All-Kiwi final at ALPARI World Match Racing champs in Germany

Michael Edmonds, a skipper with Explore NZ in Auckland, will have plenty of support from his colleagues in New Zealand as he aims to help Team KiwiMatch win the latest round at Lake Constance, Langenargen, Germany.

PHOTO: Andrew Carter/WMRT

In a thrilling semi-final Team KiwiMatch fought back from the verge of elimination to a final flight sudden death victory.

PHOTO: Andrew Carter/WMRT

For the full story and to learn more about the World Match Racing Champs visit the web site>>

For more information on Team KiwiMatch visit their web site>>

Explore NZ past employee joins sailing crew of CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand

Nick Burridge, a former Explore NZ employee, is set to join the team onboard CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand for Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race. For Burridge this is an amazing opportunity to live his dream and follow in the footsteps of his sailing hero Sir Peter Blake.

photo: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race

Burridge has plenty of sailing experience starting out at age 10 sailing optimists. Now aged 30, he leaves the onshore crew of CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand as rigger to join the sailing crew as bowman with experience from campaigns involving Leopard, Alfa Romeo and Investec Loyal in races including the Fastnet, Sydney to Hobart and Middle Sea Race.

Joining Explore NZ in 2005 Nick was part of the America’s Cup Sailing crew and later went on to help sail the boat that inspired his sailing career, Lion New Zealand, Sir Peter Blake’s entry into the 1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race.

“It is my childhood dream,’’ Nick says, “for me it’s everything. Ever since I was out on my old man’s power boat, I think I was about three, and Lion New Zealand sailed into Auckland, you know, you kind of decide that’s what you want to do.”

The Volvo Ocean 70s depart Miami today and after the PORTMIAMI In-Port Race the gap between the top four, including CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand, has been reduced to just 14 points. Leg 7 now stands to be a key turning point in the race.

“The result side of things has been on all our minds since we launched our boat in Auckland. With Emirates Team New Zealand being a big part of this team it’s all about results, you never do anything to come less than first place. We’re up there at the moment, but we’re not there yet and we have to work it.”

Being part of a winning CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand would be beyond fulfilling his childhood dream, but his life’s ambition and will continue in the footsteps of his Lion New Zealand hero Sir Peter Blake.

Nick joins another ex Explore NZ employee Adam Minoprio who has been on Camper since the beginning of the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante. We wish Nick, Adam and the rest of the crew all the best for the remainder of the race, good luck boys and sail hard, we know you can do it!

Follow the progress of CAMPER Emirates Team New Zealand in the Volvo Ocean Race>>

‘The Great Race’ – Auckland Hotel Concierge and i-SITE Go Karting Challenge

Each year the hotel concierges and i-SITE consultants get into the competitive spirit of Go Karting. Sponsored by Explore NZ, Gray Line, Fullers and Go Rentals this annual ‘thank you’ is a great way for the concierges to let their hair down.

Over 70 concierges attended, predominately the male species of course, who were ready and willing to side bump and cut each other off to take out this year’s title. The 2012 Great Race winners were the boys from Rendezvous Hotel and runners up were the Copthorne Harbourcity team.

Held at Extreme Karts in East Tamaki http://www.extremekarts.co.nz this is New Zealand’s only two level track. With custom-built powerful petrol engines, the pure grunginess of this sport where the petrol fumes, roaring of the motors and competitive nature tests each driver’s skill, an experience in itself.

What a fantastic way to top off an awesome summer! On behalf of the sponsors, thank you for the continued support and we look forward to another great year.

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Story by Jo van der Linden

Steinlager 2 – the legend returns…

Steinlager 2, the winning Kiwi legend skippered by Sir Peter Blake in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race returns to its New Zealand home.

Peter Blake led Steinlager 2 to an unprecedented clean sweep winning line, handicap and overall honours on each of the six legs.

You can greet this legendary yacht as she returns to her home base of Auckland.

SATURDAY 5TH MAY, 12pm
SAIL WITH STEINLAGER 2
Bring your yacht or launch out on the harbour and welcome Steinlager 2 home. Expected to round North Head at midday.

SUNDAY 6TH MAY, 10am – 3pm
PUBLIC OPEN DAY
Come on down to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, and view both Steinlager 2 and Lion New Zealand, Peter Blake’s previous Whitbread yacht. Explore both above and below decks on these Kiwi icons.
Gold coin donation requested.

All donations go to the NZ Sailing Trust which is dedicated to:

• Preserve the legacy of the significant sailing vessels of Sir Peter Blake and his teams
• Using these sailing vessels to provide experiences for young New Zealanders that bring to life the values of leadership, courage and teamwork
• Helping to ensure the future of New Zealand’s maritime industry through providing opportunities to young New Zealand sailors

NZ SAILING TRUST
email: info@nzsailingtrust.com
web: www.nzsailingtrust.com

Auckland stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race

Things are really busy in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour today as the Volvo 70′s are out of the water getting some much needed attention.

After a hard twenty days at sea the yachts (and their crews) need some serious maintenance. The boats have been craned out of the water and put into their cradles, masts have been unstepped to allow all the rigging and lines to be checked. The guy in the photo below might well be scratching his head wondering where to begin!

The yachts put up with a lot in the race legs and you get a feel for that when you stand next to the mast and see the size of the gear.

The fin and bulb of leg winner Groupama – keel weight is fixed on all the Volvo yachts at 7.4 tonnes with a maximum draft of 4.5metres. The fin must weigh a minimum of 1,900kg.

What makes the stopover so special is the public access. The boats are just metres away as you stand on the excellent viewing ramp of the Viaduct Events Centre, watching the crews buzzing around working on the yachts in preparation for the next stage of the racing.

This will begin this Friday 16th March with a Pro/Am Race around the Waitemata Harbour, followed on 17th March with the In Port Race and on 18th March the Volvo yachts set off on the next leg around Cape Horn to Brazil.

Explore NZ can get you out in the midst of the action on our range of vessels which are conveniently situated by the entrance to the Volvo Ocean Race Village. To find out how to get out on one of our spectator vessels visit the Explore NZ web site.

Ducks daring dash down river…

Bay of Islands Riding for the Disabled recently held a duck race at Kerikeri on 5th February and Explore NZ were pleased to support the event by offering some prizes.

Everyone had a fun day in the Kerikeri Stone Store Basin (where we stop for our Day Discovery cruise), with a bouncy castle for kids, a live band, sausage sizzle and games.

The main event is the duck race where they release all these little plastic duckies down the river and the winner gets a prize. People can sponsor a ducky and they have numbers on each duck.

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Great care is taken to ensure the ducks make a safe journey to the finish and none escape to the open sea!

Explore NZ provided tickets for Dune Rider, Discover the Bay and America’s
Cup trips, 2 of each for the raffle which raised money for the Riding
for Disabled charity.

Work, rest and play out on the water…

Quite a few of the Explore NZ staff based in Paihia enjoy nothing more than racing around the Bay of Islands after a days work on the sea.

Several staff took part in the 10th Bay of Islands Race Week, hosted at the Opua Cruising Club, who have given us permission to share their photo galleries of the excitement out on the water during Race Week.

Phto courtesy BoI Race Week 2012

A few of the Explore NZ Auckland staff also went north and  joined in the fun, and from the sound of it a good time was had by all. The weather certainly played  its part!