kawau island yacht club membership

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Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron

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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

Upcoming events at this club

Youth match racing national championship, new zealand match racing championship.

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Kawau Boating Club Reopens

• By Lin Pardey
• Updated: May 8, 2015

What More Could a Hungry Sailor Want?

Famous for its beautiful location and secure anchorage, warm welcome and mammoth Kawau burgers, the Kawau Island Yacht Club was built in 1951 by the people of the island on land donated by a local boatbuilding family. It once boasted the largest membership of any yacht club in the southern hemisphere. Due to changing times, the buildings and land were taken over by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and it became, in effect, a Squadron outstation. A dwindling island population meant ever lower winter usage, and financial setbacks for the Squadron added to the stress of keeping the club open. In April 2014 it was officially closed and the land and buildings offered for sale.

A core group of five island residents and three very interested sailors from the mainland became determined to ensure that the land and buildings continued to be the center of island life and a fun refuge for sailors who cruise and fish in the beautiful, island-studded Hauraki Gulf, which stretches from Auckland out to Great Barrier Island. Long and sometimes difficult negotiations with the Squadron and other parties paved the way for what has now become the Kawau Boating Club.

A completely autonomous club, open to all but with special discount prices and benefits for those who become members, it reopened the café and bar Dec. 6, 2014, under the direction of professional café managers. Diesel and gas, fresh water, hot showers plus a book lending library are now available. Because the club has been designated as the official community hall for Kawau islanders, overseas cruising sailors are sure to meet local folks if they stop in for a visit.

And the famous Kawau Burger is once again available. With or without the optional fried egg, it’s a tasty mouthful.

This article first appeared as “What More Could a Hungry Sailor Want?” in the Underway section of Cruising World ‘s March 2015 issue. If it makes you hungry, click here for galley-friendly recipes!

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Royal NZ Yacht Squadron's Kawau Island Yacht Club to close

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Lake Michigan sailors describe dramatic man overboard rescue during storm

• Published: Jul. 18, 2024, 7:10 p.m.

The Racing Division of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club to Mackinac race got underway Saturday. Photo provided by Barry Butler, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. Barry Butler, Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust.

• Tanda Gmiter | [email protected]

LAKE MICHIGAN - There’s being in the right place at the right time - and then there’s clearly being prepared for the unexpected.

A man overboard incident during last weekend’s Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac sailboat competition led to a dramatic 20-minute rescue amid a storm that lashed Lake Michigan with some big waves and 46 mph winds.

Boat crews worked together to rescue the sailor who’d been tossed into the big lake at night. Luckily, he was prepared, too. He had a self-inflating floatation device, an emergency beacon and a strobe light.

“He was lit up like a Christmas tree,” said the owner of the boat who facilitated the rescue.

Race organizers gathered all the details of the on-the-water drama. Here’s what they shared:

The tense moments began Saturday night when the severe storms were rolling across Lake Michigan. It was a threat mostly to members of the contest’s Racing Division, which had left Chicago’s Navy Pier earlier in the day for the 333-mile trek to Mackinac Island. The oldest annual freshwater race in the world is known as America’s Offshore Challenge.

Shawn Dougherty, a crew member aboard the Callisto, was helping take the spinnaker down during the storm when a large gust of wind hit the boat and he was knocked into the water.

Dougherty was not tethered to the Callisto. But he was wearing a personal flotation device and a bag that had an Automatic Identification System emergency beacon that allows others to track his position via a distress signal. He also had a good strobe light, a knife and a whistle, race officials said.

Callisto’s owner, Jim Murray, said he saw Dougherty fall into the lake. Crew members hit their man overboard button, which locked in Dougherty’s location for rescuers.

An untimely rudder issue meant the Callisto was not immediately able to return to where Dougherty had fallen into the water.

“As soon as the man overboard (MOB) distress call went out, at least three boats in the vicinity responded to offer assistance, including the Santa Cruz 52 Madcap owned by John and Marian Hoskins ,” a race spokesperson said.

The Katana and the Natalie near the finish line of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac Presented By Wintrust. Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac

At the time Dougherty went into the water, Hoskins was down below on his boat monitoring the radio - a safety habit of his during bad weather.

“Majority of the time it’s a boring job, but it’s important to have that designated person on board, exactly for this reason,” Hoskins said. “The lesson here is I was ready for this call. We quickly established we were the closest boat to offer assistance and my crew jumped into action.”

