Supporting Cholmondelay

Cholomondelay Regatta

What a Day on the Water! ⛵️
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Naval Point Club Regatta on Friday! With perfect sailing conditions and fantastic company, we raised an incredible $27,000 on the day.

We’re so grateful to the major supporters John Jones Steel Ltd and Lyttelton Port Company for helping make this event possible. A big shout-out to FUSH, New World St Martins, ANZCO Foods, and 27seconds, and to all the generous local businesses who donated prizes and lent their support.

We also want to express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who stepped up in the wake of a loss in our community. Your aroha, presence, and commitment meant so much. This regatta wasn’t just about racing; it was about coming together to honour that spirit and to support the tamariki and whānau who will benefit from the mana of this event.

Congratulations to our top teams:
1st place Alsco Uniforms NZ
2nd place Grant Thornton New Zealand
3rd place Craigs Investment Partners

It was an unforgettable day celebrating 100 years of Cholmondeley and the incredible community spirit that continues to make these regattas so special. Here’s to the next 100 years and many more regattas to come! ⚓️

Next up:

🎃Witches and Warlocks on the Waters🧹
Saturday November st1 | 9:00 a.m.

Get your costumes ready and join us for a spooky paddle around the Bays. Bring the kids, your friends, and even the dog.

🏆Prizes: Best Adult • Kids • Group • Family • Dog

☕After: Grab a hot coffee and a bacon buttie, then wander through the Lyttelton Market and enjoy the morning.

💰Donations: A gold coin is appreciated, with all proceeds going to Cholmondeley Children’s Centre.

🚣Boards and Kayaks: Don’t have gear? No worries. Jet Junkies are supplying boards and kayaks for hire, and every rental helps raise money for Cholmondeley.
Book yours here → jetjunkies.co.nz/book-online

🛟Safety: Flotation devices are a must, but you can borrow one from Naval Point or Jet Junkies.

Come for the paddle, stay for the laughs, and help support a great cause! 🌊👻

Congratulations Brett Willcock!

A local legend for sailing

A huge congratulations to club stalwart and all-round legend Brett Willcock, who has been recognised in the 2025 Yachting New Zealand Awards for his outstanding services to yachting.

Between serving as an NRO at regattas around the country and as a long-standing member of the CBYC committee (among many other contributions), Brett still manages to find time for a bit of sailing himself — and he’s not too shabby at that either! 😉

Nice one, Brett — we’re incredibly lucky to have you! 😎⛵️

Victory at Aviemore! 🏆

Naval Point Club Lyttelton is proud to celebrate Nick Coultas and crew aboard Outnumbered for taking first place overall at the Aviemore Trailer Yacht Champs 2025, held over Labour Weekend at Lake Aviemore.

This year’s regatta drew 19 entries across multiple trailer yacht classes, hosted superbly by the Timaru Yacht & Powerboat Club. Despite challenging alpine conditions — including Friday’s wind cancellations — the fleet completed decisive racing over the weekend.

Top Results (Overall)

Rank	Skipper	Boat	Club	Class	Time
🥇 1st	Nick Coultas	Outnumbered	NPCL	Noelex 25	1:44:39
2nd	Richard Hawkins	Chaos	PCYC	Ross 780	1:49:36
3rd	Dan Meehan	Eagle	NPCL	Elliott 5.9	1:49:38

Other strong NPCL showings included Matt Allen on Flat Tack (8th overall) and Tristin Ormsby on Red Hot Pawn (5th).

Club Pride

Nick’s win highlights the strength of our sailing talent and the competitive spirit within the Naval Point community. Congratulations to Nick and crew for their outstanding performance, and to all NPCL sailors who represented our club with skill, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm.

About the Event

The Aviemore Classic is New Zealand’s largest trailer yacht regatta, combining spirited competition with a legendary social scene around the “Tent City” at Otematata Harbour. This year’s event showcased tight racing, superb organisation, and the camaraderie that defines the trailer-yacht community.

Rules of Racing

Spotlight: Retiring from a race

❓ Question:
Did you know that retiring from a race quietly can cause a bit of confusion for the Race Committee?

💬 Answer:
Sometimes, a boat heads in early, maybe the breeze drops, the gear breaks, or a crew member isn’t feeling 100%. Totally understandable! But if the Race Committee doesn’t know, they might be left wondering where that boat went. In rare cases, they may even need to start checking if everyone’s safe on shore.

📘 The Rule Bit:
Our NOR Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions include a simple safety clause:

“A boat that retires from a race shall notify the Race Committee as soon as possible.”

It’s there to keep everyone accounted for and avoid unnecessary searches or radio chatter later on.

⚓ Club Corner:
The Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions clearly set these expectations, and the club’s responsibility is to ensure there’s an easy way to check in or out, whether by VHF, text, or at the ramp.

✅ Takeaway:
If you ever decide to head home before the finish, just give the RO a quick call or message. It’s a small thing that keeps the whole fleet safe and the committee stress-free.

Sailing This Season?

Sailing Instruction and Notice of Race⛵️

Why They Matter:

Together, the NoR and SIs provide clarity, fairness, and safety — the NoR defining the event’s contract and structure, and the SIs guiding competitors on the water.

Please note there have been updates to these documents, including a course change for Oborn's Twilight Series. All skippers should read the revised versions carefully, and ensure at least one other crew member (if you have one) does the same so that everyone is clear and prepared. https://www.navalpoint.co.nz/racing/race-information-20252026-1

NOR and SI

Two key documents guide every regatta: the Notice of Race (NoR) and the Sailing Instructions (SIs).

Notice of Race (NoR)

The NoR is the invitation and contract from the organising authority to the sailors. A sailor’s entry and participation signify acceptance of its terms. It sets out the event’s essentials: dates, location, eligibility, entry process, fees, schedule, rules, and safety requirements.

Sailing Instructions (SIs)

Issued closer to the event, the SIs detail how the racing will be run. They cover course layouts, start and finish procedures, time limits, scoring, communication, and any local rule changes.

Racing Information

Registration

All sailors are required to register for either a series or a one-off event. This ensures you are officially entered in a race and have agreed to the terms and rules of racing.
👉 Registering does not mean you must race—it simply makes you eligible to do so.

Sign On and Off System

We now have a simplified sign on / sign off process. This can be done:

On your phone
On a tablet/laptop/desktop
Or in the club lobby (on the club’s tablet)

This must be completed as you go out on the water, not the night before.
It is essential for the club’s Health & Safety monitoring, ensuring we know who has gone out and who has returned safely.

✅ You must register and sign on and off the water.

Saturday Racing

All Saturday racing, including Outer Harbour Races, is part of the Saturday Spring Series.

More Information

All details—Registration, Sign on, Sign off, Notices of Race (NOR) and Sailing Instructions (SI)—are available on one page of our website:
🔗 Race Information 2025/2026

Call for Optimist Class Measurers

Are you keen to give back to our sport and support the next generation of young sailors?

We’re looking to expand our pool of measurers across the country to help ease the pressure on our current small team. No previous experience is required—our Chief Measurer, Bob Witham, is happy to work alongside you and guide you through the process.

We’ve also developed new resources to outline the role and responsibilities of class measurers. These, along with additional information, are available on our website: optimist.org.nz/measurers-2

If you’d like to get involved, please register your interest by emailing nzoptimist@gmail.com or drop by to chat with Bob at the Nationals at QCYC.

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