More than 30 aspiring Otago sailors got hands-on coaching from the best in the business at Lake Hayes yesterday.
Sir Russell Coutts (left) presided over an all-day event that brought together three different groups: a dozen children on a Yachting New Zealand "Sailing, Have a Go'' programme, 12 more from Dunedin's Ravensbourne Boating Club - where Sir Russell learned to sail - and eight young sailors from the Wakatipu Yacht Club.
The former Team New Zealand skipper turned chief executive of Oracle Team USA owns a 41ha property on the Crown Range.
He said his main objective for the day was not necessarily to get the children hooked on sailing but to provide a "great confidence booster'' and get them into a boat for some experience on the water.