The Madcap’s crew lowered its sails and motored in the overboard sailor’s direction. The beacon and strobe made him hard to miss.

Dougherty was scooped up about 20 minutes after he fell in the lake.

“Everyone knew exactly what to do. Who’s the spotter, who’s operating the searchlight, who’s in charge of the lifesling. We had our best driver on the helm, so the approach was nothing to worry about,” Hoskins said. “We were able to clearly communicate with Shawn in the water and could tell he was calm, he was not injured and very much in control, which helped to release our tension.

“It was a textbook recovery, thanks to the great preparation and coordinated teamwork.”

Because of the dicey weather conditions, Dougherty ended up staying on the Madcap for the rest of the race, though the rules prevented him from acting as a crew member on board.

It was Dougherty’s third Chicago-to-Mackinac race. “Every single event we go through the same preparation and practice,” he said. “We do so much racing together as a team but we practice this [scenario] over and over again.”

Wind conditions made this year’s running an extremely fast race, with a new record being set by Maverick’s crew.

The Maverick broke a 22-year record in the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac Presented By Wintrust. Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac

But the rescue effort also earned a reward - and lots of cheers once all the crews reached Mackinac Island. Madcap’s crew was awarded the Arthur B. Hansen rescue medal by US Sailing. It recognizes not only outstanding seamanship but good situational awareness that results in a sailor’s rescue.

“We do our best to ensure the sailors and boats are extremely well-equipped and prepared,” said Winn Soldani, chair of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust. He commended both crews for how they handled the situation. “From required Safety at Sea seminars, man overboard drills and an extensive list of equipment – this is exactly why all of it is worth it.”

“There’s a reason offshore sailors get along so well,” Callisto’s Murray said. “When you go to sea, you’re putting your trust in not only your crewmates, but all the people that you’re racing against.

“Madcap was incredible. You can’t thank somebody enough for something like that. It is one of those things that’s very heartwarming about the sport. And I think it separates sailing from other sports; that this really is a big family out there when you’re on the water together.”

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From Auckland  (via toll road)  www.ltsa.govt.nz/tollroad

– Take State Highway 1 from Auckland – The highway will continue to Puhoi – Once through the tunnel you will continue on SH1 to Warkworth – Turn right at the third set of lights at the northern end of Warkworth towards Sandspit

– Turn right again (approx 100m) into Sandspit Road (do not go straight ahead to Matakana or Omaha) – In approx 5km take the Sandspit Wharf turnoff on your left (approx 5km from Warkworth)

– Travel toward the end of the road to Sandspit Carpark / Information Ticketing Office / Wharf

NB: Tolls can be paid manually at the BP service station on the side of the motorway (between Albany and Silverdale).

Alternatively you can call 0800 40 20 20 or visit to pay your toll via credit card. Your toll can be paid in advance or within 3 days after using the toll road.

From Whangarei

– Take highway 1 south from Whangarei – Turn left at the first set of lights at the northern end of Warkworth towards Sandspit

– Turn right (approx 100m) into Sandspit Road (do not go straight ahead to Matakana or Omaha)

– In approx 5km take the Sandspit Wharf turnoff on your left (approx 5km from Warkworth) – Travel toward the end of the road to Sandspit Carpark / Information Ticketing Office / Wharf

• Sandspit to Kawau direct is 20 minutes by Water taxi, for a shuttle or ferry sailings please refer to our  Sandspit – Kawau Timetable  and  Freight Services Timetable  or contact us on 0800 111 616
• From Auckland via the sea it is 5hrs by Yacht or 2hrs by Launch

Yes, to secure a seat, and to ensure availability pre-booking 2hours notice is essential. All shuttle & ferry services run to a strict timetable and this must be adhered to at all times. Kawau Water Taxis & Kawau Cruises are under no obligation to delay the departure time of any vessel if you’re running late.

We advise that you allow 30-45 mins prior to schedule departure (sailing time) to load luggage, process tickets and park you car.

Yes, all passengers are entitled to 2 boxes/bags* per adult, 1box/bag per child at no charge. Advise of additional freight when booking 

We are in the process of testing our new complete ONLINE booking system. This should be ready to go in the near future. In the meantime please call us on 09-425 8006 for all bookings and information.

Yes, Kawau Kat IV has a fully licensed bar, we offer a selection of food and beverages both non-alcoholic and alcoholic.

