Scamper is back again but many of the sailors who competed in the Z-class nationals the last time they were in Dunedin have not returned.
There are just eight crews contesting the nationals being staged by the Vauxhall Yacht Club on Otago Harbour this weekend.
That is down from the 19 boats which raced during the event in 2012.
The drop-off reflects the distance some of the sailors have put on their sea legs, organiser Gordon Marr said.
"It is an age thing, mate'', Marr said.
"Everybody is just getting older and getting out of the class, really.
"I'm 65, Tony [Elliot] is probably 67 and we used to have a guy from Wellington sailing when he was 70.''
Elliot skippered Scamper in Dunedin four years ago after using the same boat to contest the event in 1968.
Scamper had been in the Elliot family until the mid-1970s when the family was forced to sell it.
But Elliot's brother, Lex, bought the boat back in 2009 and it was a special occasion for the family to see it back racing with an Elliot at the helm.
The story is rather typical of the event which has stood the test of time.
The regatta began life as the Cornwell Cup in 1924 but went into hiatus in 1975.
It was resurrected in the early 1980s as the Z-class nationals.
As for the event's future, Marr, who has teamed up with promising skipper Chelsea Whitburn in the past, said there were attempts to involve younger sailors.
"The best way is to mix up the ages up a bit,'' he said.
"You need the experience and you need the younger ones.''
Wellington's Richard Merrett skippered the winning boat last year but has not made the trip south to defend his title.
Former champion and last year's runner-up, Peter Hollyman, has travelled from Wellington to compete and shapes as the sailor to beat.
The Z-class nationals will be contested over six races - three today and three tomorrow.
There will also be a mono-type race - the same type of boats but with a crew of one sailor compared with the two-man crews which contest the Z-class.
Racing starts about 10.30am.
