Boating NZ December 2024

December edition already with Christmas and the summer break just around the corner! Strangely enough, December’s magazine, while always very much a big summer issue, isn’t really our Christmas special. The reason is simple – everyone, including printers and magazine editors, takes a break for the statutory holidays. Consequently, December’s magazine, this one, comes out on November 21 and it’s our January 2025 issue, out on December 19, that readers can look forward to on their summer holiday. In this issue we wrap up our America’s Cup AC37 coverage from Lana Mihelčič in Barcelona, where Emirates Team New Zealand successfully defended the Cup for the third consecutive time. It was a remarkable achievement for Grant Dalton and his team, backed by some very impressive and innovative technology from New Zealand’s…

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Emirates Team New Zealand concluded a historic chapter, winning the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup 7-2 after an epic final showdown in Barcelona against the Challenger of Record, INEOS Britannia, in a single race that ebbed and flowed from the outset but ultimately saw the Kiwis secure victory by 37 seconds. Emirates Team New Zealand have officially made history as the first continuous team to win the America’s Cup three times in a row, and the sense of elation around the dockside was palpable.…

With less than a month to go until the 2025 season opener in Dubai, SailGP has revealed its starting line-up and largest fleet yet. A total of 11 teams will race in Dubai on November 23-24, with debut performances from Mubadala Brazil and an incoming Italian team spearheaded by SailGP legend Jimmy Spithill. France meanwhile will sit out the first event as it waits for its in-progress F50 to be completed, and will join the fleet in Auckland in January 2025. Elsewhere, teams have been unveiling their crew line-ups, with Switzerland announcing an almost brand new crew and Mubadala Brazil presenting an experienced roster after a series of high-profile transfers, including New Zealand flight controller Andy Maloney. www.sailgp.com…

RACE DATES 2025 January 25-26th – Napier February 15-16th – Taupo March 22-23rd – Whitianga New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association’s (NZOPA) new season kicks off in Napier on January 25, 2025. There’s a new format with four races per weekend – two on Saturday and two on Sunday – across three venues to help keep costs down for participants. Also new this season is the re-introduction of the 140hp class, which was once very popular. There’s been great interest in this class, which is restricted to two- or four-stroke, four-cylinder outboards with a maximum capacity of 2.1 litres. Minimum boat length is 16 feet (4.88m). In addition, NZOPA is introducing ‘Nominated Speed’ races to entice more boat owners to get involved. Nominated speed works like this: the driver nominates a…

Boating New Zealand readers, especially those interested in offshore powerboat racing, will be saddened to hear of Jim Mackay’s passing the bar on the last day of October 2024. Born in 1938, Mackay grew up close to Shoal Bay and was mucking about in boats from an early age. Besides being a top-class craftsman, Mackay was known for his innovative thinking, sharp eye for a boat, and the dedication and passion he brought to his boatbuilding career. After serving his boatbuilding apprenticeship with Chas. Bailey & Son Ltd, Mackay went out independently around 1960, building skiffs, surf boats, yachts and launches. Beginning in the early 1960s, Mackay became the prime builder of the Olympic-class Flying Dutchman (FD) yachts for many years in this country. It’s believed he built the FD…