Women dominate Waikawa waters

The 2026 Gela Skincare Waikawa Women’s Regatta attracted 119 wahine sailors from around the country to Marlborough.

Organisers of the event, staged from September 11-13, said, “despite everything the weather gods could throw at us, there was plenty on offer to keep everyone interested – and on their toes – throughout the whole weekend”.

The regatta began with the Taste of Marlborough Friday afternoon event, attended by 50 of the visiting sailors.

Five local launches ferried the visitors to Kumototo Bay for a five-boat raft-up on a beautiful spring evening. There, they sampled the best of Marlborough fare – venison, lamb, pāua, mussels, salmon and local vegetables – expertly matched with Riverby Estate wines.

Saturday was the first day of competition and delivered sunny skies, dolphins, diving gannets, plenty of nerves and light winds, with a few promising gusts thrown in.

Two races were held – the first a long harbour race out to Perano Shoals, which provided a great opportunity to test the crews and practise some manoeuvres. The second was a good, gusty race around the buoys, putting everyone through their paces with the ups and downs of spinnaker flying.

Prizegiving and dinner at the host Waikawa Boating Club followed, with attendees being entertained by Olympic gold medallist sailor Jenny Armstrong, who shared stories of her involvement in the Sydney-Hobart Race last December.

Sunday also dawned sunny, but by around 10.30am the southerly kicked in, with winds reaching more than 30 knots. The Racing Committee held their nerve, with the intrepid RIB crews making numerous course changes as they battled around the course laying (and rescuing) marks. Eventually the wind settled to a more manageable 15–20 knots, allowing two great round-the-cans races to be held.

Racing was over by 3pm, with prizegiving at 4pm and another full house at the Waikawa Boating Club.

Organisers said, “There were plenty of tired and thirsty bodies, sun and wind-burnt faces – but, most importantly, smiles all round and a fantastic rapport between the crews and sailors.

“What a weekend! It was such a success that the date for next year has already been locked in - 10–12 September 2027.”