Association seeks funds to continue its advocacy work on behalf of Auckland boaters.

The Auckland Provincial Yacht & Motor Boat Association was established in 1919 as an affiliation of the town and country yacht clubs that existed at that time. There were the Town Clubs – the central clubs from Taiotea at Browns Bay in the north to Otahuhu in the south – and the Country Clubs, from the Awanui Cruising Club in the Far North and south to Mercury Bay and Rotorua.

Until the NZ Yachting Federation (NZYF) was formed in 1954, the Auckland Yacht & Boating Association (AYBA) managed the programme, the Railing Rules, the Class Rules and Yacht Registration for the greater Auckland Region – and worked in association with Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Otago, Southland and Wellington Yacht and Motor Boat Associations, who often had their own registers of boats and rules appropriate to their region. The details of all these regions and their member clubs were recorded in the Auckland Provincial Yacht & Motor Boat Association Handbook dated 1954.

The 1954 handbook also included the IYRU Racing Rules – 21 pages – while four pages covered the local Racing Rules, which included crew numbers and weights for the current classes and the rules and trophy lists for the national contests.

The NZYF, later to become known as Yachting NZ, took over most of these tasks but the Auckland Yacht & Boating Association continues to manage the regional sailing programme and coordinate the major class regattas.

With the increasing pressures of a growing population and increasing demands on our coastal waters, AYBA has become involved in policing the rules and any proposed developments as they affect the marine environment. It has lodged submissions on holding tanks, life jackets, harbour by-laws, anchoring zones etc. and attended hearings when considered appropriate. AYBA is constantly monitoring fish farming to ensue popular access across the water is not obstructed and that the required lighting is functioning. AYBA has recently highlighted the threat of bottom trawling and its effect on biodiversity.

AYBA submitted on the Unitary Plan, the location of exclusive moorings, the Wynyard Precinct, the West Haven Marine Precinct and the dolphin mooring, spending more than $200,000 arguing these cases.

AYBA’s share of the costs, with Northland Regional Council and Yachting New Zealand, fighting against extensive fish farming in the Bay of Islands was $15,000. As a result, the Bay is still free for visitors to cruise and anchor in most areas. After submissions on the Marine Mammal Protection Zone, it is still possible to motor or sail across the bay when playful dolphins want to ride the bow waves.

AYBA coordinates sailing and all aquatic sports programmes for the Auckland Region. It organises and subsidises club training in First Aid, Race Management, Patrol and Rescue Boat handling and own and maintain two VHF Radio Channels, 4 & 68, for marine users.

In 2017 AYBA lodged a future proofing document with Sports Aktiv and the Auckland Council in response to Sports Aktiv’s report on sport in Auckland, which failed to recognise any aquatic sports except “Yachts on the Gulf” or “Rowing on the Tamaki Estuary”. In 2019 we supported the AMUA plan for a strategic plan of all marina assets. This plan was declined by Auckland Council “Because it was not in the budget…” After recent Council decisions, public foreshore access to the marine environment is now a priority for the Auckland Yacht & Boating Association. Preserving Auckland’s foreshore, coast and the Hauraki Gulf for the sport and recreation of half the city’s population is a relentless battle.

AYBA continues to monitor biosecurity, so the recent spread of the dreaded Caulerpa to the Bay of Islands is a nightmare. For the past six months it has been fighting to prevent the closure of the haul-out area and hardstand in Okahu Bay, which AYBA considers vital for compliance with the Council’s own biosecurity clean-hull regulations.

Across the harbour at Bayswater, AYBA is striving to preserve the Marine Precinct, hardstand and maintenance yard, the public launching ramp, associated parking, and public open space. The Council has approved housing Intensification for the site with just a token offering of space for marine activities – not including a hardstand and maintenance yard.

Both these cases are now before the courts and costs, well beyond AYBA’s current budget, are mounting… As seen from this list of past submissions and appeals, the Auckland Yacht & Boating Association has an ongoing task to assure Aucklanders of continued seashore access, also for their grandchildren. Auckland Yacht & Boating Association Inc. is seeking donations to help maintain coastal access to the Harbours and Gulf for everyone. BNZ

Visit website or email: ayba.secretary@gmail.com. www.ayba.org.nz