Knight Frank 18ft Skiff Nationals on Waitemata over next two weekends

by John Little on 8 Jan 2015 The Knight Frank 18ft Skiff New Zealand Nationals start this Saturday at 1pm at the Auckland Sailing Club, Okahu Bay.

Racing comprises of three races a day and is spread across both days this weekend and next. The KF Nationals come at a perfect time for the NZ contingent who are who are preparing for the JJ Giltinan held mid-February in Sydney.

Knight Frank are a proud sponsor of Auckland Sailing Club. Knight Frank is the world’s leading independent commercial & residential real estate consultancy. Knight Frank New Zealand has built its foundations in Christchurch over recent years and has now expanded to Auckland. They are not new to backing sailing teams or events here in New Zealand with sponsorship of Craig Edward’s Y88 Flying Machine based in Lyttleton and title sponsorship of the Knight Frank Young 88 South Island Championships.

Yamaha who are currently leading the New Zealand fleet remain firm favourite to win the title. Yamaha has had a good start to the year dominating the Spring Sprint series and coming a close second in the Stoke Beer Auckland Championships.

After claiming victory at the Stoke Beer Auckland Championships the Knight Frank skiff will be looking to notch another win for the season. Consistency, however, has been an area that they need to continue to develop for which the Knight Frank Nationals offer this with it being spread across two weekends and 12 races.

C-tech has had a mixed start to the year as they develop their new crewing combination, but leave no doubt the Alex Vailings led team will be there when it counts at the pointy end of this regatta.

After having their boats arrive back in New Zealand in mid-November Maersk Line and ASCC have both shown the benefits of the Northern Hemisphere tour and continue to put in good performances. ASCC is proving to be a consistent performer in the light big rig conditions. Maersk Lines boat speed and good starts is pushing them towards the front of the fleet across all conditions.

Events Clothing, who also arrived back mid-November, has had a tricky start to the season as they develop their new crewing combination. The team has welcomed on-board experienced bowman Rex England who joins the legendary Steve Jones and Glen Sowry. The boat had to have major work done on its return to NZ after suffering a violent rigging failure in San Francisco which had hindered their time on the water since returning.

Aon Racing has had a mixed start to the season as they juggle their many sailing commitments both nationally and internationally. The team has been training with their existing boat while at the same time finish off their brand new boat. Rumour has it they will have it out on the water any day now as they look to get it sorted before the boats ship to the JJ Giltinan in Sydney later this month. Time will tell whether they join in and race the Knight Frank Nationals.

The Tauranga based 18ft skiff team have switched boats from the Fineline Marine to the newly re-conditioned Stoke Beer boat. The team had an impressive last outing in the closing 3 races of the Spring Sprints in which they consistently challenged the middle of the fleet and finished the final race on the podium in 3rd place. The team is on the improve and will no doubt be pushing hard this coming weekend.

Racing starts at 1pm this Saturday off the Auckland Sailing Club, Okahu Bay. Depending on the wind direction good viewing points include Okahu Bay Wharf and North Head. All are welcome to join the club afterwards for a refreshing wrap up of the day’s action thanks to Stoke Beer.

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