RPNYC has a wide range of boats on the register who seek a wide range of racing styles. Our calendar consists of a range of series, each of which has its own distinct style. Full details are in the almanac, but each series is summarised below so that you can choose which series fits with the type of racing you are seeking.

Full Almanac – document coming soon
Chronology of Races – document coming soon
Inshore Season and Interclub Calendar – document coming soon

Lola Stays Rum Races

When: 18.00 Friday evenings for as much of the season as we can, we only run rum races when sunset is 19.30 or later so that you can get home before it’s too dark.
Who: Rum races are open to members and non-members, RPNYC boats or visiting boats, new or experienced crew. They are designed to be a fun way to end your week and kickstart your weekend. Rum races aim to get boats off their moorings and sailing again, and allow sailors to invite friends, family and colleagues to join them on the water.
What: The race will be a short harbour course organised by a different one of our boats each week. They start at the club and there’s a bottle of rum up for grabs in the bar afterwards.
See the Rum Racing Programme

Twilight Races

When: 18.00 Wednesday evenings over 4 consecutive weeks, starting mid-January.
Who: These races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts. Scheduled to provide summer entertainment for boats and crew that don’t journey off to join the regattas at the top of the South Island.
What: On-the-water starts, multiple short races each evening, right in front of the club heading to the container terminal and back. Making the most of the long summer evenings, short quick-fire races where your start, tactics, and wind shifts will make or break your run for the podium. Give your starting and boat handling a tune up before the Regatta.
See the Twilight Racing Programme

Special Races

When: 13.00, usually on a Saturday but the day may change for the ANZAC Memorial Race.
Who: Special races are open to members and non-members, RPNYC boats or visiting boats. For some of these races there are special guests that need to be hosted or criteria to be met i.e. the skipper surrenders the helm.
What: All special races start from the club, but they make finish anywhere in the harbour. Expect unusual courses, unorthodox start sequences, maybe a destination raft up and an occasional fiasco.
See the Special Races Programme

Divisional Races

When: 13.00 Saturday afternoons, starting at the Point Jerningham start box, the races could finish there, or back at the club.
Who: Divisional races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts.
What: The fleet is divided into three divisions to allow us to maximise your racing time and enjoyment by grouping boats with similar performance and running more than one race per day where appropriate – so don’t head home after you’ve raced the first race. Each division will have racing courses targeted to the yachts in the division. These races are organised into several short series that also combine to form the Divisional Championship so you can choose the campaign that suits you.
See the Divisional Racing Programme

Two-Handed Races

When: 09.00 Saturday mornings, before the divisional racing, so we aim to have the last boat back before 11.30.
Who: These races are open to RPNYC members, but you are only allowed two people on the boat.
What: Two-handed races start and finish at the club before the afternoon sailing program. These races are short harbour races before the rest of the crew join the boat for the fully crewed racing.
See the Two-Handed Racing Programme

Fleet Races (excluding Interclub)

When: 10.00 Saturday afternoons, starting at the club and taking you anywhere in the harbour and sometimes beyond the entrance before coming back to the club.
Who: Fleet races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts.
What: Just one race per day, though it could be a long race, with a combination of windward, leeward, and reaching legs. These races combined with the Interclub races form the Fleet Championship. Just go sailing or go for the long haul.
See the Fleet Championship Programme

Interclub Races

When: These will be variously hosted by RPNYC, EBYMBC, and LBYC, so the day, the time, the start location and the style of the race can vary.
Who: Interclub races are open to members of any of the three host Wellington clubs, and to members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts.
What: Interclub races are a great opportunity to join the other clubs on their opening days and see how other clubs run racing. These races all form the Interclub Series so play it right and you could be the Wellington Interclub Champion at the end of it all. For RPNYC boats, these race results also combine with the Fleet races to decide the RPNYC Fleet Champion.
See the Interclub Racing Programme

Dunning Thornton Offshore Races

When: Races start two hours before high tide, so the day and time vary.
Who: Offshore races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on yachts that can provide the relevant YNZ safety certificate for the race category.
What: All races start at the club and leave Wellington harbour, some are one way, others return to finish at the club. Each offshore has its own style and instructions – for more information check out the race appendices.
See the Offshore Racing Programme

Winter Races

When: 12.00 on alternate Sundays, beginning either one or two weeks after Queens Birthday Weekend depending on which has the lowest 12.00 tide.
Who: Fleet races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts.
What: The winter races can start from the club, Point Jerningham, or somewhere else on the water. The location of the start will be notified via skipper webtext, and the finishing line will be as per the course description. Races will be shorter than in Summer as the days are shorter and cooler and sailors will want to head back to the club for a warming pie. On the alternate weekend you can still get your sailing fix by heading to EBYMBC or LBYC.

Winter Two-Handed Races

When: 09.00 on Saturdays spread throughout the main winter series race dates.
Who: These races are open to RPNYC members or members of other Wellington clubs on visiting yachts, but you are only allowed two people on the boat.
What: The winter two-handed races start and finish at the club. Each race in the series gets progressively longer, so expect to spend some significant time on the water by the end of the series.