Royal New Zealand Yacht Sqaudron
Auckland, New Zealand
This will be the Squadron's second Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. The current holder of the America's Cup competed in the inaugural Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup in 2009, placing ninth.
RNZYS is New Zealand’s most prestigious yacht club. It started in 1871 under the name the Auckland Yacht Club. The first meeting places were the Thames and Waitemata Hotels on the corner of Customs and Queen Street, and the first club headquarters were not established until 1898-1900 when rooms were rented in the Palmerston Buildings. As the colony of New Zealand developed, so did the Auckland Yacht Club.
In 1887, it absorbed members of the Hauraki Yacht Club; in 1901, it changed its name to New Zealand Yacht Squadron; in 1902, it changed its name to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron when a royal warrant was granted by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Squadron’s trophy cabinets carry evidence of its members' skill and prowess in major regattas both in New Zealand and overseas. The Whitbread Trophy, Admiral’s Cup, Kenwood Cup, Half; One and Two Ton Cups, Sydney to Hobart Race, and Champagne Mumm World Cup – have all been won by Squadron representatives. More recently, the Club added the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Thomas Lipton Cup, Pell Cup and America’s Cup to its collection.
Team Profile
The team RNZYS is sending, Anarchy Racing, has been racing together for a long time. They won RNZYS Boat of the Year award in 2018 after a superb season. Many crew members are current members or past graduates of the RNZYS Youth Training Program. In preparation for the 2019 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup, the team has sailed together in all RNZYS sailing events, including the Club Marine Wednesday Series, Winter Series, Auckland Regatta, Commodores Cup Series and RAYC Gold Cup. Many team members also compete in various youth and open match racing or One-Design fleet racing events.
Skippering for the Anarchy Racing team in this year's IC is Andrew Reid (left). Reid comes to Newport for the IC this September all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, with 30 years of racing experience to his name. He has an impressive track record as a helmsman, winning the Jack Tar Auckland Regatta, Club Marine Wednesday Series, and Commodore's Cup. He also prides himself on the title of RAYC Gold Cup Overall Winner, RNZYS Boat of the Year 2018, and is known for his sponsorship of the RNZYS Foiling Family.
Auckland is also home to the RNZYS tactician for the 2019 IC, Celia Willison (right). While Willison has only spent 8 years racing, she has already won the NZ Women's Match Racing Champioships at the helm, the Jack Tar Auckland Regatta as a tactician, and scored second in the NZ Youth Match Racing Championships, making her a great asset to the Anarchy Racing team.
