As well as 2011 regatta Cyclone Wilma whacked yearbook

Double the Glossy Pleasure: For many regulars, the Mahurangi Cruising Club’s annual yearbook is the icing on the regatta cake whereby, while watching the passing and repassing parade of maritime beauty, readers can snatch guilty glimpses of the previous regatta—in this case, that of 2010. Cover design Lyn Bergquist

She’s as high-maintenance as her publisher is low-key.

The Mahurangi Cruising Club’s annual yearbooks are a gorgeous reflection of the glamour on display at the Mahurangi Regatta, and they are all the nicer for having emanated from an organisation that is famously laidback and non-materialistic. The yacht club boasts the absurdly affordable annual subscription of $15—the price of the 2010–2011 yearbook.

Without Wilma, that would be the 2011–2012 yearbook. But not only was there no 2011 regatta to provide the core of the content for a new edition, a small mountain of 2010–2011 copies remains unsold, reflecting that most get theirs on regatta day. Purchasing a yearbook is a thoroughly pleasurable way for regatta-goers to contribute to a superb spectacle that can be availed totally free of charge by any person who can get themselves to Sullivans Bay in the Mahurangi Regional Park, on the Saturday of Auckland Anniversary weekend.

Ensuring more egalitarian access to regional parks is one of the goals of the Auckland Plan. Consequently, Sullivans Bay could one day be an easy walk from Waiwera, the northern terminus of the metropolitan public transport system. The Mahurangi Coastal Trail was first proposed a quarter of a century ago, and a supporters walk then helped head-off plans for road access to Te Muri and parking for 4000 cars. A similar walk planned for 12 February is timed to encourage the Rodney Local Board to consider supporting the commissioning of a detailed study of the concept.

By the time the Mahurangi Coastal Trail is realised, it is likely that a significant number of regatta regulars will be more than ready to forsake carbon dioxide ‍–‍belching private transport and take the Waiwera bus…

…and return deeply satisfied, immersed in the latest Mahurangi Cruising Club Yearbook.