged by New Zealand's ongoing success. 'The talent is still there,' he says. 'Look at our youth results around the world and
you will see consistent finishes in the top five at International Sailing Federation events.'
Any discussion of New Zealand's sailing success inevitably turns to a unique, locally designed, small, single-handed dinghy known as the P-Class. Quirky,
cramped, difficult to sail, often maintained to a gorgeous, furniture-like standard, the P-Class is generally venerated as the fountainhead of
New Zealand sailing.
This technical little single-hander has launched the careers of most of New Zealand's top sailors. It features in the stories of people such
as Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, Chris Dickson, Russell Coutts, Peter Blake, Peter Lester, Grant Dalton, Leslie Egnot ... the list is
endless. Every weekend you see them, mum, dad and the kids, with trailers laden with P-Classes, sometimes stacked four on top of each other,
off to a regatta. On shore, parents help fuss over the rigging, launch their offspring off to do battle before wading back to pace up and down
the beach, seething in pride and frustration and muttering instructions only they can hear. At the top P-Class events each year, more than
100 compete. The competition is intense and the lessons learned invaluable. Sailors usually enter the P-Class from the boxy Optimist pram dinghies.
From the P-Class, the progression follows a line of dinghies leading into the Olympic classes.
In some countries, the transition from centreboarders to keelboats represents a danger zone, a time when potential champions can be lost from
the sport through lack of a clear passage from one discipline to the other. New Zealand recognised that danger and took steps to provide
a gateway in 1986 when the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron introduced its now-renowned Youth Programme.
The idea for the programme was born out of the 1986-87 America's Cup in Fremantle, where it became apparent that, while New Zealand's top sailors
were highly competitive on the international scene, there was limited training and preparation of young people to follow in the footsteps of
elite sailors.
Since its inception, it has been presided over principally by renowned coach, Harold Bennett. About 500 young sailors, male and female, have
passed through the programme, learning keelboat handling skills in both fleet racing and match racing formats.
The programme, which has since been emulated at other New Zealand clubs, operates on a 12-month cycle with a rigorous training curriculum which
includes more than 200 races. Students race in a fleet of 10 identical Elliott 6m yachts. These are waterborne hotrods, which place a premium
on boat-handling skills and have become an important part of local sailing folklore.
The standard is so high that members and graduates of the Squadron programme are in high demand for senior keelboat racing. Youth graduates
are well represented at the top of international racing, with a number of them in Team New Zealand and syndicates from other nations. In a sense,
New Zealand is becoming a victim of its own training success, where the jewel in its trophy collection is now threatened by, among others, fellow
New Zealanders, who have progressed through the local ranks and emerged at the top of their sport to be snapped up by teams from rival
nations.
Further information:
Harold Bennett
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Phone +64 9 360 6808
Top Kiwi Sailors
It is little wonder that New Zealand has produced a good chunk of the world's top sailors over the last 25 years. It is a country totally surrounded
by sea - there is 15811km (9824 miles) of coastline.
Sir Peter Blake
Sir Peter Blake will go down in history as one of the world's great modern-day ocean sailors. He won the Whitbread round-the-world race, the
Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest non-stop navigation of the globe, and the America's Cup - as head of the 1995 and 2000 America's Cup campaigns.
Sir Peter (who earned a knighthood for his endeavours) was tragically killed by pirates in December 2001 while attempting to save the world's
oceans and waterways through his own environmental project, blakexpeditions.
Grant Dalton
Grant Dalton has sailed around the world more times than most people would ever dream of. The Auckland yachtsman - who calls
himself a ‘true
Kiwi bloke’ - has made six successful circumnavigations of the globe, winning the Whitbread round-the-world race and the latest blue-ocean
adventure, The Race. He is now attempting a seventh rounding in the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread) on board Amer Sport One.
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