Yachting

Single 40c 'P Class' gummed stamp.

Most young (and some not so young) New Zealander’s learn to sail in the P Class, a delightful and uniquely New Zealand sailing dinghy.

In the early 1920’s they appeared on Tauranga harbour. Designed by Harry Highet, the P Class was first known as the Tauranga Class.

A local yachtsman, Percy Carter, spied the potential for Highet’s design as a perfect craft for children and young people to learn to sail in. With the help of a friend and fellow yachtsman, he built one for his sons, and within a year there was a fleet of ten or so racing regularly every weekend. By 1944 the boat was so popular that inter-provincial races were being held.

With more advanced building materials and techniques being used, over the years the P Class has developed into a relatively modern boat. However, the design remains basically unaltered, and it is still one of the most popular New Zealand youth class boats.

Single 80c 'Laser' gummed stamp.

Designed by Canadian sailors Bruce Kirby and Ian Bruce, the Laser is one of the most popular boats ever made. There are many competitions dedicated to the Laser, including the distinction of being the men’s single-handed class in the Olympics.

Originally designed in 1969 as a sailboat small enough to fit on top of a car, the Laser first made it to the water in 1970 in a competition for boats costing less than $1,000. The original boat was called the Weekender, and had the letters TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday – stitched into the sail.

The Laser is built in England, Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Chile and the United States, and remains a relatively inexpensive boat to purchase. It is one of the most competitive classes of yachting, attracting some of the largest fleets in the world.

The boat is well suited to New Zealand conditions, and one of the most common sentiments expressed about the boat is its ability to be taken out on the water when other boats can’t be. Good and stable yet very fast in heavier wind, the Laser appeals to the New Zealand senses of skill and challenge.

Single $1.10 '18' Skiff' gummed stamp.

Skiffs are two or three person boats that are generally between 3.5 and 5.5 metres in length. They are high speed sports and racing craft sailed from trapeze and can be described as the Formula One of yachting.

The origins of the New Zealand fleet started in 1951 in Auckland when local sailor Dave Marks managed to convince a few other locals that increased sail area and bigger downwind additions would provide greater excitement. This saw the beginning of the "Q" Class skiffs.

Skiff sailing is an exciting spectator sport, and is especially popular in Auckland and Canterbury. On a good day, spectators can enjoy the entertainment from Mission Bay, North Head and Orakei Wharf as these highly competitive boats create spectacular sailing action.

Single $1.20 'Hobie Cat' gummed stamp.

The Hobie Cat is a highly popular small twin hull sailing craft, otherwise known as a catamaran.

First developed in California in the late 1960’s by Hobie Alter, the Hobie Cat was designed to be fast, fun and easy to sail. They are able to sailed by one or two people, kids and adults alike.

Offering greater speed (and greater thrills in high winds) than conventional single hull dinghy, the Hobie is also able to be ridden through surf.

The combination of excellent speed on open water, its ability to handle surf and relatively inexpensive pricing made the Hobie Cat extremely popular in the 1970’s. The ANZ book of Sailing and Boating describes the Hobie as "sailing of the adrenalin-pumping type".

Naturally this type of sailing is of immense appeal to New Zealanders, who are among the most active and outdoor experience oriented people in the world – and these qualities will ensure that the Hobie remains popular for a long time yet.

Single $1.50 'Racing Yacht' gummed stamp.

Racing appeals to the competitive streak in New Zealanders and so does the challenge of the sea. This combination has seen New Zealand sailors and crew win some of the most demanding ocean races in the world, including the Whitbread Round the World, the Jules Verne Cup, the Admiral’s Cup and the America’s Cup.

Racing yachts are some of the most elegant sailing craft around, with every aspect designed for maximum speed and performance. New Zealand has produced some internationally renowned racing keelboat designers, probably the best known of those being Bruce Farr.

There are two types of keelboat racing – fleet and match. Some of the better known New Zealand fleet races are the Cook Strait Classic and Auckalnd’s Coastal Classic. Match racing is a two boat activity, and can be tremendously exciting to watch as they pit their wits against each other.

Single $1.80 'Cruising Yacht' gummed stamp.

Cruising yachts are a fixture of the New Zealand lifestyle – and especially in summer, when our harbours and coastline become big, blue playgrounds for many different types of craft.

Cruising yachts come in all shapes and sizes, from the six metre trailer yacht to the 45 metre floating palaces. Some are capable of making trans-ocean trips, and popular routes are up through the South Pacific and around the various tropical Islands.

The experience of sailing on a beautiful cruising keelboat is one of the finest in yachting. Not as fast as racing keelboats yet still capable of a good turn of speed, they are designed for comfort, stability and safety on the open sea.

The New Zealand environment, with its many coves and sounds, is ideal for coastal cruising, and this is reflected in its summertime popularity. The freedom of being able to drop anchor wherever it suits whether sailing under wind or power is in many ways synonymous with the great outdoor Kiwi lifestyle.

Single 40c 'Optimist' self-adhesive stamp.

The Optimist is one of the world’s most popular sail training dinghies.

It’s the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16 years of age, and is sailed in over 100 countries by over 150,000 young people. The Optimist has an excellent track record as a training boat, with ex-Optimist sailors winning in every sailing event except one at both the last two Olympics.

The Optimist is well regarded as a training boat because it’s safe and simple enough for an eight year old, while still being technically challenging for teenagers. And it’s a lot of fun!