The Vauxhall Yacht Club hosted the South Island championships on Otago Harbour at the weekend, and the conditions eventually played ball with seven races completed over two days.
Twenty-six sailors competed across categories now taking the name of the International Laser Class Association.
ILCA 7 is the "full rig" laser, and ILCA 6 is the old radial class with a smaller sail and shorter mast.
Vauxhall rear commodore and South Island championships race officer Martin Balch said the regatta featured some excellent sailing.
Saturday started with a shifty southwest breeze that caused the first race to be abandoned, but it moved to the southeast and allowed four races in light air to be completed.
There was a frustrating start to Sunday before an eight-knot nor'easter arrived at noon. It built to 12 knots, and three good races were held.
Overall champions were determined after each sailor’s worst performance was dropped.
Bluff Yacht Club sailor Daryl Parkes showed remarkable consistency to win the ILCA 7 title.
Parkes had three firsts, two seconds and two thirds.
He was not only a regular in leading laser competitions but was a driver of the southern series, Balch said.
That series started at Lake Dunstan last month, and goes through Wanaka and Dunedin before finishing at the Bluff oyster regatta.
A familiar face claimed the South Island ILCA 6 title on Sunday.
Jenny Armstrong, the Olympic gold medallist and Yachting New Zealand women’s sailing manager, recorded four wins, two seconds and a fifth to pip Vauxhall stalwart Peter Graham.
The youngest sailor at the event was 16, and a trio of great campaigners — Peter Nees, Morris Hall and Graham Batchelor — were all 74. Auckland sailor Nick Page, from the Pupuke Yacht Club, came a long way to sail on Otago Harbour.
The New Zealand ILCA championships are hosted by Auckland club Murray's Bay on January 18-22.
