Smyth wins a frustrating NZ Womens Matchracing Championshp

by Barry Davies on 30 Mar 2009
Day 3 of the NZ Womens Matchracing Championships started off much more positively with a forecast of sea breezes developing but yet again, this took longer than expected to arrive.

At the start of the day, Jess Smyth and Miranda Powrie (both NZL) and Katie Spithill (AUS) were all unbeaten on 2 wins

Late Sunday morning, the fleet sailed just the third flight of Round Robin One out to the west of the Auckland Harbour Bridge before that wind petered out.

Another search of the Waitemata Harbour was conducted and eventually the fleet was towed out to the east and a course was set off Mission Bay.

With the possibility that every flight that was sailed could possibly be the last, Flight 7 was then sailed (to break the ties and get a result). At the completion of this flight however a steady breeze had filled in and glorious sailing conditions prevailed.

Flight 9 was then sailed and this featured the match-up between Jess Smyth and Katie Spithill.

Smyth won this match and ended up the clear winner at the end of the day.

Final placings as follows…

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Jess Smyth 1

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Miranda Powrie 2

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club - Katie Spithill 3

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Sam Osborne 4

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia - Amanda Scrivenor 5

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Stephanie Hazard 6

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Jan Dawson 7

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Annemarie Waugh 8

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - Hannah Morris 9

Santa Monica Windjammers Y C - Kim Stuart 10