International Yachting.

       With the America's Cup races on at the moment I thought it might be an idea to go back and find if we can trace how New Zealand came to be competing with the USA for the cup. This blog is the story of New Zealand International Yacht Racing.


       New Zealand has had a long history of yacht racing. These two Health Stamps below show the sport of yachting and yacht racing, popular with both adults and children. Many people started as children in yachting classes such as the P-Class, then as they grew older progressed on to larger classes until they found themselves in what we call the blue water classes. These are the ocean going yachts and international competitions. 
       This has led to New Zealand being known all over the world for both the quality of its yachtsmen and for the quality of its boats. So wherever you find a international yacht race you are most likely to find a New Zealander in the middle of it. 


 Our Yachting Heritage.     
 
1946 - The Soldier (Yachts in the Background)
1951 - Yachting The popular Takapuna Class, training ground for many young yachtsmen.


1971 One Ton Cup.
        Our story begins in 1968 when New Zealander Christopher Bouzaid took his yacht, 'Rainbow II', to Heligoland in West Germany to compete in the One Ton Cup. He was successful and so as he won the event, New Zealand was entitled to stage this international event, the first such challenge to be sailed in New Zealand waters.  The One Ton Cup event was staged in 1971, with Auckland's Hauraki Gulf as the venue, and to mark the occasion a special issue of two stamps was made.
        This gave New Zealand a taste for international yachting events and put us on the road towards competing for the greatest international yachting trophy the America's Cup. 

 
5c - A yacht sailing in the Hauraki Gulf, with Rangitoto Island in the background.
8c - The One Ton Cup Trophy, against the architectural lines of a One Ton Yacht.


1987 International Yachting.
        Others followed Chris Bouzaid's example and soon other New Zealanders were competing in a wide range of yachting contests all over the world. In 1987 New Zealand released this set of four values featuring some of these contests and celebrating international yacht racing.

 
40c - Southern Cross Cup.
          In 1967 The Southern Cross Cup first appeared as an add-on to the classic 630 mile Sydney to Hobart Race. After successfully competing for the 1967 Admiral's Cup the Australians believed it was time for a Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the Admiral's Cup and the Southern Cross Cup was the outcome.  The arrival of the Southern Cross added a new edge of competition to the Sydney-Hobart Race. It also gave New Zealanders a chance to compete in international yacht racing.

80c - Admiral's Cup.

           This ocean-racing event, sailed every other year in the waters off the south of England,  attracts more national teams and yachts than any other. Since 1977 the Admiral's Cup series has comprised five races - the 200 mile Channel Race; three 35 mile inshore events; and the 605 mile Fastnet.  Points are doubled for the Channel race and tripled for the Fastnet. New Zealand first won the trophy in 1987.
$1.05 - Kenwood Cup.

          The event, based in Hawaii, began in 1978 and is raced every second year.  It carried the name Clipper Cup however in 1986, when a new sponsor was found, the series became known as the Kenwood Cup.  The contest has evolved to the classic five-race format: two 27 mile Olympic course races; the 150 mile windward-leeward Molokai race from Honolulu to Maui and back; a 27 miler; and the testing 775 mile Round the State race. New Zealand held the trophy in 1987.

$1.30 - America's Cup.
          The symbol of international yachting supremacy.  The America's Cup had its beginnings in 1851 when the New York Club sent the newly built schooner America across the Atlantic to challenge a 15 yacht British fleet in a race around the Isle of Wight.  The Americans took the trophy 'the Hundred Guinea Cup' home and renamed it the 'America's Cup'.  In 1983, after 132 years, the America's Cup left the United States after being won by Australia.  In 1987, off Freemantle Australia, New Zealand's "KZ7" was runner-up in the challenger series. The Americans went on to compete with the Australians, won the cup and took it back to the USA.


1990  Auckland - City of Sails.
        Lets stop to take a look at the city where most of these famous yachts were built and the team of many of these challenges were based. There are so many pleasure craft in Auckland that it sometimes known as Auckland - City of Sails. Below are stamps or miniature sheets from four different issues showing yachting in Auckland.

1990 XV Commonwealth Games Auckland Souvenir Sheet.

                       
               1980 Auckland Harbour 25c.                              1990 Yachts & Rangitoto Island $1.80.

Auckland is blessed with two harbours and so the sea is almost always nearby so it natural that many Aucklanders will take up sports connected with the sea, such as yachting.  



 1992 America's Cup.
Between January and April 1992 New Zealand took on the world for the right to challenge the San Diego Yacht Club for the America's Cup.
 
45c - KZ7 Kiwi Magic - 1987.                     80c - KZ1 New Zealand - 1988.

 
$1.00 - United States Schooner America - 1885.
$1.50 - New Zealand - 1992.


