royal yacht squadron auckland

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Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is the oldest and most successful yacht club in New Zealand, and the current home of the America’s Cup. 

With over 3,200 Members, the club is thriving and enjoys a yearlong calendar of activities that cater to all our Member’s needs.     

Club Racing/Sailing:  We offer a great range of sailing series with hundreds of races run every year, from the Club Marine Insurance Wednesday Night Series, Friday Night Rum Races, Young 88 Sprints, NZ Match Racing Championships, right through to Cruising Rallies (to name a few) – there is a sailing event for all types of yachts and crews.     

RNZYS Learn to Sail Programme:  The RNZYS Learn to Sail programme is very popular and offers multiple learn to sail courses including Level One, Level Two and Learn to Race courses. Our Learn to sail courses are run in a variety of boats including our fleet of Elliott 7’s or the MRX’s – offering a great keelboat learning experience. There is also a course which takes students to Kawau Island for an entire weekend of sailing. Find out more about our Learn to Sail Programme HERE:  http://www.learntosailnz.com/      

RNZYS Youth Training Programme:  The RNZYS Youth Training Programme is the programme delivering intensive sail training for young sailors in a disciplined environment.  This programme has long been regarded globally as a leader in youth training and is the country’s most comprehensive and advanced.  Students between the ages of 15-23 are able to apply for this programme which Grant Dalton describes as “the best youth training programme in the world”. More details + apply online HERE:  http://www.rnzys.org.nz/youth-programme/     

Functions & Events:  The RNZYS is also a very high sort after functions facility, with multiple rooms that can cater for any type of function. Whether it’s a wedding, cocktail party or a business meeting – we have your function covered. Explore our facilities and book your function or event today HERE:  http://www.rnzys.org.nz/venue-hire/      

Social Events:  The RNZYS is not just a sailing club, we also offer a wide variety of off-water events such as Speakers Series Lunches, Golf Days, Picnics, Ladies events, LIVE sport screenings and much more.     

Dining:  The RNZYS Members Bar is open 7 days and offers fantastic food, drinks and the best harbour views in Auckland. The Quarterdeck Restaurant is open Wednesday – Friday and offers a more up market dining experience.     

JOIN US TODAY: Join the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron today! Membership Application Form HERE:  http://www.rnzys.org.nz/memberships/apply-to-be-a-member/    

101 Curran Street Westhaven Auckland New Zealand

-36.8355298, 174.7454088

PO Box 46182 Herne Bay Auckland 1147 New Zealand

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Three kings race.

The Auckland Three Kings Race is a 500 nautical mile challenge from Auckland up and around the Three Kings Islands and then back to Auckland finishing where you started.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

• 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland, New Zealand

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BOAT International Named Media Partner of 2021 Auckland Superyacht Regatta

BOAT International is delighted to be the media partner of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s 2021 Superyacht Regatta to be held in Auckland, and the official superyacht regatta of the America's Cup period.

The regatta will be hosted by the illustrious Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) and will take place in Auckland from 24 to 27 February 2021, with racing right across the beautiful Hauraki Gulf.

Dating back to 1851, the America’s Cup is the longest-running international sporting trophy. Following the victory of Emirates Team New Zealand (representing the RNZYS) at the 35th edition in Bermuda in 2017, the 36th edition of the Cup will take place in New Zealand in 2021.

Tony Euden, co-CEO of BOAT International, said: “We are honoured to be partnering with the New Zealand Royal Yacht Squadron for their official superyacht regatta of the 2021 America’s Cup. As the official media partner of the 2021 Superyacht Regatta, we very much look forward to bringing the latest news, event build-up and live coverage to participants and enthusiasts across the world.”

Aaron Young, currently Vice Commodore and Chair AC36, RNZYS, and soon to take on the role of Commodore for 2021, said: “We are thrilled to partner with BOAT International on this important event in 2021. BOAT International is the leader in the superyacht media space and has extensive experience running and covering superyacht events, so it’s a perfect match for the RNZYS.

"The company has run the last two America’s Cup Superyacht Regattas and as such will be a great support to the RNZYS throughout 2021. Auckland will be an awesome place to be that summer!”

The 2021 America’s Cup coincides with the RNZYS’s 150th anniversary. The programme is set to bring three days of exciting and competitive racing plus a variety of exclusive social activities when not battling it out on the water. There will also be a J-Class and classics re-gatta straight after the Superyacht Regatta. 2021’s Superyacht Regatta trophy will be pre-sented by BOAT International to the team who prevail in the most competitive, closely con-tested class. The regatta is open to cruising yachts of at least 24 metres.

For more information on the RNZYS 2021 Superyacht Regatta Auckland and details on how to enter, please visit  https://boatint.com/aucklan d

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The man who holds the key to the America's Cup

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Aaron Young is the holder of the key to one of the world’s hottest sporting properties.

As commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Young has the key to the safe that holds the key to the case that holds the America’s Cup.

It’s on him at all times, day and night. Except for right now.

