The NZ 12ft Skiff fleet name their 12 boat team to take on Australia

by Hamish Hey on 15 Dec 2009
The NZ Team to contest the Don Brooke Memorial at the Barfoot and Thomson 50th 12ft Skiff Inter-Dominions has been named. A fleet of 16 boats contested the selection trials with some tight racing on the inner Waitemata Harbour out of the Auckland Sailing Club last weekend.

National Champion Alex Vallings showed his class winning the trials by 5 points despite not sailing in the fresh conditions on Friday. With lighter winds on Saturday he and crew Lyn Holland in Nuplex Composites put on a commanding performance to win all three heats on Saturday and heat 7 on Sunday. Their only blemish being a 3rd in heat 6 and 6th in fresher conditions of heat 8.

Taupo's Hamish Hey and Mike Candy in Nice Action Too finished second overall, finding their feet on the last day and showing good pace in the light despite leading early on in both heats 6 and 7 before being hauled-in in the dying northerly by the lighter crews. This crew are the 6ft+ giants of the kiwi fleet and carrying 200kg are typically vulnerable in lighter conditions. Heat 8 sailed in big rigs in a 15-17 knot westerly perhaps the most telling of their power and pace with a big rig, finishing second to MGS (Russell Davis) by just a boat length despite hitting the top mark twice in the fierce outgoing tide of Torpedo Bay.

Two other form skiffs Frankenskiff (Tim Bartlett & Adam Millar) and Dimension Polyant Sailcloth (Simon Ganley & Rod Chave) made promising starts to the regatta, but were undone by gear failures on the final day Franksenskiff unable to sail and Dimension only completing the race 6 on the final day. The pair who were first and second in the Auckland Champs two weeks prior, were relegated to 6th and 3rd overall. On form earlier in the regatta, both crews deserved to be higher placed.

Wellington's Glen Armstrong and John Shultz finished 4th overall in As Good As It Gets, always in the hunt of the front bunch with five 4th placings during the regatta and a 2nd.

Another 18ft Skiff crew returning to the 12ft class for the Inter-Dominions is Chris Skinner and Dave Healy on Davie Norris Boat Builders. The pair started the regatta strongly with a 3rd and 1st on Day 1. Other commitments kept the pair from competing in races 4-8 which saw them slip to 13th overall and outside the 12 boat team to take on the Australians. However with the unavailability of Wellington helmsman Shaun Sheldrake on Inspire Group (which placed 11th in the trials) to sail much of the Inter-Dominion regatta, has seen the NZ 12ft Skiff OA have name Skinner and Healy in the team.

The Kiwi team to take on the Aussies in the Barfoot and Thomson 50th 12ft Skiff Inter-Dominions to be sailed out of the Auckland Sailing Club from January 9 – 17, 2010 is:

Nuplex Alex Vallings / Chris Kitchiner Auckland SC
Nice Action Too Hamish Hey / Mike Candy Lake Taupo YC
Dimension Ployant Simon Ganley / Rod Chave Auckland SC
As Good As It Gets Glen Armstrong / John Shultz Worser Bay BC
MGS Russell Davis / Oliver Hawkley Auckland SC
Frankenskiff Tim Bartlett / Adam Millar Auckland SC
Exonet James Gordon / Chris Holland Auckland SC
Little Bus Chris Reid / Ben de Fluter Auckland SC
Lil Monstro Clifton Web / Jamie Hunt Auckland SC
Viper Roger Barnes / Nick Parkin Worser Bay BC
Design Source Paul MacIntosh / Ken Fyfe Auckland SC
Davie Norris Boats Chris Skinner / Dave Healey Auckland SC