Nayland sailors win trophy at Top of the South Sailing Regatta
Sailing at Nayland College has grown in strength and numbers over the past few years and with Covid cancelling the regatta last year, students in the silver fleet were delighted to not only race but come home with a trophy!
Last weekend a group of Nayland students took part in the Top of the South Sailing Regatta which saw 14 teams come together from Christchurch, Timaru, Marlborough and Nelson to race against each other. With teams of six split across three two-person boats, strategy was key.
"The point of teams racing is to use the rules to your advantage to win the race...If you have right of way over another boat you can cut them off and make your teammates get to first place," said Year 11 student Finley McMahon.
Finley has been a part of Nayland's sailing team for two seasons, training every Thursday and racing every Sunday during the season. He comes from a family of sailors with big brother Angus taking on the Team Captain role this season and their Dad who is an avid sailor. When asked what he enjoys most about sailing, he replied "It's an enjoyable thing... just being out on the water."
Ysabella Abel (Year 11) shares a similar sentiment saying, "I love all kinds of water activities and I couldn’t think of a better thing to do than spend the day on the water. I love working with others and team sailing is a great because you are working with your teams mates."
In last weekend's regatta, Morgan Barak, Nicholas Corry, Miguel Horring, Angus McMahon, Finley McMahon and Shay Smith, along with Kilian Cools from Garin College made up the winning team in the Silver Fleet (B division) with Ysabella Abel and Ruben Brotherton joining another combined team for the race.
The event was hosted by the Nelson Bays Youth Teams Racing Association (NBYTRA), a charitable youth team sailing organisation established to provide training and a friendly environment for young sailors to develop their skills. NBYTRA own all the yachts and safety craft and they provide a full-time coach along with subsidising fees to keep the costs affordable for students.
For any students who may be interested in getting involved in sailing, Ysabella said "I would say you should defiantly give it a go! We are always keen to have new people come along to see if this is something you would enjoy."
Although, it is important to note that you need to first gain your Level 1 Certificate in sailing, available through the Nelson Yacht Club.
For more information, see Mr Sam Maitland or visit the websites below:
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