I was watching the news over the past couple days about the challenge facing the Coromandel’s Mercury Bay boating club, which is fighting to save its base after storm surges from Cyclone Hale have continued to wash away the ground beneath it.

I had a pang of, I’m not sure if the word is patriotism or nostalgia, but some sort of emotional connection has me thinking this just can’t happen.

The club wants to initiate emergency action to allow concrete blocks to be used to minimise the effects of last night’s tide, but it seems that through a combination of bureaucratic resistance from the council, they have said it doesn’t fit within the legal framework of what constitutes an emergency. 

I don’t know about you, but a building about to slide into the sea feels like an emergency to me. 

And of course, the weather this building is in now places it in immediate danger.

When I say now, it has been for some time. It's not like this is a newsflash to anyone.

Always when these stories pop up and the word council becomes involved, it doesn't necessarily fill you with confidence that something’s going to be done.

And now, the yacht club’s members are faced with the difficult position of abiding by the law or actually just being pragmatic and putting in place whatever we need to do to save the club.  

The Commodore of the boating club was talking about the building and its contents being historical treasures.

I think you could probably mount an argument that the building itself is a historical and important structure worthy of saving simply because of the status it holds, in being the boating club in the name of which the first America’s Cup challenge was issued by Sir Michael Fay.  

So, in addition to its important role in the community and sailing programs for all ages and abilities, the club itself is an important piece of New Zealand sailing history.

I think that everyone needs to get a grip.

The council needs to put aside its bureaucratic obsession with what they think constitutes an emergency and enable the club to take whatever practical steps it needs to save the building.

Maybe if the advancing erosion is a long term problem then other solutions such as relocating the Yacht Club can be looked at, but for goodness sake give them a break and help them now.

As for all those people who joined the Yacht Club because of its fame on the back of those America’s Cup challenges, how about dipping into your wallets as well and doing what you can to see that this essential little thread in the fabric of our New Zealand summer is saved.