We’re lucky to have a range of sailing clubs that welcome people of all ages and skill levels on the Shore. This month, we talk to five clubs across our region about learning to sail. Whether you’ve got a young one who is interested in learning the basics, want to join community events, or already know a bit about sailing, the North Shore’s sailing community has something to inspire every sailor. Find out more about what’s on at your local club.
Jess Handley is a member of the Milford Cruising Club and also the head coach, with a passion for sailing and coaching at Milford. She started sailing at the age of eight in the Optimist class after watching her parents enjoy the sport. After this, Jess went on to sail P-class and starling, then onto 420 and 29er. Jess also joined the Westlake Girls Premier sailing team, where she discovered many other types of sailing and loved it! Recently, Jess has competed in the Youth Sailing Championships in the 29er division, held in Portugal. Jess and the Milford Cruising Club talk about learning to sail at their club.
Channel Mag: Why would you encourage others in the community to give sailing a try?
Jess Handley: Sailing is such an amazing sport that provides many opportunities. Whether you are a competitive person or not, there’s a type of sailing for everyone. It’s also great to be able to get out in nature and enjoy the beautiful waters we have here in New Zealand.
Is sailing something people of any age can learn?
Yes. Sailing is a sport for life, which can be learned and enjoyed at any age. There are many different types of boats for everyone! Unlike many sports, it can be taught at any age due to the wide range of boats and the wide range of age groups that participate in the sport.
What does sailing give you that other hobbies don’t?
Sailing gives you the freedom of being on the water, whether it be in a team or by yourself. You learn lifelong skills and make lifelong friends. It also allows you to face the challenges of the wind and learn how to overcome them.
What does a typical day at the club look like, and what can members expect?
Milford Cruising Club: It is such a busy club; we have something for everyone, from our family-friendly restaurant and bar, quiz nights, weekly Takapuna Harriers Run Club, to fleet sailing and junior sailing programme. From an office perspective, each day is very busy with booking enquiries and providing member services, for example, slipway and dinner bookings. Members also receive a discount on Kapiti ice-cream and barista coffee available from our kiosk on weekends. Check out our Facebook page for all our latest updates.
Do you have any events or activities coming up in 2026 that you want people to know about?
We’ve just come off the back of the highly successful PredictWind A Class Catamaran World Championships and are hosting the IQ WindFoil New Zealand Nationals with a host of overseas competitors over Waitangi weekend, Friday 6 - Sunday 8 February. This includes the best in the world. Our Term 1 Junior Sailing Programme commences Friday 13 February for both Optimist and Feva boats. Also on Friday 13 February, we have a pre-Valentine’s evening with dinner and live music by Serene Boulton. On Sunday 1 March, we are working with the Milford Residents Association on the free community barbecue in Milford Reserve.
How do people go about signing up to join your club?
We welcome new members. Please contact our friendly office to discuss membership types, from family membership (junior sailing families, people with boats) to social memberships. You don’t need to have a boat to join our very social club. If you like to have a delicious meal and affordable drinks, just get in touch, and we can get you sorted!
Email manager@milfordcruising.co.nz or phone 09 489 6837.
Leanne Cowan is the member coordinator and has been part of Takapuna Boating Club for over four years, looking after memberships and running the learn-to-sail and paddle courses. Leanne loves welcoming new members, seeing people of all ages get out on the water, and watching their confidence and skills grow, saying it’s incredibly rewarding to be part of those moments.
Channel Mag: Why would you encourage others in the community to give sailing a try?
Leanne Cowan: Takapuna Boating Club (TBC) offers an incredibly welcoming and supportive environment to try sailing. Whether you’re brand new or returning after time away, TBC makes it easy to get involved, build confidence on the water and enjoy everything our local coastline has to offer.
What does a typical day at the club look like, and what can members expect?
A typical day at TBC is lively and relaxed: boats being rigged, sails going up, adults learning, and members catching up before or after sailing. There’s a real sense of belonging, with volunteers, coaches and members all contributing to the club’s friendly atmosphere.
Is sailing something people of any age can learn?
