For the first time since 1985, the lake played host to the Flying 15 National Championships last weekend, though conditions were far from ideal.
Event commodore Graham Berry said competitors had braved "probably the worst starting conditions I’ve ever seen" as a storm rolled over the town on Saturday.
"Challenging is a way to put it," he said.
"When that storm came through, that was way beyond what we’d normally do.
"(But) it’s a national event, you’ve gotta do it."
Despite the tough start, Mr Berry said there had been a good balance of "wonderful" weather on Sunday, and that all 17 teams had deftly handled the varying conditions.
"That’s a part of being in the mountains, isn’t it? A bit of drama.
"You had calm and storms and new snow on the mountains, so that was a bit of a treat for the Aucklanders."
Named after the length of the boat (in feet) at the waterline, the Flying 15 is a two-person racing yacht suited for competing on seas and lakes.
The internationally recognised class draws in competitors from across New Zealand, and crew combinations feature a variety of genders and ages.
Mr Berry said the regatta had seen "arguably the highest percentage of female participants in any national event in the world".
"A lot of them went to the World (Championship) last year and realised that hardly any of the other countries had many female sailors competing at that level."
Among the competitors was a Canadian professor who had made the journey from Auckland on her bike for the privilege.
"Just interesting people turning up to compete, it was really neat."
Mr Berry said the championship had capped off a great regatta week in Wānaka, and they would be using the momentum to build on more activities for future events.
"We’re already starting to talk about regatta week next year."
