Centreboard Sailing Newsletters

Thames Sailing Club Centreboard and Summer Keeler Race Series Reports.

What a week of wild weather we have had! Thankfully our clubrooms did not suffer any damage. Our thoughts are with those throughout the country who have been impacted by the storm and subsequent events.

In this edition we are including the Summer Keeler Race Series Report.

 Centerboard Sailing Report – January 10th-11th 2026 

 We are in the second half of our current sailing season. There are plenty of opportunities left for practising and racing. As we were able to proceed with every event up to the last sailing weekend, a rupture had to happen eventually: There was no sailing on Saturday, January 10th. Little wind and the holiday season might have been factors contributing to that. In contrast to Saturday, we had strong and competitive racing on Sunday.

Soon we will have a season's highlight with the Frostply regatta coming up. You could use the coming weekend to prepare for it. Hard_Case, L’escargot and Razzel deserve to be taken for a sail.

 In detail:

 Saturday, January 10th:

 I am one of those that did not come along. The club opened its doors, but no sailing took place. We have these non-events in most seasons. Let’s put it behind us and focus on driving the club into the future.

Sunday, January 11th:

A light but fair and steady breeze from north-west welcomed and stayed with us for the day. 6 Lasers (one radial rigged) and a Topaz did not want to miss out. Every sailor was sailing on the edge of his capability. A triangular course was set up: Starting delayed from the beach, we sailed to a buoy straight ahead of the club's tower. From here, we went downwind to a buoy at Kuranui Bay and back to the first buoy. A second round would include the Four-Poster as a wing-mark. The races finished between the club and the first buoy (in close proximity to the buoy). All marks had to be left to port. Our most experienced sailor is starting to feel some serious competition from others. The starting times were brought closer together after each of the first two races. After two races of this format, the course was extended by two crosswind legs between the Four-Poster and the leeward buoy. The finishes changed by only a slight amount. We can see that this is a high standard of performance for our sailors. Next time, we will get even better. I am not quite sure where to see myself in this picture.

Have a look at the results:

https://www.thamessailingclub.co.nz/index.php/centreboard-sailing2/centreboard-sailing-results

 Next up:

 Let’s get a fleet together for the Frostply Regatta. We all can make this the event it deserves to be. Hopefully, we wash off some dust next sailing weekend (first with salt water and then fresh) and check them out for February 7th. By then, we might have our commodore back from his summer vacation. He might want to practise his sailing and barbecuing skills.

 Thanks to Markus for this report and Matt for his work in keeping the results.

Keeler Summer Series Saturday 17th January 2026

Saturday was a perfect day for the start of the summer racing. Considering the weather that followed, we were lucky. Just to give you an idea of rainfall totals, l tipped out 455mls of rain recorded here in Coromandel since I got home on Monday. I had to get a mate to help me get on the mooring as the southeast wind gusts made it really hard with the floats on deck.

We had 6 boats turn up for the start, and I'm sure everybody had a good afternoon. There was a bit of argie bargie on the start line for the first race, and l could hear a bit of shouting going on even with my hearing. Focal point had a great start in the second race and just bolted.

Tony Burton

 Don’t forget to stay up to date : https://www.thamessailingclub.co.nz/

No racing today Sunday 25 January, but three intrepid sailors, Dave, Markus and Matt took to the water in quite gusty condinions for a sail.

Thames Sailing Club

Centreboard Sailing Report – December 27th–28th, 2025

Happy New Year to all our readers.

We are now halfway through our current season. With remarkable consistency, all scheduled events have taken place, and we hope for the same in the second half. Last weekend came at a hectic time for many. In previous years, we had a break, based on the assumption that interest would be low. Testing this theory yielded unexpected results: attendance was in line with that of previous races.

Thanks go out to all committed helpers and sailors. This does, of course, not mean that we could not do with more boats on the start line. I am sure we can achieve a lot if we all pull on the same string (in the same direction). Let’s make this club work for all of us.

In detail:

Saturday, December 27th:

Commonly, on our sail training days, sailors do not turn up before the scheduled briefing time. This was different this time around. Not expecting this, I found myself being one of the last to arrive.

With typically only having two hours available on either side of the tide, this potentially opens up more opportunities. I will make sure my boat is rigged and that I am ready to go by the briefing next time around.

In the absence of our youth sailors and newcomers, a number of Lasers went out for some training. The light breeze provided good conditions for practising “ghosting along,” “drifting with the tide,” patience, and mental strength. Our wind generator might need to be fuelled and revved up a few notches. Nevertheless, much can be tested and tried for the next time those conditions occur. It is good exercise. It will make you a more competent sailor (so they say).

Sunday, December 28th:

The forecasted 15-knot north-easterly looked exactly like Saturday’s conditions. On race days, briefing time has been adhered to for a few years now, and boats are launched shortly after. Should you be late, you might not make it in time for the first start. Please do not expect the fleet of committed sailors to wait for individual late arrivals. Much frustration is avoided this way.

Back to the breeze: 5 knots, variable from the south-west, was all we had for the first race. Four Lasers and a Topaz were seen drifting around a triangle–sausage course. Passers-by may well have wondered what these boats were doing out there. It certainly was a race, and the best sailor won. I should have practised a bit more the previous day.

Even four hours of sufficient water could not accommodate multiple races of this format. The wind veered to the north, and two buoys from the triangle were reused for a windward–leeward course. Twice around these buoys to port made up the second race. Sure enough, a little breeze came up after the finish. We used it for some extra exercise, but it did not last very long. Packing up and going home was all that was left to do.

Have a look at the results:

https://www.thamessailingclub.co.nz/index.php/centreboard-sailing2/centreboard-sailing-results

Next up:

We will be back sailing on January 10th and 11th. Please check the calendar.

