25 Years of Rum Racing – Congratulations RPNYC! By my reckoning that’s around 450 bottles of rum so a big shout out to all those sponsors over the years too.
While it may not be the classiest series in the racing calendar, for plenty of skippers and their crews it’s right up there as an opportunity to finish the week with a bit of fun on the water, build crew skills in a racing environment and of course the perfect channel for bringing new talent into the club by way of the Grads programme.
Now in my 22nd year as a club member and owner of Sasquatch for more than 30, my own experience of Rum Racing only started a few seasons back. Before then I was simply a cruising sailor with a cruising boat. That ended when a past Sailing Secretary challenged me to rustle up a crew and get that darned boat off her mooring. I can tell you it was the best decision I made in those 22 years of membership!
So the challenge for the next 25 years of Rum Racing is to get many more of those darned boats off their moorings, we all know who they are, and give their owners the support and encouragement that I got from a fantastic club. I promise they’ll be as grateful as I am.
Ngā mihi
Dave Hastings
