Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

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Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta

photo ex Heather & John Lidgard

Today is the 175th Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, for a young country like NZ that is a significant milestone. Out on the water today will be boats of all sizes & ages, from radio controlled pond yachts to the giants of the classic fleet – the A-Class keelers. Now even if you are boat-less today, I encourage you to head down to the harbour & grab a good vantage point.

For classic wooden boat lovers – the key times are:
10.00am for the Tug Boat Race. New inner harbour course this year with the start off Princess Wharf
12.00pm for the A-Class classic fleet start, again off Princes Wharf

Full details on today’s events here  http://www.regatta.org.nz/the spectators

Today’s photo from 1946 shows spectators cramming every vantage point they can at Westhaven. The large concrete building looks a ‘little’ more impressive today as the home of the RNZYS. The large launch on the right was Claude Atherton’s Manuwai.

If you do get out, take the camera & send me some photos 🙂

It would be amiss of me if I did not mention some of the people behind today’s regatta – I’ll upset somebody by saying this (but that’s ok) but without the support & effort of this core group of people from the classic boating movement the regatta just would not happen – (in no order) – Bruce Tantrum, John Street, Baden Pascoe, Joyce Talbot, Eric Mahoney & others I’m sure.

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1 thought on “Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta”

  1. Great memories for me seeing MANUWAI in her original concept in that era. The pic was taken 3 years to the day from my first of several “‘weekends away” in her with my parents when I was 7 years old, — which I recall, that I thought was one of the great highlights of my young life, at that time. — (Claude A worked for my father in that era, & Heather (now Lidgard) & I, were just small children). It was also in the era, when she had her Thornycroft petrol engine, which was a model with one side valve & one overhead valve, (painted bottle green) — (as with early Land Rovers & other engines of that time ) — KEN RICKETTS

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