Blue water

It may seem an expensive dream, but messing about in boats can be surprisingly easy and affordable, as John Landrigan discovers.
Many dreamt about it after watching Captain Jack Sparrow at the cinema, but Auckland kids can all be out on the high seas and captains of their own ships. The trouble is, many parents just don't know how easy it is to go boating in the City of Sails.
Of course, we're not talking about multimillion dollar America's Cup campaigns or prized Olympic qualifiers, but back-to-basics stuff. Cheap dungers and sausage sizzles.
Hardy shipmates Sean Mitchell and Liam Hogan are just 10 and capable of sailing their own yachts solo.
"You're captain of your own ship," says Liam. "If you get stuck out there, you've got to work it out."
"It's a thrill," chips in Sean, "really fun seeing the waves and going fast on the water."
The boys belong to Pt Chevalier Sailing Club. For one year's membership, they pay $55. A competitive boat - such as a secondhand Optimist class - can be bought for as little as $300. Or $10 will hire a boat from the club fleet.
An entire family can join for only $140. That's about the price for a junior donning the boots and playing a soccer season.
Somehow, the budget-friendly reality of yachting has been overwhelmed by the popular notion that sailing is a sport only for the rich.
Perhaps it's because of the high-profile courtroom wrangles between billionaire owners of big ticket yachting campaigns, says one of the parents in the yachting fraternity.
Sean's dad, Chris Mitchell, is national president of the 3.7 class, associate group leader of the Hawke Sea Scouts in Cox's Bay and a member of the Western Bays Waterwise Society.
Mr Mitchell says numbers in small clubs like Pt Chevalier have not increased since the America's Cup entered the New Zealand psyche.
Pt Chevalier has about 70 members, about 330 short of capacity.
"We lack critical mass," says the Pt Chevalier engineer. "We need to get kids back messing around with boats. The idea of a typical blue collar kid, whose parents have absolutely no sailing knowledge, rolling up to a blue rinse sailing club at an expensive location is just downright intimidating.
"People don't realise sailing clubs exist for people of modest means, too."
Yachting New Zealand's regional support officer Kim Admore says numbers have remained reasonably static across the region but fringe clubs in lower socio-economic areas are struggling. He says Weymouth, Northcote/Birkenhead, Pakuranga, Pt Chevalier are clubs that need more members.
"Kids who get into sailing don't get into trouble. They have to make their own decisions and are responsible for their actions on the water. It's a life skill.
"Parents need to ask themselves if they want to sit at a cricket pitch all day or sitting on the beach or out in a boat themselves ... and be prepared to put the time into their kids."
Kids like Liam and Sean say they have no interest in taking on the world with their sport but just want the breeze in their hair and their sails full.
Yachting expo, Yachting NZ, Westhaven Marina, Saturday, August 15, 10am-3pm.
For Sea Scout locations see: www.seascouts.org.nz/auckland.html.
For your nearest yacht club, see: www.yachtingnz.org.nz/ClubDirectory.aspx