The Dunedin club will host the Noelex 22 national championships, and club commodore Steve Duder tipped a tight finish to the three days of racing.
There was "solid fleet" of Noelex boats, a popular New Zealand 22-foot fibreglass trailer yacht, in the South Island and up to 15 boats are expected to compete at the regatta.
"That’s one of the cool things," Duder said.
"Out of that 12 to 15 boats we’ve got coming , it’s very, very tight competition.
"These are the best sailors in the country of these boats," he said.
The boats will typically have a crew of three people, sailing to Portobello Bay, between Portobello and Harwood.
Duder looked forward to hosting some great races on the water and the camaraderie off it.
"One of the coolest things about it is you’re getting all of these skippers and crew together, but it’s a very social event, because they come from different parts of the country.
"It’s really good to get everybody together — some good banter off the water as well."
Port Chalmers, which last hosted the national championships in 2020 and later the South Island championships in 2022, is the longest running club in Dunedin, established in
1892.
The Noelex 22 national championships start on Sunday and finish on Waitangi Day.