1994 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.
          New Zealand's astonishing performances in blue water sailing amazes foreign yachties and commentators. The fleet in the 1993-94 Round the World Yacht Race was dominated by New Zealand skippers and crew - and Bruce Farr designs. Despite the pleasure of knowing that Kiwi sailors had been hired to pilot some of the leading entries, there was no doubt where New Zealand support lay - the maxi ketch New Zealand Endeavour.
         The classic Round the World adventure brought New Zealand Endeavour, along with Grant Dalton and his crew of 13, home to Auckland at the end of the third leg of the Whitbread Race in January 1994. To welcome New Zealand Endeavour - and the rest of the fleet - New Zealand Post issued a special round $1.00 stamp.
 There were two interesting covers attached to this issue. The one above is the official First Day Cover for the single stamp New Zealand issue. The lower cover below is a joint issue cover between New Zealand and France. That is the French and New Zealand entries shown racing along side each other.



1995 America's Cup Victory.
America's Cup - 45c.

           Finally after three unsuccessful attempts Team New Zealand brought home the America's Cup, which some consider to be the highest trophy in International Yachting. From the start it was obvious the back hulled boat, which became known as "Black Magic", was something special. In the final challenge New Zealand took the cup from the San Diego Yacht Club defeating them 5-0. In 144 years only one other nation had managed to take the cup off the Americans, Australia.     


1999 New Zealand Yachting.
        We now take a break from our history of International Yachting to look at two related subjects. The first is grass routes yachting, the school of hard knocks for our international yachtsmen. In 1999 this set was released showing seven different classes or types of yachting. I believe this shows the depth of the sport in New Zealand from the tiny P-Class to the large Cruising Yachts capable of sailing overseas.


                              
P Class - 40c.                                                           Laser - 80c.

                               
Skiff - $1.10.                                                           Hobie Cat - $1.20.

                               
Racing Yachts - $1.50.                                            Cruising Yachts - $1.80.

Optimist - 40c


2002 Leading the Waves.
         Now we come to one of the more interesting spin-offs of our International Yachting success, our boat building industry. This issue showcases six New Zealand-designed vessels that are literally breaking the mould in boat design. These craft reflect their creators' determination to question the traditions of structure, form and materials and their eagerness to exploit new technology for the promise of a better boating performance.
         The stamps cover six very different boats, each designed for a unique purpose and to meet the demands of unique sailing environments. They are craft that have won international acclaim and delivered astonishing results for their owners, whether for racing, sports fishing or as ocean-going luxury and style for the world's wealthiest people.  


                 
KZ 1 - 40c.                                                                High 5 - 80c,

                 
Gentle Spirit - 90c.                                                     NorthStar - $1.30

                 
 OceanRunner - $1.50.                                              Salperton - $2.00


2002 America's Cup.
        The Second defence saw Team New Zealand's "Black Magic" going head to head with Italian contender 'Luna Rossa.' To mark this successful defence in 2000. In 2002, NZ Post issued this miniature sheet which included three values featuring dramatic scenes from the event.
        On the day of that last race I was on the wharf with thousands of others to greet "Black Magic" as she came in. The crowd cheered as the boat entered the Viaduct Basin, the crew on board waved and thousands of voices at once roared their approval. It was a great day for New, Zealand Yachting, a great day for Auckland and a great day for New Zealand. It will be a day I will never forget.
   
 $1.30 - Team New Zealand's 'Black Magic' races with Italian contender 'Luna Rossa'

 $1.50 - The tight racing seen here reminds us that winning the America's Cup means tactical supremacy as well as technical mastery.

$2.00 - Team New Zealand's 'Black Magic' manoeuvres past Italy's 'Luna Rossa' to take a commanding lead at a critical stage in the final 2000 race.

2003 Team New Zealand.
        New Zealanders have long been renowned for their ability to beat the odds in international competition, with a proud tally of medal-winning performances in a variety of sports. However, 1995 heralded a whole new dimension to our success when Team New Zealand brought home the world's most prestigious and hotly contested yachting prize: The America's Cup. This magnificent achievement was only superseded in 2000, when Team New Zealand once again competed against the world's elite sailors - and once again proved their agility and strength on the water by retaining the 'Auld Mug'.

40c - Aerial View.                   80c - Racing.                    90c - Stern View.

When I published this on the 14th Sept, 2013, it was looking like New Zealand was going to take the America's Cup so I am now waiting to see if NZ Post is going to respond to this success with yet another great yachting stamp issue.

2009  Sir Peter Blake.
 Peter  Blake was one of New Zealand's greatest yachts men. He led round the world challenges and America's Cup challenges. He was also involved in environmental issues and in 2001 was appointed a United Nations Environment Programme Special Envoy. Tragically, his mission was cut short when in December that year he was shot and killed by pirates at the mouth of the Amazon River.
One thing I like about this issue is the picture on each stamp in the shape of a spinnaker the large sail flown from the bow to lift the boat and pull it through the water. So of what Peter Blake was a leader out in front.  


Peter Blake
 50c – Inspirational Leader.
$1.00 – Yachtsman.
$1.80 – Record Breaker.
$2.30 – Passionate Kiwi.
$2.80 – Environmentalist.


2011 New Zealand Experience.
One of the stamps from the issue featuring tourism actractions shows yachting as an experience overseas visitors can enjoy. The scene appears to be a lake or coastal inlet with mountains in the background.

60c - Water Sports.


2017  Americas Cup.
New Zealand takes the Americas Cup again.

The sheet showing the cup presentation.
Six stamps showing the Team New Zealand boat in action.


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their web site and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/