Alan Green and Charles Apthorp of the National Yacht Club head for the Flying Fifteen World Championships in New Zealand on Thursday - Summer racing in the South Pacific. Alan and Charles team up for many events and Charles whose regular sailing is from Hayling Island is an overseas member of the NYC and frequent visitor to Dublin Bay.
The proven pair have previously placed second overall at a World Championships.
The world championships will take place on the North Island hosted by Napier Sailing Club, some of whose fleet competed in the worlds in 2003 hosted in Dun Laoghaire.
Napier is a coastal town situated about mid point on New Zealand’s North Island East Coast. Set amid the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1931. Napier is known as the Art Deco capital with period architecture.
A tree lined waterfront promenade with statue of “Pania of the Reef” the Maori maiden symbol of the town (New Zealand’s Granuaile) and fronts onto a natural bay with no commercial traffic so a great championship racing venue, a bit like a bigger Killiney Bay without the mountains.
Napier Sailing Club founded in 1891 has a large dry sailing area outside fronting onto a municipal marina and fishing quay. The Flying Fifteen racing is well established at Napier and illustrated on a mural of Flying Fifteens racing on a wall on the seafront.
With 59 flying fifteens entered there will be a strong representation from their Australian neighbours.
