Forty contest the 50th Jubilee Championships for Mistral class

by Katharine Sampson on 7 Apr 2009
The Mistral class 50th Jubilee Championships was held over the weekend 4th and 5th April. Forty of the beautiful, Des Townson designed centreboarders took to the waters off Tamaki Yacht Club, Bastion Point, Auckland.

Six triangle,windward-leeward races were held over two days of glorious sunshine in winds of between 10 and 15 knots with Andrew Stone and Mitchell Ford (TYC) being crowned Mistral Class Champions for 2009.

The racing was extremely close with Matt O'Maigh and Oliver Simpson (TYC) second in the spinnaker division only on countback.

The Mistral was conceived as a Parent and child boat and as such the fleet is split between Spinnaker and Non-spinnaker boats to give even the youngest and most inexperienced sailors the chance to race in a large fleet. The Non-spinnaker Champions and winners of the Leo Holden trophy were Anton Berking and Frederick Bode, who had travelled from Kerikeri's lake Manuwai. Second in the non-spinnaker fleet were Bryce and Ben (aged 5) Bindon, who had made the trip down from Whangarei to race in the event.

Prizes were also awarded on handicap, based on performance in the first 2 races of the weekend. Winners of the Handicap Cup were Rob Mason and John Reid (TYC) who also walked away from the weekend with a brand new Mistral Jib, very generously donated by Doyles sails.

The Jubilee weekend was also a celebration of the first 50 years of this class and enabled a large number of past mistral sailors to come together and remember special times spent sailing and racing in these lively boats. A friday night reunion was held as well as an afternoon tea overlooking the race course and a competitors dinner, which together attracted more than 200 people to the club.

Thanks must go to the race committee from Tamaki Yacht Club, ASB and Kiwi Yachting for their sponsorship and the mistral Class Assoc. for all of their hard work.

Spinnaker fleet
1st Andrew Stone & Mitchel Ford, TYC, 76 Windsong (Also 1st Crew under 12)
2nd Matthew O'Maigh & Oliver Simpson, TYC, 60 Mana (Also Gordon Patrick trophy for crew)
3rd Ross Davis & Claire Davis, WBBC, 20 Blue Mist
4th Nick Brewer & Matthew Brewer, TYC, 47 Forties Heaven
5th Simon Manning & Michelle Tait, RAYC, 119 Memento Mori

Non-spinnaker fleet
1st Anton Berking & Frederick Bode KCC, 114 (Also Bryan Mee, 1st under 18)
2nd Bryce Bindon & Ben Bindon OYC, 14 Missfire
3rd Soren Crabb & Katie Cammell, 65 Pebbles
4th Barry Goldsbury & Kelvin Goldsbury, MBBC, 69 Spindrift
5th Klaus Olendorf & Rachel Smith, KCC

Handicap fleet
1st Rob Mason & John Reid, TYC, 32 Prelude (Also Crotty Trophy for crew)
2nd Simon Everett & Colin Horgan TYC, 32 Moonspinner
3rd Rob Ebert & Julia Ebert, HYC, 80 Missy
4th Sandy Grigg & Kate Bukowski, TYC, 19
5th Lanny Walker & Stephanie Moore, MBBC, 27 Sympathetic Overdrive

1st Master (over 50)
Eleanor Brabant, TYC, 106 Simply Red