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2025 Mahurangi Regatta

by 23 Dec 2024Regatta 20250 comments


Quayside Boatyard logo

Quayside Boatyard, initial sponsor in a new Mahurangi marine industries group of Mahurangi Regatta sponsors.

2025 Regatta Day: Saturday 25 January

Marking the 48th anniversary of the regatta revival by Mahurangi Action. Sailing event organiser, since 1990, is the Mahurangi Cruising Club.

Mahurangi Cruising Club 2020 yearbook cover

25th Edition: Available from New World Warkworth, Paper Plus Warkworth, Gull Service Station Snells Beach, and Matakana Village Books. cover Mahurangi Cruising Club

Friday Night-Race to Mahurangi

3 pm
Classic A and Modern Classics
3.05 pm
Classic B
3.05 pm
Mullet Boats
3.10 pm
B Division (no extras) – Hyslop Cup
6 pm
A Division (no extras) – Barometer Trophy
Sailing Instructions
Anchorage note

Mahurangi Regatta

48th anniversary of regatta revival by Mahurangi Action
167th anniversary of the first-recorded Mahurangi Regatta
Generally held at Sullivans Bay*
*In the event of strong easterly wind and/or heavy rain, shoreside events will be cancelled.
Low tide 3 am (0.54 m above mean low-water spring tides)
High tide 4.25 am (2.22 m)
Low tide 10.28 pm (1.02 m)
High tide 4.27 pm (2.18 m)
Low tide 10.50 pm (0.74 m)

9–9.30 am
Classic Launch Parade: Muster off Scotts Landing at 10.15 am—course diagram.
important note
Entries for sailing events now taken by Mahurangi Cruising Club online only, from 1 January
9–11 am
No private-light-vehicle-assisted trailer launching of boats is permitted at Sullivans BayAlthough, until 2022, an exception to this year-round rule had been made, with the tens of thousands of regular park Mahurangi Regional Park – West users conditioned to enjoy Sullivans Bay private-light-vehicle-free, the risk of serious injury or death resulting from breaking that rule is deemed to heavily outweigh the inconvenience to the exceedingly small number of regatta attendees who had, in recent regattas availed themselves of the privilege.
9.00 am10.00 am
Sand sculpture. Very informal, as per last summer. Simply create where you can find a space and report to the tent when you are ready to be judged.
1.30 pm
10.20 am
Augustin sea kayak race
10.25 am
Master of the Mahurangi
10.45 am
Classic Launch Parade—best viewed from southern half of beach, or, with a long lens, from elevation
11 am
Shoreside events—swimming etc.—likely to be even lower-key and more informal than last summer’s, which were very enthusiastically participated in by those who attended
Sailing events commence earlier for all sailing divisions:
2025 Notice of Regatta
Sailing Instructions
vhf
channel 77
11.00 am
A-Class
11.20 am
Mahurangi Cup, L-Classmullet boats, and Traditional Spirit Trophy
11.40 am
Mid-Century Classics – modern classics
12.00 pm
Te Haupa Trophy
Smokefree logo

Mahurangi Regional Park and all 28 other region parks are smoke free. Next challenge—fossil-fuel-free—might not be nearly so easy.

12.10 pm
Frostbite, Mistral, Zephyr, Sunburst, and other centreboard classes
Afternoon shoreside events—running, three-legged, sack etc.—likely to be lower-key and even more informal than when last held, in 2021


 

No!—No 2025 Mahurangi Regatta prize-giving dance

Normally held at Scotts Landing
Revived by Mahurangi Action in 2004 in the form of a regatta ball as the grand finale of Warkworth’s 150th celebrations, then as a prize-giving dance—the traditional format—from the following year. In 2011, ex-tropical cyclone Wilma cancelled the regatta, and in 2012 a combination of mediocre weather and a lack of financial support precluded the event, but from 2014, largely thanks to the support of Auckland Council’s regional events fund, and ultimately, from 2016, courtesy of a nine-year commitment by principal regatta sponsor—Teak Construction—the future of the prize-giving dance, and the regatta itself, is seemed secure. In 2022, on account of covid-19 and 2023 forecast for a weather bomb, cancelled the prize-giving dance for those two excruciating summers. In 2024, the event was back on track and seemingly future-proofed with the purchase of the Mahurangi Harbour community marquee.

Boarding the J Barry Ferguson

Also Serving the Volunteers: Rather than drive 72 kilometres there and back to Scotts Landing, in all kinds of diabolical anniversary-weekend traffic, folk volunteering at Sullivans Bay—during the 2024—got to nip across in style, aboard the workboat J Barry Ferguson. drone image Marek Planka

Free use of gas barbecues—no ‘bar-and-burgers’ since 2010

There is no longer a cash bar nor burgers for sale. From 2013, the format returned to that of the prize-giving dance that prevailed before the regatta lapsed during World War II, when it was on bring-your-own basis. This makes the event much less financially risky, particularly when wild and/or wet weather intervenes, as it did, spectacularly, in 2011 and again, in 2023.

Not operating 2025 am
Hopefully, for this regatta only, the free morning-to-midnight Scotts Landing regatta shuttle will not operate, nor will paddock parking be available.
Seasonal call for volunteers

Seasonal plea for volunteers plea Mahurangi Magazine

Sunday morning Mahurangi Return Race
10.30 am
B division
11 am
A division and Moderns
Sailing Instructions

 

Sunday morning-after-the-regatta breakfast

High tide 10.03 am (2.72 metres above mean low-water spring tides)

9 am
Morning-after: Panmure Yacht & Boating Club and Richmond Yacht Club meet for breakfast, and help with the clean-up—barbecues on hand for other clubs, crews, and helpers!

 
Future ‘Up the Mahu!’ The 2020s will see only one more good Up-the-Mahu tide—2026. This underlines the significance of the Mahurangi River Restoration Trust’s work to restore all-tide navigability to the tidehead town of Warkworth—central government did step in to support this community-funded initiative, but, as so often the case, the project needs that little bit more.

  • 2025 Mahurangi Regatta classic launch parade

    You may register here—your registration will be forwarded to the Classic Yacht Association: