The only man with permission to camp on the Napier Sailing Club grounds for the Optiworlds is a builder from Timaru named Jon Olds.
Mr Olds' job, as he puts it, is to be "Johnny on the spot" for any emergency repairs boats may require.
Living in a caravan in the middle of the boat sheds, with a workshop only metres away, his job is vital to the sailors who return from the water requiring repairs for the next day's sailing.
"About 10 years ago I was doing it for my son ... and the next thing you know I was being invited to major events just to be a repairman," he recalls.
A builder by trade, he volunteers at several events a year around the country. His duties at the Napier Optiworlds so far have included refurbishing an old shed into a food stall, building handrails, putting up a wall inside the clubroom, and fixing wharf planks. His next job will be to fix the workshop shed hinge, he says, pointing to some broken planks.
"It's a time thing. The kids can come in at four or five at night with a large hole in the boat and need it repaired by tomorrow morning. What I try to do is keep kids in the water."
He speaks of a fix-up job he did last year. At five in the afternoon he was handed a boat with a broken bulkhead. He had it repaired and painted at 2am.
"I suppose I love the sport, I've got a lot of time for the sport. There would be very few clubs that would have enough [resources] to be able to do it without outside help.
"The clubs invite me but there's no payment. Most of it is voluntary ... whether you're working in the kitchen or repairing boats you're just part of a big cog really.
"But the most important people in the club, if you ask me, are the ladies in the kitchen."
Optiworlds organising committee member Ray Steele said Mr Olds' work was crucial to the success of the tournament.
"He's very passionate about the sport of sailing, and he's helped a tremendous amount of kids," he said. "You can ask him to do anything and Jon will come up with a solution. He's a consummate details man."
This attention to detail is confirmed during our interview, as Mr Olds often rephrased his answers to make clearer statements.
He had an odd job yesterday, as two French sailors on their way to Chile have docked with a broken headboard.
"By the look of the two guys on board I'd say they've had a bit of a hammering. They were going straight to bed."
Mr Olds will stay in Napier until the end of the Optiworlds, after which he will pack up his tools and drive to Murrays Bay in Auckland for the P Class nationals.