Radial sailor Olivia Christie finds some silver linings out of 2020.

Olivia Christie © Jon West Photography

The ever-changing landscape of 2020 has presented several challenges for Oliva Christie. Having recently been selected for the Royal Akarana Yacht Club Youth Americas Cup squad, Olivia was faced with the challenging task of balancing her Youth Americas Cup commitments with her Laser Radial campaign.

With the unfortunate cancelation of both the youth Americas Cup regatta and recent World Cup Olympic Classes regattas, Olivia has chosen to focus on the positives. Olivia, aged 21, says “this coming year I would have been juggling Laser Nationals, training for the Youth America’s Cup, and preparing for overseas regattas. The silver lining of my adapted plans is that I can come home to Worser Bay in Wellington to sail in Laser Nationals with complete focus.”

Olivia began sailing at Worser Bay at the age of 5, sailing with her parents in a Sunburst. Olivia’s immediate passion for sailing rapidly evolved into a full time Laser Radial Olympic campaign. Her competitive involvement in sailing has recently progressed to fully crewed boats, foiling, and distance racing. Even when she is not sailing, Olivia is never far from the water, literally - since moving to Auckland, Olivia has been living in a marina aboard a 10 metre Alan Wright cruising yacht. Olivia is delighted that the 2021 New Zealand Laser Nationals are being held at her home club - Worser Bay. “It is an event that is shaping up to be the biggest event of my calendar in 2021. I’m looking forward to seeing a large contingent of NZ Laser sailor at Worser Bay in January”

Olivia says that contrary to popular belief, Worser Bay is not always windy and gets all kind of winds and waves and it is always a fun and challenging place to sail. “In the 16 years that I’ve been sailing at Worser Bay, this mix of conditions hasn’t changed, but a lot of other things have changed for the better. Worser Bay has gone from old sheds, changing rooms and a clubroom that had to be held up by steel posts during big events, to a brand-new clubhouse that is still full of character, and showers that actually work!”

The Catalyst IT 2021 ILCA New Zealand Championships will be hosted by Worser Bay in Wellington from the 22nd to 25th January 2021. The Worser Bay Boating Club was completely rebuilt in 2019 and provides an outstanding venue for both competitors and spectators. The new club delivers an outstanding stadium atmosphere for watching the racing. Recently, Worser Bay Boating Club hosted a successfully 2020 Optimist National Championships. A variety of conditions are guaranteed.

The regatta is also proudly supported by associate sponsors: Wellington City Council, CBRE, Prime Property, Pak n Save Wanganui, Newcrest, Craigs Investment Partners and Find Recruitment.

For further details in the regatta head to www.NZlaser.org.