We were very fortunate to have a great family sailing day for the TIWAL NZ Cup, held in the beautiful Mahurangi before another lockdown was announced the same evening.
Eight TIWALS sailed in a gentle breeze around Saddle Island and down to Scotts Landing for a picnic in the park. The wind increased later in the day, giving competitors a chance to stretch out and enjoy a speedy sail back to Sullivans Bay. The winners of the event were Zane and Anna Gifford. Zane Gifford is an accomplished New Zealand sailor who has won National Championships in several classes including P Class, Young 88s (multiple times), and Elliot 7s. Second place went to the youngsters of the event, brothers Boaz and Simeon White of Hamilton, and third place to Jocelyn Morgan of Waiheke Island. John Rusk travelled from Wellington for the event, and although he missed out on the Sunday event, the RNZYS Auckland Harbour Bridge to Bean Rock, due to COVID, he said sailing in beautiful Mahurangi and meeting other TIWAL owners was well worth the long drive. A few boats missed out on the TIWAL NZ Cup due to changed schedules and COVID lockdowns, but we hope to get another event organised soon for those who missed out.
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New Years Eve, 2021 and it is near perfect weather: My partner and I left it till 5pm to decide to sail our TIWAL dinghies to Rangitoto Island and climb to the top for the midnight fireworks show. It was refreshing to be able to just go on a local adventure so easily. Our company at the top of Rangitoto included a couple who came across in a small tender from Castor Bay and campers from Motatapu Island. It was a perfect evening - why hadn’t we done this before?
A bucket list of TIWAL adventures is forming: Cathedral Cove, Tiritiri Matangi, Mahurangi and Duder Regional Park… all you need is a car, a TIWAL and waterproof bag. The compact inflatable TIWAL sailing dinghies have revolutionised adventure by sail. To build the TIWAL community I have organised a TIWAL Cup at Mahurangi (Sullivans Bay) on Saturday 27th February. Beginner and advanced sailors of all ages and sizes will enjoy some fun and races around Mahurangi Inlet and Saddle Island. The Fleet will also join the Bridge to Bean Rock Race run by Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on Sunday. The out-of-town TIWAL owners will get the chance to sail the length of Auckland harbour. A stunning sight, complete with AC75s zooming around. Later this year a new division will join the TIWAL Class. TIWAL is bringing out an equally portable and quick to assemble racing version - the Tiwal 3R. In keeping with the TIWAL vision, it is a low maintenance, racing dinghy which you can transport in the back of your car. Unfortunately no trans-Tasman bubble means no Australians at the TIWAL Cup - it would have been great to give them the chance to sail in Auckland at this exciting time. Watching Jimmy Spithill represent the country on Prada and Joey Newton on INEOS Team UK will have to do! If you would like to book a sail in a TIWAL and join us on the day contact Melinda Henshaw on 021 611623 or visit www.tiwal.nz to find your local agent. And if you have time, check out these videos for some TIWAL action: Surf a Tiwal in Hawaii! Turn on the sound for this awesome TIWAL 2 action TIWAL CUP 2019 (France) https://www.facebook.com/Tiwalnzaustralia https://www.facebook.com/nauticalnomadsaustralia |
Melinda HenshawI am a New Zealand sailor who learned to sail in the beautiful Malborough Sounds and then went onto represent NZ at the 2000 Olympics. Archives
May 2023
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