Three DF95 Wattle Warriors headed to New Plymouth on Sunday to attend the New Plymouth Radio Sailing Club’s Waitangi Day Regatta, we thought we would support the revitalization club.
Sunday night we stayed in the freedom camping site at Lake Rotomanu nice and close to the sailing venue, it started to rain so we ordered in some pizzas for dinner yes Domino’s do deliver to a motorhome. Lake Rotomanu is a multipurpose lake with the powerboats and jet skis using the southern end and the yachts the north end of the lake. The boat wakes kicked up a bit of swell especially the wake boards but you learnt to tack on to port and surf in to top mark.
Saturday morn was nice a sunny and Dave, Nigel and I rigged are boats and hoisted the “Battle Flag” and where met by the locals that included the “Mayor” yes the Wattle club member who has shifted down there Phil.
Racing got underway about 11:00 in a sw breeze, a bit shifty at the top end of the course, 200 was not feeling the best obviously too much pizza the night before.
NPRSC has really taken to the DF95’s with 16 boats sailing and another 5 to be launched soon plus a few of the older (fatboys) IOMs the have been gathering dust over the past decade or so.
The travelling trio thought that we would give the local boys a winning chance “Yeah Right” Tui advert, but show us no mercy and went straight to the jugular.
After racing an announcement of the fleet places and headed to Sporty’s Café Bar for a debrief, then we were invited to a “Mayor’s banquet” thank you Phil much appreciated.
Tuesday, we headed back to Auckland, it’s a long way to travel for a 1 day event, as the boys where showing effects jet lag and excess pizzas on Sunday evening, but really enjoyed meeting skippers from another club.
