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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
40 letter was written to the Squadron on 10 January 1987 saying that the Stewarts now had 15 potential starters for the coming cruising season. They also requested they be given separate start which would have suited the Stewart owners as well as the rest of the Squadron entrants (Stewart sailors had a reputation of being perhaps a bit more aggressive). They also mentioned that they would be totally cruising orientated in every possible way and that it would be great for communication (socializing) amongst all the Squadron members present. Unfortunately, a somewhat cool reply was received five days later from the full Squadron General Committee saying “the request was not within the parameters of cruising division race provisions.” This cold shoulder somewhat disappointed the Stewart owners and only the same eight as previously entered signed up for the next years series. The difficulties that arose during the last few years of the Citizen Match Race Series between the Squadron and Stewart Association are regrettable from both sides. Still, they were probably inevitable considering the conflicting interests of all the parties involved. That said, the Stewart Association could not understand how three Squadron Flag Officers, who had been keen Stewart Owners themselves, could abandon their loyalties to the very association that first brought them this highly successful event. We may never fully understand why,but what clearly appeared to be an anti-Stewart sentiment had developed. In January of 1989 it all came to a head and the two sides squared off. While the Squadron acquiesced in the interest of the upcoming event, it became abundantly clear to all that the 1989 Citizen would be the last. Bob Stewart had unfortunately passed away on the 28th of November 1988 and it was predicted that his beloved Stewarts would soon follow. Apart from the two America’s Cup regattas, no other international match racing event organised under the Squadron’s banner has been of the same high calibre as the eleven Citizen events. Additionally, it appears as if there has been a subtle effort made in some official circles to quietly forget about the Stewart Association’s input. The undisputable fact is that without the Stewart Association’s valuable support, suggestions and ideas, New Zealand’s performance in International Match Racing and America’s Cup Racing would not be at the level that it is today. For the last 20 years, both the Stewart’s and the Squadron have enjoyed their individual successes and had relatively peaceful relations. The Stewart’s still have a separate division in both the Wednesday evening summer races and Saturday afternoon winter races as well as taking part in various other Squadron races. In 2007 the Stewarts transferred their successful Monday night summer evening races to the R.N.Z.Y.S. It was successful with 24 Stewarts competing. The Stewarts greatly appreciated the goodwill that developed and have already agreed to race again with the R.N.Z.Y.S in 2009/10. Things however have never been quite the same and the situation is nearly identical to that of the M-Class,one of the few other enduring and successful one-design yachts. In his book Emmy, a history of the M Class written by Robin Elliot, it is recorded that they also had periods of turmoil with the Squadron.An excerpt from the book,written in 1994,reads as follows;“a constant and seemingly futile battle between M Class owners and the Squadron and its Measurement Committee had been a feature of the class since day one. The squabbling often escalated from mere rule enforcement and interpretation to a struggle of youth versus age. The Squadron seemed to regard the‘M’s’ as their own personal property. However things did change despite the obstacles placed in the way of innovations by the Squadron. If they had not, the class would now be extinct.” The“Emmy’s” still survive and are in control of their own destiny. Since the above was written the‘M Class’ have organised themselves to race with most of the leading clubs in Auckland for one or two race days each year. This protects them from any single club’s ownership/control issues that had become a source of irritation. It is not only the Squadron that has subconsciously assumed defacto ownership of a class of yachts racing under their burgee. Other clubs have done exactly the same. The ‘M Class Association’ currently enjoys the benefit of still being able to have different clubs run their races while maintaining their autonomy. The Stewart Association, being perhaps even more independent, totally organise their own racing with which ever club they choose, but remain directly affiliated with Yachting New Zealand, the official governing body of the sport of sailing in New Zealand. From an owner’s perspective, the group of people who will run the class with its best interests in mind would undoubtedly be the class association. This is one of the main reasons why both the M and Stewart 34 classes are still alive and well, and enjoying their association with numerous Auckland yacht clubs both on and off the water.