Does anyone know where this mysterious butcher with the triangular sausages is? If so, I will donate $100 to buy some so we can have a barbecue next time around.

Better yet, come along — and don’t miss out.

Centerboard Sailing Report – November 8th-9th 2025

Could you feel the change in the weather? The last sailing weekend greeted us with warmer air and water. The non-existent winds helped us feel comfortable, too. Unfortunately, pleasant conditions are not always the best for sailing. A very different skill set was required. Furthermore, sailors had to get up early and our Wind-Punks had some serious competition from the Steam-Punks for Saturday sailing.

But since we are sportsmen and women and have committed club members, we pushed forward and made both scheduled sailing days happen.

Many thanks go to our sailors and to the contributing members.

In detail:

Saturday, November 8th:

Sailing techniques appear somewhat antique compared with much more recent steam technology. There are a few thousand years between their developments. Is this the reason why so many of you decided to punk with the steamers? I predict that even newer technologies will develop and draw people away from us. But I also believe that sailing will continue to appeal to many people for many centuries to come.

Our best-performing junior received a one-on-one training lesson from one of our most experienced and best senior sailors. We could feel a light south-westerly breeze standing outside the club. But this breeze did not reach out onto the water. Sailing in almost no wind is difficult. Not to upset the boat, all controls have to be well balanced, and all motions of the sailors have to be very gentle. Both of them did that very well. They were observed by a small number of club members in front of the club and by two further members drifting in their boat close by. The latter two had chosen the diesel option over the wind or steam options.

Sunday, November 9th:

We saw very similar condition to the previous day. A very light south-westerly breeze was all we had to sail with. We set up a triangle-sausage course and four Lasers and an OpenBic set out for some racing. When reaching the windward buoy for the first time,we experienced a tidal current opposed the expected incoming tide. The tactics for the first leg were wrong for some of us. For the rest of the race, it was crucial to observe a transit and compensate for the tidal current by helming. Our junior made very good use of the lessons learned the previous day. A second race followed the same format. With just a few minutes to go before the start, the wind had shifted more to the North. Adopting this into the starting tactics was a mistake. The wind fell back to the old direction just before starting. The outcome was not dissimilar to the first race.

Now the new (almost) breeze came from further north, and the course was adjusted accordingly. At the end of the race, we saw a closer finish with similar results to the earlier two races. The racing came to an end, and points were assigned for commitment and for performance. It is worth mentioning that three top sailors were not racing with us this day. A further club member performed very well with his newly acquired laser, and will possibly get much closer to them in the races to come. During a debriefing, sailors were acknowledged, then it was all over for the weekend.

Next up:

The next sailing weekend this month will be November 22nd/23rd. Please note the tides are early so there will be early starts. It is an 8.30 am start for both the Sail Training on Saturday and the Centreboard Summer Racing series on Sunday.

Then we will be back on the water only one week after that: November 29th/30th. Its a 1.30 pm start for Sail Training and a 2 pm start for the Centreboard Summer Racing series on Sunday.

 From then on the tides will be at much more convenient times in the middle of the days.

Don’t forget to stay up to date : https://www.thamessailingclub.co.nz/

Thames Sailing Club
Centerboard Sailing Report – October 25–26, 2025

Participation is always hard to predict on a long weekend like this one. Often, there’s a collision of multiple interests for the day, and sometimes sailing is not the top priority. This time, the Sail Training suffered more than the racing — but overall, it turned out to be a good weekend for the club.

For both days, the weather forecast was quite similar: 20 knots in the morning. A south-westerly on Saturday was to be replaced by a more westerly on Sunday. However, the conditions turned out to be very different.

Saturday, October 25

There was hardly any wind for some distance out from the club. A light breeze seemed to have established itself in the middle of the firth. For some time, it appeared to come closer, only to disappear again.

These conditions suited the numerous fishermen launching from the club, but our sailors would have wished for more breeze. Not too many came along to be disappointed. The father-and-daughter team from the previous sailing weekend saw this as an opportunity to sail on a larger boat. I believe only their trailing toy duck got wet feet that day.

Other club members had much to discuss around the kitchen table. Based on these conversations, we might see some changes happening later in the season.

Sunday, October 26

Most of the core of our Laser fleet turned up for the day. There was our Open Bic hero and two Optimists. One sailing family didn’t bring enough gear to rig their two Lasers, so one of them had to stay ashore. As a result, some sailing tuition took place in the Optimists, while the others set out for racing.

When discussing the weather conditions prior to racing, the Treasurer estimated a 12-knot westerly breeze, while I assumed more than that. Now I wonder about his financial estimations! In short: we had plenty of wind, and the conditions were challenging.

The short and steep chop was reflected by the sea wall south of the club, resulting in waves from all directions at once. The start line had to be right in the centre of this washing machine. The officers made us sail a triangle, windward–leeward course. This course was slightly corrected to accommodate a wind shift and changed from port to starboard after two races.

We saw a small number of capsizes, but overall we had four good, hard races, bringing the best sailor to the top of the podium. Only two sailors retired between races, and one did not finish the last race. There was a debriefing with recognition for both good achievements and notable mishaps. Almost every sailor earned a hot dog after racing! The officers did a really good job, and the sailors tried their best to match it.

A system for delivering  the results of racing is under development and will be launched soon.

Next Up

For a few more weekends, we will continue with this format. As the weather hopefully improves, we might even find someone to man the barbecue. Please consider helping us run these events — this applies not only to active sailors and club members, but also to their families and supporters. If you are interested in helping out please go to our website and fill out the form and we will be in contact.

Don’t forget to stay up to date:
https://www.thamessailingclub.co.nz/