Royal Akarana Yacht Academy educates young yachties

A $37,500 donation helped the Akarana Academy buy boats and equipment

People call Auckland the ‘City of Sails’ and they do so with some justification. On most days there is at least one sail out on the Waitemata Harbour on others literally hundreds of sails as yachties race, cruise or just lollop along
trailing a fishing line."

WHATEVER the case they are contributing to the accuracy of the name ‘City of Sails’. But how do they all get there? Where do these thousands of people develop the skills that will take some of them to the helm of round-the-world racing yachts and international renown?

For many of them their yachting career begins with sailing lessons at one of the clubs around the Waitemata Harbour and perhaps the most famous of these is the Royal Akarana Yacht Club. Some of New Zealand’s most famous sailors learned their sailing in single handed yachts at the Akarana. But what if a boy or girl doesn’t own a boat? Well the Akarana has the answer to that as well. They have a fleet of Optimist yachts they make available to young people who do not have a boat of their own.

The ASB Trusts have helped the club with a $37,500 donation to keep this ‘Learn to Sail Academy’ operating. Greta Hollies, head coach at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, says they run their courses on terms one and four of the school year.

There are three levels of learning before the young sailors move into what is known as the ‘green fleet’ which is a beginners’ racing fleet. In level one sailors cover safety, wind awareness, basic boat care, parts of the boat and sail, knots, swimming with a life-jacket and capsizing and righting the boat. They also learn how to actually sail a boat.

The classes run for three hours a week over an eight week period but the club also runs block courses over some holidays. Children have to be eight or nine to start.

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