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A parade of sail in the morning started the day off, showcasing hundreds of vessels of all sizes including sail races, and tugboats, with our very own crew of Paul J of Neil, Steve P, Rachel Elsey and Marion taking to the water in Gloriana as part of the classic yacht fleet. Also out on the water was the Navy Frigate HMNZS Te Mana and contenders for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series among many other spectacles.
Our crew aboard the Gloriana had a few stories to tell of the day. Paul had to go up the mast to take the Oceanbridge flag down as it got stuck and the sails couldn’t go up, and the boat also filled with water as the conditions were quite rough at times which left Rachel and Paul to bale. The wind peaked at 22 knots so the team completed the course in 2.5 hours, their quickest time, but unfortunately didn’t manage to beat the Jesse Logan (another classic boat built by the same people), so this will be the goal next year! The team had a lot of fun learning how to sail with Captain Paul. They felt it was a fantastic experience, especially on a difficult boat to sail like the Gloriana, and will definitely be doing more sailing and practising for next year!
During the event, the Oceanbridge name was very prominent in this high profile event on the Auckland calendar. Our Platu was out on the day, our tender was also out and the event Rescue Runner covered in Oceanbridge signage. There were also OCB flags flying all over the event, and if you watched TV 3 news that night our flag was flying in the background during one of the interviews.
This is a fantastic event to be a part of, and will be a naming sponsor for the next three years. Next year will be the 170th Regatta, so will be an extra special year and we look forward to being a part of the day again.
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