Yes EFTPOS is available at Sandspit ticketing office and on board our Kawau KAT IV.

• We accept most major credit cards but we DO NOT accept American Express
• Cheques will be accepted with prior arrangement only

There is 24hr surveillance operated car & trailer parking available at Sandspit Council car park.

During the off-season car parking is $6 a day and in summer it is $12 a day. The ticket machine takes coins or credit card only. Sandspit Council car park kiosk is open during office hours.

Yes a boat ramp is available at Sandspit to launch own boat. Trailer parking in the ADC carpark adjacent to ramp.

Kawau Island Yacht Club, is a great way to meet the locals, It’s also the all in one shop, local pub and petrol station, only a stroll around the shoreline or a leisurely row across the bay. You DO NOT need to be a member. Everyone welcome!

There is no collection service on Kawau; you must take all rubbish back to the mainland. Refuse & recycling bins are located past the toilet block opposite the cafe.

Kawau Cruises

Water Taxis Our fleet of safe, high speed and comfortable Water Taxis are driven by professional skippers who have years of local experience. We operate a water taxi service and regular shuttle service to Kawau Island.

Royal Mail Run Cruise Ever wanted to explore an island that has no road access? Want to learn more about the people living there? This is your opportunity, with the Royal Mail Run Cruise!

Quick Links

• Sandspit Wharf, End of Sandspit Road, Sandspit, Warkworth Postal Address - Private Bag 937,Victoria Street West,Auckland 1142
• (+09) 425 8006 0800 111 616
• [email protected]

Kittery Point Yacht Club dock plan paused in New Castle: Here's why

NEW CASTLE — The Kittery Point Yacht Club's bid to gain town approval for a new dock on the Piscataqua River’s back channel has been paused by a New Castle board at the club's request.

Club leaders are planning to work with project opponents and residents on addressing safety around the property along the Route 1B causeway, addressing criticism made against the proposal since the winter. The proposal is presently tied up in the New Castle Zoning Board of Adjustment review and public hearing process.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment voted Wednesday night to continue the proposal to its Sept. 17 meeting in order to collaborate with the 68-year-old club on safety solutions. 

The club released a statement Thursday regarding the proposal's continuance through Dave Severance, treasurer for the club and a board of directors member. 

“We believe that there may be opportunities for the club to work together with the community in an effort to improve safety along the Route 1B causeway,” the club stated. “We felt that it would be better for all involved to take additional time to explore these opportunities and provide a clear perspective to all who may not have a clear factual understanding of the scope of our proposed project.”

The Kittery Point Yacht Club first proposed a 150-foot-long dock in the river’s back channel off Goat Island, a plan that has since been scaled back. The dock would be built off land purchased by the club from an abutter in 2022, jutting out in the waterway for use by the club’s student sailors and staff to avoid the potentially dangerous sailing conditions off the club’s current dock on the river.

Club members and proposal proponents have stated in hearings the new dock doesn’t mean the club is expanding. Rather, the new dock would evenly distribute students and staff and offer a safer voyage along the back channel and help further students’ knowledge of sailing.

The club's intention is to offer a second, safer access point to the water, according to Severance and Doug Pinciaro, the club dockmaster and a board of directors member.

Critics of the plan feel the dock would obstruct their views of the back channel and compromise safety along the causeway, arguing foot and vehicular traffic would increase, thereby increasing the risk of a vehicular accident involving pedestrians. Some have claimed a dock off Goat Island would harm navigation in the back channel.

In January, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a motion to grant the club the necessary variances for the proposed dock. However in February, the town Select Board stepped in and asked for a hearing to appeal the matter, alleging the Zoning Board of Adjustment erred in granting the variances. 

The Zoning Board of Adjustment agreed to the Select Board’s appeal, setting off the rehearing process that has now spanned several months.

“We look forward to working with the community to find an amicable solution,” the Kittery Point Yacht Club’s Thursday statement added.

The dock would be installed between November 15 and March 15, 2025 to avoid disruption to the sturgeon population in the back channel, according to May 21 minutes of a Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing on the matter.

Aside from the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s stamp of approval, the proposal would need to be signed off on by New Castle’s Planning Board, in addition to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

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KAWAU YACHT CHARTERS

Welcome to Kawau Yacht Charters

Picture yourself sailing a Beneteau 501 on Hauraki Gulf? Sailing on this French designed and built 51 foot yacht configured with spacious stateroom and galley, four double cabins, each with own en suite, and separate crew quarters can make your sailing dreams a reality.

