P class- Stack Interiors Tauranga Cup - Race reports and Images

by P Class Media on 17 Jan 2012
Over forty young sailors competed in the 2012 Stack Interiors Tauranga Cup. The event was sailed off the Murray's Bay Sailing Club on Auckland's North Shore.

Most of the top young sailors in New Zealand competed in the event, including several from the recent World Optimist Championships, sailed at Napier.

You can read more on the regatta and P class from the http://themightypclass.org.nz!class_website

Daily reports:

Day Two, sponsored by Stack Interiors - January 15, 2012

Race 4 on the second day of the Tauranga Cup started in 8 knots from the south west. Starting under a ‘Z’ flag, the fleet held back, then poured towards the favoured pin end of the start line. Boats hit the pin boat, they hit each other, sailors were shouting at each other; in short, a melee. Again McHardie dominated, but it was Tauranga’s Cole Rippey who worked his way through the fleet to put pressure on McHardie on the short beat to the finish. McHardie held on to win, Rippey was second and Jack Rogers, who had pulled in many places during the race, crossed the line in third place, only to be disqualified for not completing a penalty turn. Cameron Moss from Murrays Bay was third, and Eliza Wilkinson from Kohimarama, fourth.

A wind shift on the first beat in race 5 saw the back markers rounding the top mark in front. When this bunch arrived at the bottom mark together, another melee. Shouting, bumping, whistle blowing, flag pointing, penalty turns taken. Cole Rippey, a victim of the wind shift, pulled in twelve places to finish ninth. Eliza Wilkinson, established herself the top female, by sailing well to finish second behind McHardie, his second bullet for the day. Jayvee Buchannan was third. Murrays Bay sailor, Carmen Haybittle, a beneficiary of the wind shift on the first beat, hung in to finish eighteenth, her best place to date, but more importantly, she beat her brother Patrick.

Race 6 started in 12 knots, but just as shifty. Leonard Takahashi-Fry found form, working hard for the entire race, putting pressure on the ever-present, Jayvee Buchannan, who won. Leonard was second with Patrick Haybittle third, his best place to date. Timaru’s Meghan Butler was jubilant as she crossed the finish in twentieth, her best place to date.

http://www.murraysbay.org/uploads/P%20Nationals/Tauranga%20Cup%2015Jan%20prov.pdf!Click_here for final results of the Tauranga Cup

Tauranga Cup. Day 1- sponsored by Stack Interiors

Three races for 44 sailors were held in very shifty south westerly winds ranging from 10 to 15 knots, with one particular bullet in race one over 20 knots. It came through as the fleet were rounding the wing mark; heaven sent for the experienced sailors who were on the wrong side of a shift on the beat; hell sent for the less experienced, who got a bit of a bashing. Muratai’s George Gautry again showed mastery downwind to win the first and second race.

Race Officer Kin Admore didn’t muck about with the starts, starting each race under the ‘Z’ flag after a general recall in the first race. In race three, Hamilton’s Isaac McHardie and Charteris Bay’s Jayvee Buchannan arm wrestled upwind and downwind, swapping positions for first and second. Rounding the top mark for the last time, McHardie led Buchannan, who held on for the downwind leg and rounded at the gate just ahead of McHardie. On the short beat to the finish, McHardie got ahead, and coming up to the finish, was half a boat length ahead. The boat end was favoured, and Buchannan positioned himself between it and McHardie. As he hit the finish line, Buchannan punched his boat up to beat McHardie by less than half a boat length. It doesn’t come any closer than that.

Besides Gautry and Buchannan, other sailors had personal victories. These included Demme Simkin, who was beaming as she went through the finish even though she was outside the time limit. She was happy because she had rounded the top mark on the first lap in eighth place. Eleven year old Rose Spencer, who was distraught from the bashing she got from the bullet, and wanted to retire, continued after firm encouragement from pin boat crew, Brett Sheldon. She finished two seconds within the time limit. Ten year old Sophie Egnot-Johnson, who has never been out in more than 10 knots, was ahead of her brother Nick on leg 2 in the first race. After a struggle to make the bottom mark, she finished, but outside the time limit. In the second race, she finished in 39th place, then retired for the last race.