We’re sitting in the Members Lounge of the Squadron – once the room that housed the world’s oldest sporting trophy, until it was clobbered by a sledgehammer in 1997 – and it’s raining so heavily, you can no longer see the Auckland Harbour Bridge right outside the window.

Young is patting the pockets of his trousers. Then he remembers he’s entrusted the key to Cooper, one of the younger staff members, so the Auld Mug could make an off-site visit with Emirates Team New Zealand chairman, Sir Stephen Tindall.

When the key is back in his care, he proudly shows it to me – an impressive chunk of old brass almost the length of his hand. “It’s pretty serious, not like a car key you leave in your pocket,” he says.

It’s quite a rigmarole to unlock the Cup from its alarmed, bulletproof glass housing; a process that requires a few of staff. “The security is a lot tighter than it used to be,” Young says.

He bears a lot more responsibility than just custodian of the prized silverware. Especially in this year, one of the biggest in the Squadron’s illustrious history, as it celebrates its 150 th anniversary on top of hosting the America’s Cup.

“We certainly didn’t plan it this way,” laughs Young, who’s not complaining. He was “right amongst it” in Bermuda on board a Team NZ chase boat four years ago, when Peter Burling’s crew whipped the Auld Mug out of Oracle’s hands.

At 48, he’s one of the youngest commodores to have ever sat in the throne-like chair in the auspicious Committee Room, and part of a new generation in the RNZYS – including, waiting in the wings, the first-ever female commodore in the Squadron’s history.

“We’re growing in the right areas, moving away from the exclusive old boys’ club that the Squadron was traditionally perceived to be,” Young says.

Regarded as one of the most prestigious, and most successful, sailing clubs in the world – the only club, it maintains, to have won every major yachting race on the globe – the Squadron now boasts its highest-ever membership of 4000.

The number of women and young people joining up continues to buck the trend of many sports clubs who are losing members.

The America’s Cup, of course, has had a lot to do with it.

Aaron Young was born into one of New Zealand’s great sailing dynasties. His grandfather, Jim Young, was one of the country’s leading yacht designers, as well as an accomplished sailor and boat builder.

Up until he died last year, aged 94, Jim could often be found in Cobweb Corner in the Squadron’s ballroom – sharing old stories with other august members.

Jim Young had a huge impact on his grandson’s early sailing career. “I was sailing dinghies and he would chase me up the harbour in a tinny, yelling ‘Hike harder! Work harder!’,” Aaron Young recalls.

Well ahead of his time, Jim Young designed a yacht with a canting keel (which helps a boat stay upright) back in the late 1950s – a move which put him offside with traditionalists at the Squadron. He later chuckled at the fact his grandson, as commodore of the very same yacht club, had bought a Melges 40 – a high-performance canting keeler.

The commodore bought his racing yacht, Checkmate, out of Europe and convinced three mates to do the same, so there’s now be a racing fleet in Auckland.

“Part of my goal as commodore is to enhance club sailing. The reason New Zealand is so strong in the America’s Cup, ocean racing and the Olympics is because we have good grassroots club sailing,” he says.

“I love the boat, but it’s hard work. Running a racing campaign, and a business and being a commodore of the largest club in the country is time consuming.” A director of a number of companies, he’s also a husband and dad to two young kids.

Young races Checkmate every Wednesday night, and last weekend finished second at Kawau Island for the 150 th Squadron Weekend. Jim Young would no doubt have been proud.

In his early 20s, Aaron Young sailed Pied Pipers against Gillian Williams – now the Squadron’s first female rear commodore (third in the chain of command behind the commodore and vice commodore). In 2024, the Auckland lawyer is expected to become the first woman to fill the commodore’s role in the club’s 153 years.

“It’s long overdue,” Young says. “I’ve known Gill for a while, and she’s a very good sailor and she’ll be great in the role.”

If Team NZ successfully defend the America’s Cup in March, you won’t see Commodore Young on the final race day. He will squirrel himself away in a secret location – the subterfuge all part of one of the Cup’s many mysterious traditions.

One of Young’s close friends, Steve Mair, was the Squadron’s commodore in 2017. Mair was below the decks of Imagine, the superyacht of Team NZ principal Matteo di Nora, on Bermuda’s Great Sound for the final race of the America’s Cup. Boat staff stood guard around the deck, ready to kick any unwanted packages into the sea – the first challenge received once the winner crosses the finish line must be accepted as the Challenger of Record.

Young – then the Squadron’s rear commodore – was on a Team NZ chase boat with long-time team supporters Tindall and Bob Field. “It was very emotional – seeing people who’d been with the team for 30-odd years – the tears of joy were so real,” Young says.

“It’s very different being the defender, especially in Auckland. All eyes are on you. And there are more complications. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. It’s almost a relief for the team to go sailing at the end of it.”

As the holder of the America’s Cup, the Squadron sign off everything in the Cup protocol – the rules that bind the competition – and manage the licensing and protection of trademarks, including the name and the image of the trophy.

