NZIODA Optimist Regatta Season Underway

The NZIODA Optimist Regatta season gets underway today (Friday 15th November) with the North Island Championship, a three day regatta to be held at the New Plymouth Yacht Club. Yachting New Zealand Regional Manager Wayne Holdt  has spent considerable time to ensure around 150 optimist sailors from throughout the country, and including 20 from Australia, are set to begin the 12 race series on Friday. Light conditions are predicted so it should be an ideal early season warm up as well as a great first up regatta for many sailors who are entering the regatta scene for the first time.
The regatta is an NZIODA ranking regatta, meaning sailors who are keen for selection in international travelling teams to Europe and North America in 2014 have an opportunity to start their progress towards selection. Even more importantly the North Island champs will this year be the only regatta from which a team of seven optimist sailors will be selected to represent NZ at the IODA Asian Championships to be held in Bahrain in March 2014.