In 1983 the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club celebrated its centennial. So began another phase of its development, which we describe here in our third and last article on the history of the club (abbreviated from its website).
The Club had no apparent legal title to the Clubhouse despite an alleged “gentleman’s agreement” concluded many years earlier. The Club finally purchased the Clubhouse in 1986 for $21,000 with a 60-year on-site lease.
No sooner had the ink dried on the lease document than plans were drawn up to rebuild the Club’s newly acquired, but ageing, building.
In May 1987 the builders moved in. By September the ground floor wardroom, showers and toilets were ready, and the Club re-opened for business. The official opening by the Governor-General took place on 29 November 1987 when the entire Clubhouse including restaurant, wardroom, offices and conference room were opened to members.
In the space of four years the Club had progressed from being the tenant of a run-down 50-year-old ex-hostel with cash assets of less than $50,000 to the owner of a building valued at $1.3 million. This was due to innovative fundraising, including the introduction of corporate memberships.
In 1991, the Sailing Development Programme was started, followed two years later by the opening of RPNYC Sailing Academy, a full-time sail training amenity for the Wellington region. A recent fruition of the club’s youth sailing scheme was that Josh Junior, who went through the programme, was part of the crew of the 2017 America’s Cup team. He was also nominated for the Wellington Hospitality Group’s Sportsperson of the Year Awards (2018).
In 1998 the old Clubhouse at the eastern end of Clyde Quay boat harbour was renovated and the Sailing Academy relocated there. Sir Peter Blake was the guest of honour at the official opening in November 1998.
Many races were established over these years and many notable wins were achieved, such as in the Auckland-Suva race and the Whangarei-Noumea. Some extraordinary adventures are recorded in the club’s annals, like that of the 45ft Matuku which struck a whale in the Tasman Sea and sank. Its crew drifted in their life raft for five days before being rescued.
At Olympic and national representative level, Hugh Poole and Hal Wagstaff have been members of New Zealand Olympic yachting teams and Hal Wagstaff was elected President of Yachting New Zealand from 1989 to 1991.
In the early 1990s the Club introduced sprint racing, two-handed racing and then the President’s Division. In 1993 the Club became an active participant in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race for the first time. The launching of Grant Dalton’s New Zealand Endeavour, jointly flagged out of RPNYC and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, took place on 7 November that year. New Zealand Endeavour was top maxi and fastest yacht overall in the 1993-94 Whitbread.
In 1994 the Club ran the Tasman Triangle yacht race in conjunction with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, with the race incorporating the 50th anniversary Sydney to Hobart Classic Yacht Race. May 2003 saw the biggest Club blue water fleet since the Tasman Triangle leave Wellington for the Auckland to Musket Cove (Fiji) race.
The 3-day LINE 7 Port Nicholson Regatta began in 1999. The 2000 event was Wellington’s first keelboat championship for many years and the first ORC Club National Championship. The 2007 event was changed to be an IRC Club National Championship and timed to fall during the Wellington stopover of the Fully Crewed Round the North Island race.
In 2014 young sailors made first and second in the NZ Youth Match Racing Nationals. 2014 also saw success for the Club’s big boats when Blink took the Elliot Trophy for line honours in the two-handed round the North Island race. Blink competed in the Auckland to Fiji race in 2016 and 2017 and won the Elliot Trophy for overall fastest time.
In 2015 the wardroom was refurbished in partnership with Wellington Hospitality Group. As part of the project the restaurant re-opened as Coene’s Bar & Eatery – named after the Commander of the US forces based at Clyde Quay during WWII.
In 1917, the club embarked on a sailing partnership with the Evans Bay YMBC and Lowry Bay YC. Each club hosts two races which add up to a combined series of six races competing for the inter-club cup. The first series held late 2017 had a great turnout with big fleets. It is planned to make it an annual event.
The club is beginning the process of earthquake strengthening of the club house, which will take some years to complete.