The Squadron also took the Auld Mug on a nationwide tour after it returned to New Zealand. Young accompanied the Cup from Hawkes Bay to Oamaru, and has an enduring memory of its arrival in Picton with hometown hero and Team NZ grinder, Joe Sullivan.

“We were on the interisland ferry with the Cup on the bow, and boats came to greet us,” Young says. “Joe expected a few 100 people waiting to see it. But there were 7000 – he had tears in his eyes walking off the ferry.

“In Greymouth we took the Cup to a pub on a Friday night and sat it on the bar. I don’t know if the New York Yacht Club would have liked it much, but we wanted to show it off to New Zealand.”

He wanted to take it on tour last year too, but Covid-19 got in the way.

The global pandemic threatened to be the party pooper in the Squadron’s 150 th birthday. It forced the cancellation of the Youth America’s Cup, which had 19 mixed-gender national crews from around the world. “That was a pretty significant disappointment,” Young says.  

It’s decimated the fleets of superyachts that would have lined up in two regattas over the next fortnight.  

Next week is the Millennium Cup regatta in the Bay of Islands, which has five sailing superyachts entered. The following week is the Mastercard Superyacht regatta, four days of racing in the Hauraki Gulf expecting eight sailing yachts and three motor yachts.

“Two years ago, we would have been expecting around 150 superyachts here this summer. Now we have a third of that number,” he says. “We’re still trying to get a few more boats through from the islands. But we have to respect where New Zealand is at in terms of the worldwide situation.”

They’ve also had to pull the plug on the Sydney-Auckland ocean race. 

Other events, though, are still going ahead as planned, including the Bridge-to-Bean race on February 28 – a new event encouraging all dinghies and foiling craft to race from the Harbour Bridge to the Bean Rock Lighthouse.  

At the other end of the time scale, it’s the 100 th anniversary of the Lipton Cup – New Zealand sailing’s oldest trophy – donated to the Ponsonby Cruising Club by the five-time America’s Cup challenger Sir Thomas Lipton and made by the same silversmith as the America’s Cup.

The Squadron joins Ponsonby in hosting the regatta for mullet boats on March 20. The winner of the very first race – the 108-year-old Valeria – will be on the start line.

Young is expecting a big crowd of members in the Squadron this weekend to watch the first races of the Prada Cup final between INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli on the ballroom’s big screens.

“It’s quite a neat atmosphere. You’re sitting downstairs and you look up above to the mezzanine and there’s the America’s Cup sitting upstairs. It’s kind of a weird connection,” he says.

While rumours swirl around the waterfront Team NZ could take the Cup away from New Zealand if they successfully defend it, Young’s focus right now is making sure that under his watch, upstairs is exactly where it stays.

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NEW ZEALAND’S PREMIER BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED SAILING COURSES

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The RNZYS Sailing School is located within the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, New Zealand’s most senior yacht club.

The club is situated along the iconic breakwater at Westhaven Marina, what better place to start your sailing journey that at the home of the America’s Cup.

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Call us: 09 360 6809 or 021 593 482 Find us: 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1147 Email us: [email protected]

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101 Curran Street

Auckland 1011

New Zealand

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I ran a training course here. Great location. Great venue. Great staff. They offered for us to dine in the restaurant and what a smart decision to do so. I ordered a burger with limited expectations but I'd be hard pressed to think of a better burger I've had in recent memory. Similar reports from the rest of my trainees. Highly recommended!

I've been going to RNZYS since I was a wee tike. My parents are sailing enthusiasts and consequently some of my earliest memories are hanging out in the member's lounge drinking raspberry lemonades and modeling the kid's clothes in the Line 7 fashion show! These days the squadron is a lot fancier - there's a full service restaurant upstairs (you can make reservations on their website) and a members only bar that has fantastic views of the harbour. There's a trophy room, where the America's Cup once was, and a huuuge hall appropriately decorated with nautical knick-knacks. Definitely worth considering if you're organizing an event - there's rooms of every size and they have a specific event coordinator.

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Do not go away without eating perfectly cooked fish . Good wine will make your meal tastier and you'll surely come back. The convenient location of this bar makes it easy to reach by any transport. The terrific staff demonstrates a high level of hospitality at Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron . Spectacular service is something visitors like here. When inside, the atmosphere is cool. This place is ranked 4.5 within the Google grading system.

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Quarterdeck Restaurant

For event hire of the quarterdeck, please inquire within by emailing [email protected].

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is New Zealand’s leading yacht club, with an illustrious history dating back to our formation in 1871. The RNZYS is still the official home of the America’s Cup after Emirates Team New Zealand, representing the RNZYS, defended the oldest sporting trophy in the world at the 36th America’s Cup in Auckland in 2021. The RNZYS has a wide range of events taking place to mark this momentous occasion. With thousands of races per calendar year, many social events and a Members Bar open seven days a week, we invite you to join us and enjoy what we have to offer.

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Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Inc 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011, New Zealand (09) 360-6800