All Wanaka Yacht Club commodore Chris Conroy wants now is a "pretty decent hoolie" at the end of this month.
It's mad, but true: Wanaka sailors are about to take to the lake in droves, even though it is is still winter.
Helping celebrate the winter sail-ski regatta will be sailors from throughout New Zealand, and from as far away as Rarotonga and Sydney.
Mr Conroy said there were at least twice as many entries as there were for last year's inaugural winter regatta.
The regatta requires sailors to prove their legs on the Snow Park's ski race course before challenging each other on the water.
Some America's Cup sailors had been seeking entry forms, he said.
Last year, the club provided three Etchells yachts for nine three-person crews to race.
This year, it has drummed up six Etchells from Wanaka and Queenstown for 21 crews, and it has access to three more boats should entries continue to flood in.
The 30ft (9.1m) fixed-keel yachts were beautiful to sail in, and they were ideal for the typically calm winter conditions, Mr Conroy said.
"They are fast boats, pretty lively, and easily raced in two or three knots. They are easy to adapt, too. The highly sophisticated controls are locked off so anyone who has sailed a boat before can hop in and steer it around," he said.
Mr Conroy, a former top New Zealand sailor and Olympic triallist, raced full-time for many years.
When he lived in Australia, he helped with the organisation of Hamilton Island's popular regatta.
Mr Conroy (48) said Wanaka was an ideal resort to start something similar.
He has been living in Wanaka with wife Liz and their teenage children Callum (16) and Katie (14) for about 10 years and owns a prefabricated housing factory near Queensberry.
He has been involved with the yacht club for six years, and he has been commodore for three years.
Last year, he was astounded to finish third in the sail-ski regatta, given he doesn't rate his skiing highly.
"I am really looking forward to it, especially as it has doubled or tripled from last year. It is good for everyone, good for the town, the club, the boats - the whole concept of being able to fly into town and go sailing on the Etchells and go skiing up at the Snow Park."
To keep things competitive, the ski race results are kept secret from the competitors until the prizegiving.
"We are determined to have a regatta that is accessible to everyone. Our motto is 'nobody goes away empty handed'. A lot of sponsors have come on board," Mr Conroy said.
Any profit from the regatta would go to youth sailing programmes in Wanaka and Queenstown.
The Wanaka club's youth training programme is substantial - the club owns a fleet of 420 and Optimist training boats.
The programme is overseen by Geoff Dickey and Ken Urquhart.
