Closey and Deverell win OKI Six Hour Optimist Race at Lake Pupuke

by Christine Meads on 29 Mar 2009
Thirteen year old Liam Closey of Murrays Bay in Auckland crossed the finish line today making him and team mate Nathaniel Deverell overall winners in today’s OKI 6 Hour Yacht Race.

Second place getters were Nick Egnot-Johnson and James Jennings, while Alex Burrow and Matthew Hughes picked up third place.

The inaugural ‘OKI 6 hour race’ – an optimist dinghy race for children aged 9-13 years – was launched this year as a forerunner to the OKI 24 Hour Race which got underway today at 2 p.m.

Run by the Murrays Bay Sailing Club, the OKI 24 Hour Race takes place on Lake Pupuke. The Race is an endurance sailing event that tests the limits of competitors’ stamina and sailing ability, with competing teams required to sail non-stop throughout the night in rotating shifts for a period of 24 hours in laser class boats.

Murrays Bay Sailing Club Rear Commodore, Sean McDonald, said while the race is a serious endurance event, it is also a great event for both participants and spectators alike.

'Crews are made up of two competitors per boat, except for the Masters and Women’s divisions where they can have three team members, and the Junior Youth Interclub Challenge where they have a minimum of four members.

'Under the Race rules, each team member is able to sail for a maximum of three hours before they are required to rest for a minimum of one hour.

'Crew members embark and disembark from their yachts from a pontoon positioned on the Lake. Ultimately, the winning teams are the ones that complete the most number of laps within the 24-hour period.'

To view Martin Tasker's report on ONE News http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/24hr-sailing-event-adds-twist-2597463/video!click_here