About us
Wakatere Boating Club is located at Narrow Neck Beach in Devonport on Auckland's North Shore. The club has been operating for 75 years. Main classes include Optimists, P Classes, Starlings, Sunbursts, Frostbites, 3.7s, 420's, 470's, OKs, Techno boards and Lasers. We will provide races for any classes that choose to race at the club.
Racing is on each Sunday at 1.30pm. Visitors are welcome.
A highlight of past seasons were the Optimist National Champs held at Wakatere over Easter 2002 and for a second time over Easter 2011, the 2003 Sunburst and 3.7 Nationals held at Wakatere over Easter 2003 and the 2009 Sunburst Nationals.
The level of international success enjoyed by Wakatere sailors has increased in recent years with Chris Steele winning the Optimist Worlds and the Splash Worlds, Ben Morrison and Mark Perrow placing second in OK World Championships, Paul Snow-Hansen placing second in the Opti Worlds 2004, and second and fourth in ISAF Youth Worlds and selected with Jason Saunders to represent the men's double handed 470 Class in the New Zealand 2011 Pre-Olympic Squad, Finn Drummond placing second in the 2009 420 Worlds and Kate Ellingham 11th in the women's RSX boardsailing 2009 Worlds.
History of Wakatere Boating Club
Left: Sailing canoes drawn up on Narrow Neck beach before the first Wakatere Canoe Club sailing race. Below: Wakatere's first clubhouse, 1932.
In 2002 the club celebrated its 75th anniversary having been started in 1926 as a sailing canoe club. In fact, Wakatere means fast canoe.
Around the mid 1920's canoes were all the rage, their bright reds, blues, greens and yellows were all over the North Shore beaches. It was therefore inevitable that John Brooke and 20 other foundation members should form a club in Devonport and call it the Wakatere Canoe Club. Several 
canoes soon appeared in January 1927, and by February the same year some of the paddling canoes were fitted with lee boards, masts and sails, so that when the First Annual Regatta was held in March 1927, in a lively northeaster, the main event was a sailing race, which drew nine starters.
The end of this first season was celebrated with a picnic at Rangitoto, a tradition which continues to this day.
Then, five years later, the Wakatere one- design Skimmer was introduced,from this the Frostbite, Sunburst and Sabot were designed and introduced as the backbone of the club. Many top New Zealand sailors started their sailing at Wakatere in these classes.
Over the years the club has been a stronghold of the Sabot, Frostbite and Sunburst classes. More recently the Optimists have increased in popularity to become the main junior class at the club, along with the Starling, 420 and techno board.
Left and Below: The Frostbite
Recently the OK Dinghy fleets have chosen to make Wakatere their home, the Laser fleet has increased over recent seasons, allowing the club to cater for all levels of centreboard racing.