With all the three Opening Days behind us, we have started the Lola Stay’s Rum Race series and opened the Dunning Thornton Offshore series yesterday with the Brothers Race.

Here’s a summary of the photos and videos available from our Facebook page – you don’t have to have a login to see them – as well as a write-up about our Opening Day.

07 Oct 18 – The season started with Lowry Bay’s Opening Day in sunny but breeze conditions: Photos 2018 LBYC Opening Day

13 Oct 18 – Time for our Opening Day at RPNYC, which started off cold wet and extremely windy. If you had looked out your window at any stage from about 11pm the night before until the guest started arriving it would be fair to say you would think we weren’t going to go sailing.
However, as the delicious canapes and bubble were served in the Wardroom old Huey started to ease his hold on Wellington.
Guest Speaker Commodore David Proctor, Deputy Commander Joint Forces, gave us a well-appreciated brief overview of the current Navy fleet.
The speeches ended with our Race Officer Jim Gordon advising we would be sailing (yes, I didn’t believe him either at that stage).
The Burgee was duly broken open and the gun fired to mark the start or our 136^th Season.

The race was start from Club with a course racing around Shoal Pile, then up around Halswell mark and home for a finish back at the Club. The wind continued to slowly die and the clouds started to clear that by the time all the boats were home the sun was out and it was shorts and T-Shirt weather.
Those that were back in the Wardoom after the race were greeted with some more tasty snacks from Black and Gold to ward off the after-sailing hunger pangs.

All in all, it was another successful Opening Day with everyone enjoying the formal festivities and the racing after. If you missed the start of the race and have access to Facebook go and have a look at the videos linked below. This proved very popular so as volunteers permit we will try and do this again if future races.

Katie, Rear Commodore

Video 1 > click here
Video 2 > click here
Photos from the Opening Ceremony > click here.

Thanks Mike and Deb for the photos and videos. Looks like our race photographers were busy racing and did not take a single photo during the action!
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19 Oct 18 – the first Rum Race of the season took place, and thanks to our sponsor Lola Stay’s a bottle of rum was waiting for the winner. Not that anyone needed more encouragement to get out in the great conditions.

22 Oct 18 – Opening Day EBYMBC, celebrating their centennial season – congratulations. The weather certainly played along and put on a stunning long weekend. See photos here.

26 Oct 18 – time for the next Lola Stay’s Rum Race, and this time photos were taken and shared with us: click here.

27 Oct 18 – Just a day later the first Offshore Race, the Dunning Thornton Brothers Islands Race, took place, in less than ideal weather; it was rainy, cold and grey, and the start was at 6.30am in Evans Bay. Kudos to all the crew to get out there! The Offshore Season is sponsored by Dunning Thornton Consultants – thank you.

We had a keen team out on Caniwi taking videos, plus some other contributions, so here’s a multitude of links:

27 Oct 18 – On the same day the first At Home race series was sailed: here some photos.

What’s happening next?

2 Nov 18 – We are happy to welcome the WineWorks Marlborough Wine Race fleet at our club; the race takes place on the 2^nd Nov and the prize giving will be held in the Wardroom – come along, everyone is welcome.