Whether it is a charter or day sailing with crew or just for relaxing on an overnight stay moored in the tranquil water of Kawau Island (just an hour drive from Auckland), Kawau Yacht Charters provides that great escape that you deserve.

Kawau Yacht Charters is based in sheltered waters of Harris Bay on Bon Accord, Kawau Island - nestled across the bay from Kawau Yacht Club and close to historic Mansion House (Governor Grey's former residence) with its extensive gardens and with easy access to walking tracks through Department of Conservation reserves offering diverse botanica, scenic panorama and sheltering critically endangered species. he island supports kiwi, weka and teal ducks so rarely sighted elsewhere than this temperate haven.

Mix this with the interesting array of exotic wildlife, originally imported by Governor Grey, including Palmer and Swamp wallabies and kookaburras and you have a fantastic location to escape from city life. With only a four hour sail from Kawau Island to Great Barrier Island, Kawau Yacht Charters offers you the opportunity for both sailing and exploring the sights beyond Auckland.

Top off your sailing experience with gourmet catering available for day trips or longer voyages.

Please call or email Peter or Lucille Tel: + 64 2 1167 4157 Email: [email protected].

Copyright © 2017 Kawau Yacht Charters Ltd

Member Brochure

Bringing the best Value on all Things Travel

Congratulations, you have joined an exclusive club where our number one goal is to help you build Amazing Vacation Memories. For 20 years our travel professionals have been helping put smiles on our members faces.

As a member of The Charter Club, you'll never have to worry about not getting the absolutely best price on every trip you take. In fact, WE GUARANTEE IT. So, go to bed tonight and rest easy. You've just ensured your family will be vacationing in style for the rest of their lives. As if that's not enough, you have a member's only travel team that guarantees to bring you specially negotiated 'member only' rates; rates that are so good, they cannot be shown to the general public.

Take a vacation...and make a memory with those you love the most.

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Employment History

• Hogan Lovells, retired partner, New York, 2010 – present
• Hogan & Hartson, partner, New York and Moscow, 2000 – 2010
• Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, partner, New York and Moscow, 1994 – 1999
• Lord Day & Lord, Barrett Smith, partner, New York, 1974 –  1994 and Moscow, 1991 – 1994
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore, associate, New York, 1967 – 1974
• US Army, Captain, staff officer, Intelligence Division, US Army Headquarters, Heidelberg, Germany, 1965 – 1967
• Princeton University, AB 1961, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
• Harvard Law School, JD 1964
• New York University School of Law, LL.M. 1971

Bar Admissions

• New York (active)
• District of Columbia (inactive)
• Pennsylvania (inactive)
• United States Supreme Court

Board Positions

• Mr. Pettibone is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the US-Russia Business Council (USRBC), and was a member of its Executive Committee, chair of its Compensation Committee and its outside general counsel from 1993 to 2009. He is now an Honorary Director of the USRBC.
• Mr. Pettibone was counsel to the US-USSR Trade and Economic Council from 1974 to 1992.
• Mr. Pettibone was co-chair of the Investment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham) from 2000 to 2010.
• Mr. Pettibone was a member of the Board of Directors of the International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC) from 1993 to 2009.

Professional Memberships

• Member, Council on Foreign Relations
• Member, International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA)
• Member, American Bar Association (ABA), Section on Dispute Resolution
• Member of the steering committees for the thirteen annual conferences on dispute resolution sponsored by the ABA and RAA and held in Moscow, 2009-2021
• Member, New York State Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section
• Member, New York City Bar Association and its Arbitration and ADR Committees and Chair of its Joint Subcommittee on Arb-Med-Arb
• Member, CPR’s Arbitration Committee and its Rules Revision Task Force
• Member, International Arbitration Club of New York
• Member, New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC)

Other Affiliations

• Class President, Princeton University Class of 1961, 2016–present
• President, The Anglers Club of New York, 2020–2022
• Member, New York Yacht Club and Shelter Island Yacht Club
• Member, The Century Association, New York
• Native English speaker
• Proficient in Russian

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Introducing the Kawau Boating Club & Bistro!

April 21, 2023

This will be the name of the new Bistro when it opens on Labour Weekend 2023.

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