The Founding of the Club

The Mahurangi Cruising Club was formed in 1988. The story goes that a small group of friends, sitting around on a beach in the Mahurangi Harbour, decided to create a home for disaffected sailors who did not want to belong to a proper yacht club. Rather, what was needed was something less formal, very inclusive, and definitely without a clubhouse, with all the complications and costs that property entails.

A committee was thought to be essential, though—one that had a lot of fancy titles, could organise a programme of events, and compete for lots of lovely trophies. A very large tree stump outside the heritage Scott House at Scott’s Landing on the Mahurangi Peninsula was claimed as the new club HQ, and the vision of the club was formalised as: "Encouraging the ownership, use, and restoration of classic wooden boats."

On Anniversary Weekend of 1990, the new club held its first classic yacht race in the Mahurangi Regatta. This was the perfect fit for the traditional spirit of the new club, as the regatta, brought back to life a decade earlier by the Friends of the Mahurangi group, was modelled on the old Mahurangi Settlers Regatta. This regatta had been held annually in the harbour from the late nineteenth century until the outbreak of the Second World War.

The race, at first rather small and gathered together by personal invitation, soon grew and has continued to grow, attracting a large number of visitors to the harbour every Anniversary Weekend. Over a hundred boats now take part in the racing, and upwards of 600 boats anchor in the Mahurangi to enjoy what is now recognised as the southern hemisphere’s largest meet of classic wooden boats—yachts of all sizes as well as classic launches.

Typically, trailer boats can be launched for the Mahurangi Regatta from Sullivans Bay. However, due to storm damage, the ramp at Sullivans Bay is currently closed. Instead, trailer boats will need to be launched from Wenderholm or Opahi Bay. While the traditional beach picnic organised by Mahurangi Action at Sullivans Bay will be a more low-key affair this year, it will still feature the much-loved children’s races.

The prizegiving and dance at Scott’s Landing remain on the schedule, promising to conclude the day with a memorable celebration on the final long weekend of summer.

For those wanting to see the regatta in action head to the Mahurangi peninsula.

While the regatta race remains the club’s premiere event, there are also club races held around Kawau Bay at Easter and again in early spring. The club was keen to see, and welcome into the regatta, newly built replicas of the old Mahurangi punt—tenders that were used around the harbour as early as 1860.

In 2009, following a major reconstruction project supported by members of the club, the trading scow Jane Gifford was re-launched. The Jane is now permanently berthed in the Warkworth river basin and provides excursions in and around her old sailing grounds in the Mahurangi Harbour. She has a regular outing at the regatta, acting as the Club Start/Finish Boat.

A Change of HQ

In 2010, the club was dealt a blow when its club HQ and sometime trophy cabinet was destroyed in a covert operation by Parks Management. The stump was cleared away, and committee members spent some months meandering haplessly from pub to pub in search of a suitable venue for meetings. At last, two club members offered their magnificent shed in Warkworth as a base. Admiralty House on Bertram Street now provides the club, its trophies, and other odds and sods, with a permanent home.

For more information you can check out their website https://mahurangicruisingclub.org/