Yes, absolutely. Takapuna Boating Club offers sailing for adults aged 16 and up. Our adult learn-to-sail courses use RS Quest dinghies, and for those looking to progress, we offer Level 2 courses where you can learn to sail single-handed boats such as Lasers and Far East 11s. Our coaching and club sailing programmes let you develop your skills at a pace that suits you.
What does sailing give you that other hobbies don’t?
Sailing at TBC offers a unique mix of challenge, teamwork and time outdoors. Being out on the water is both invigorating and grounding, and the shared experience of sailing builds strong connections with others in the club.
Do you have any events or activities coming up in 2026 that you want people to know about?
In 2026, TBC has a full programme of club racing, learn-to-sail and skill-building courses, alongside social events that bring members together both on and off the water. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re keen to compete, learn or simply enjoy being part of the club.
How do people go about signing up to join your club?
Joining Takapuna Boating Club is easy. Membership information and online sign-up are available through our website, or people are welcome to visit the club, meet our team and see firsthand what makes TBC such a special place.
Contact members@takapunaboating.org.nz
Lucas Hebberd is the Learn to Sail manager at Murrays Bay Sailing Club, a club focusing on youth centreboard sailing. He has been at Murrays Bay for 10 years, has been coaching for seven of those years and has loved every minute of it!
Channel Mag: Why would you encourage others in the community to give sailing a try?
Lucas Hebberd: Sailing is a really awesome and unique sport. One of the best things about sailing is that it is very much a lifetime sport; you can learn to sail when you’re young and be sailing your whole life after that! There are many different pathways in sailing, and you can choose what boat you want to sail and how competitive you want to be. Kids who learn to sail also often find themselves making friends that will last a lifetime. There’s also no feeling like being out on the water and just going for a sail!
What does sailing give you that other hobbies don’t?
At Murrays Bay, we often find our young sailors developing a lot of independence from sailing. It’s a fairly unique experience for a kid to be out on the water sailing a boat by themselves and making all the decisions about how to sail their boat. It really builds a lot of resilience and self-confidence.
Do you have any events or activities coming up in 2026 that you want people to know about?
Currently, we have two Learn to Sail Term programmes available, one on Tuesday/Saturday and one on Wednesday/Sunday. It’s the best way to learn to sail!
How do people go about signing up to join your club?
Visit our website www.murraysbay.org
Amanda Michel looks after club communications at Wakatere Boating Club, located at Narrow Neck Beach. Founded in 1926, the club began with a small group of passionate sailors and has grown into something much bigger than a sailing club; it’s a family. From champions to weekend warriors, first‑timers to seasoned families, its members sail an exciting mix of centreboard dinghies and foiling classes.
Channel Mag: Why would you encourage others in the community to give sailing a try?
Amanda Michel: Sailing is a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors, challenging in all the right ways, full of fun, freedom, and a welcome break from our hectic digital lives. You meet great people and build real friendships from all backgrounds.
What does a typical day at the club look like, and what can members expect?
Club days are Sundays during the season, bringing together all classes, all ages for relaxed, friendly afternoon club racing. While there might be a hint of rivalry on the start line, the atmosphere is welcoming for every level of sailor. After racing, members gather on the club deck to unwind and swap stories about the close calls of the day. Outside of Sundays, coaching runs throughout the week, and most afternoons you’ll find plenty happening on and off the water.
Is sailing something people of any age can learn?
Yes! We run Learn to Sail courses for juniors, youth and adults. It’s never too late to jump in. Adult sessions run on Saturdays during term time, offering a relaxed, supportive start for anyone new to sailing. Junior courses begin from age seven, and as a true family club, we love seeing parents and kids out on the water together, whether sailing, supporting different classes, or teaming up as skipper and crew. It’s a fantastic family sport with endless pathways.
What does sailing give you that other hobbies don’t?
It's a special sport full of skills for life, like self-confidence, spatial awareness, sense of direction, weather knowledge, and responsibility.
Do you have any events or activities coming up in 2026 that you want people to know about?
We are on a regatta roll at Wakatere! The 2026 Sunburst Nationals and Starling Super Series wrapped up mid-January, and next up is the 2026 NZ OK Dinghy Nationals from Friday 6 - Sunday 8 February, followed by our WBC Centenary Regatta from Friday 27 February to Sunday 1 March. We have a century of sailing to celebrate at Wakatere with racing, stories and connections.
