Bay of Islands Sailing Week is holding its 2026 Annual General Meeting in early August. The committee is inviting anyone connected to the regatta, competitors, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, or simply those who love the event, to join.
The meeting will cover the Chairperson's and Financial Reports, the election of the Committee, and plans for the 2027 Sailing Week. Organisers say it's an open chance for anyone wanting a hand in the future direction of one of New Zealand's premier keelboat regattas.
Looking back: how 2026 played out
Bay of Islands Sailing Week 2026 ran from 19 to 23 January, its 23rd edition, based once again at Opua Cruising Club with racing across the Bay of Islands and support from Bay of Islands YC, Kerikeri CC and Russell BC.
The lead-up gave a hint of what was coming. Wild weather across the upper North Island brought an early end to the 2026 ILCA National Championships, also sailed in the Bay of Islands, with overnight rain cancelling that regatta's final day.
There was upheaval off the water too. A new chairperson and a new treasurer had both come on board within weeks of each other, and three weeks out from the regatta the secretary role was unexpectedly vacated. Race Committee chair Andrew Kearney picked up the extra load, and the volunteer network pulled the event together in time for the start.
Day one. Rain set in before first light and got heavier through the morning, pushing the first warning signal back two hours. Racing got away once conditions eased, but organisers abandoned the day by the afternoon as the weather closed back in.
Days two and three. The wind dropped to 14 to 16 knots and the rain never fully cleared, but the fleet got its racing. Across the three divisions: Racing A, five entries from 40 to 55 feet, was led on the water by Rob Bassett and Brett Russell's TP52 Wired. John Muir's Farr 43 Georgia One kept turning the result around on corrected time.
Racing B was the closest division of the week. Matt Gottard's Shaw 7 Daisy Duke won line honours race after race, but the handicap results went elsewhere: Graeme Lucas's Elliott 1050 Chain Reaction took the EHC series, and Hans Wehmeyer's Thompson 850 Men At Work 3 won PHRF by margins of seconds.
Racing C covered the widest spread of boats, from Paul Smith's Shaw 550 The Racoon to Giovanni Belgrano's Young 88 Young Magic. Dave Campbell's Beneteau Oceanis 40.5 Opportunity was the standout on corrected time, climbing the leaderboard from well back on the water most days.
The finish. Racing A's series came down to four boats after Explore Racing retired following a course mix-up. Wired led that race from start to finish for overall line honours, with the corrected-time order shifting again once handicaps were applied. Late in the week, Paul Rudling's Farr X2 Radix and Mike Bennett's Ross 40 The Farm picked up their first handicap wins of the regatta.
Behind it all. For a week that started with a washed-out day and ran through a committee reshuffle in the lead-up, the mood at Opua Cruising Club held up. Crews raced hard, got wet, and kept turning up each evening to compare notes.
With 2026 event in the bag, and the 2027 event firmly on people's horizon there are a few committee seats still to fill after last year's disruption. The 2026 Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 August at 6pm, online via Zoom, representing another important milestone as we look towards the next Sailing Week. Anyone wanting to join the meeting, or keen to put their hand up for the committee, can contact Bay of Islands Sailing Week directly at media@boisailingweek.org.nz.
