Sailing: High hopes for Parua Bay champs

Joan Livingstone takes a phone call ahead of the National Starling Championships that begin in Parua Bay tomorrow. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Tomorrow will see more than a year's worth of hard work come to fruition as the National Starling Championships begin in Parua Bay.

The Whangarei Cruising Club will host the four-day event in Parua Bay, which has already been used earlier this year for the North Island Starling Championships.

Club spokeswoman Joan Livingstone said it would be an entertaining regatta.

"It's going to great fun, it's going to be hard work but it'll be great fun." She said the event had about 130 entrants.

"Seeing everyone out there sailing to their best and hopefully having fun is what I'm looking forward to.

"All of a sudden it has rushed up on me. But we have been having regular planning meetings and getting everything in place.

"Parua Bay is such a wonderful setting, it's really ideal sailing conditions and people do enjoy coming there."

Livingstone added the event had some interesting entrants in it, with sailors up to 50-years-old taking part along with juniors just learning the sport.

With the Cruising Club having held the North Island Championships in January, it had served as an adequate warm-up event. "It was really good having a dummy run, there were one or two things we needed to sort out ... hopefully everything is in place. This is, of course, bigger."

Fine weather is expected this weekend which means the event is sure to produce some interesting sailing.

For those wanting to check out the action, vantage points can be found in the club rooms at Parua Bay, on the foreshore, or at the old jetty at the head of the bay.

Racing starts tomorrow from 10am, with Anzac day racing set to start slightly later.

The Starling Class yacht is a one-person centreboard boat.