Details available shortly on our website: www.wakatere.org.nz
How do people go about signing up to join your club?
Easy! It's all online. Create an account, choose your membership, and you're in. Or if you're interested in our entry-level Learn to Sail courses, register your interest, and we'll be in touch with the next available booking.
Visit www.wakatere.org.nz for more information.
Stephen Knights is the commodore of Torbay Sailing Club. He grew up on the coast, learning to sail at a small sailing club in the UK, which started his love of the sport. Since then, he’s become a qualified yacht skipper as well, and likes nothing more than mucking about on the water. Nowadays, Stephen says he does more organising and less sailing, with computers and consulting, but when he does sail, it's the best active relaxation one can get! Stephen says sailing covers a wide community of people of all ages and abilities. “In the Torbay club, we have folk from eight to 80. We have students from schools and universities, we have firefighters, nurses, teachers, air traffic controllers, network engineers, and we have business owners and executives," explains Stephen. He’s passionate about the sport being accessible for all, saying it’s as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it, like any sport or hobby. Stephen talks about the club’s passion and community spirit and how the wider community can join.
Channel Mag: Why would you encourage others in the community to give sailing a try?
Stephen Knights: Getting outdoors into the open is so good for physical and mental health. For all of us, young and old, the challenge and what is so rewarding is that sailing can be done alone or in a small team, but can only be done safely with the support of a community. You are a master of your craft, but you do so with the support of others around you who advise, coach and can (literally) pull you out of the water! To have pitted yourself against the wind, mastered a challenge and then shared that achievement with those who understand it is hugely rewarding, whether you're eight or 80.
What does a typical day at the club look like, and what can members expect?
Safety comes first. Be that a Tuesday night coaching session or on 'game day' Sundays. The day starts with a full briefing on conditions, UV, water and wind state, and the objectives of the day. The coaches and safety team have a separate briefing. Then it's getting rigged and ready. Lots of banter and support to ensure everyone gets into the water safely. On the water, "tide and time wait for no one". It's game face on and concentrating. On a coaching night, there will be things to try and to master. On race days, there is a course to navigate around, with usually three races. The course could be in the bay for the junior fleets with a Crunchie bar for the winners; for the experienced sailors, a race course is set in the deeper water away from the cliffs and swells. After sailing, the barbecues are always on, and the bar is open. Tall tales are told of exploits and stories of epic achievements shared. We have a wonderful deck and clubhouse that has unspoilt views of the harbour and Rangitoto beyond.
Is sailing something people of any age can learn?
Absolutely! We run Learn to Sail courses across three age bands: kids 8 – 13/14, youth 13/14–18 and adult 18 and up. We have only one strict requirement: being able to confidently swim 50m in open water. What that means in practice is usually being over eight years old and maybe under 80.
What does sailing give you that other hobbies don’t?
We share a huge amount with other sports such as cycling, hiking, kayaking and SUPing. Being outdoors in nature is challenging yourself. A sport you do alone, or in a small team of two to three, but it's way more fun when done with others and with the safety team around you. What's unique? The wind and tide are fickle creatures, and mastering them is a lifelong aim. What seems easy one week isn't the next. There's always something to challenge you.
Do you have any events or activities coming up in 2026 that you want people to know about?
Learn to sail programmes run throughout the year. Our biggest event coming up is the annual Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta. This is one of the world's largest youth sailing regattas, and we believe the largest in the southern hemisphere. It runs on the first weekend in December every year. This year will be the 24th time it's run. We expect over 250 eight-18-year-olds to take part in competing in 15 different types of boats across four race courses. Every single New Zealand sailing Olympian and all of the America's Cup and SailGP teams have sailed at "The Blake". If you want to see or be part of New Zealand's sailing future, then this is the event to be at.
How do people go about signing up to join your club?
Our website is by far the best place to go to: www.torbaysailing.club. We'd also love to see you! Come on down on a Sunday between 9am and 11am during school term time and chat to anyone you find who's setting up a boat or is around the clubhouse at 948 Beach Road, Waiake. They'd love to chat with you or point you to someone who can help you.
Visit www.torbaysailing.club for more information.
