Winstones Lake, Otaki – RO Report
Eleven skippers entered the 2026 EC12 National Champs; four representing the Ruahine Radio Yacht Squadron (RRYS) with Kapiti Radio Yacht Club (KRYC) making up the remainder. The forecast offered north westerlies for most of Saturday, but light and shifty north to northeasterly breezes on Sunday. Both days were expected to be overcast.
Contrary to the forecast, Saturday morning started with a fairly consistent NE breeze which didn’t look like it was going away any time soon. A course was set and a practice race kicked off to warm up the skippers and check out the course. Two competition races were then completed before the expected change to the north westerly arrived. A break in proceedings while a new course was set and the competition got under way again. By the time the breeze began to fade, the fleet had sixteen races on the score sheet and were happy to retire to the BBQ and a beer.
Back to the lake on Sunday morning and we were greeted with a beautiful sailing breeze from the east. This is not unusual at this venue when cold air from the Tararuas flows down the river valley early in the day. Saturday’s course had been left out overnight, so with a small tweak to a couple of marks, we sailed the same course in the opposite direction. Eventually the easterly did fade, and the expected northeasterly began to build. A new course was set where we had started the previous morning, and we squeezed out another four races to give eight for the day and an overall total of twenty-four for the event.
Mike Garden (Kapiti) was the standout skipper on Saturday, with a string of wins putting him at the top of the podium by the end of the day. A closer competition was being fought out between Karl Banks (Ruahine) and Chris Harmer (Kapiti) for the next two podium spots with only a couple of points separating them overnight. Sunday was a slightly different story, with Chris dominating in the lighter airs. Six wins out of the eight races on day two saw him overtake Karl for second place overall.
In addition to NZRYA medals and perpetual trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place-getters, the Brent Charman Trophy was up for grabs for the first time in seventeen years. The trophy, for North Island inter-club competition was carried off by the Kapiti club for 2026. Final podium places:
- First – Mike Garden (KRYC)
- Second – Chris Harmer (KRYC)
- Third – Karl Banks (RRYS)
- Brent Charman trophy for top club went to KRYC
Congratulations to the prize winners – some great racing and close finishes in very mixed conditions – and to the EC12 NCA and Kapiti Club for a very well organised event.
Graeme Perry
Race Officer
