Nick Egnot-Johnson wins Auckland Optimist title by big margin
by Sail-World on 28 Jan 2013
After the general recall is signalled the starting vessel cannot be seen for Optimists - 2013 Auckland Optimist Championships, Wakatere Boating Club Richard Gladwell
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Fresh sea breezes once again greeted the 140 boat fleet contesting the two Auckland Optimist Championships being sailed off Wakatere Boating Club, on Auckland's North Shore.
Overnight leader Nick Egnot-Johnson (Murray's Bay) won the regatta, with a very comfortable 23 point margin over Leonard Takahasi-Fry who moved from fourth overall into second. Both are 15 years old and are in their final year in the class.
Jackson Keon finished one point behind to be third overall, after pulling up from sixth place at the end of the second day's racing .
All three sailors hail from Murray's Bay Sailing Club, a few miles up the coast from Wakatere, with both clubs being located on Auckland's North Shore.
Xanthe Copeland (Wakatere) finished as the top female sailor but dropped back to seventh overall, the seco nd fmale sailor Kater Stewart also from Wakatere finished in eight place overall.
Alistair Gifford and Hamish Clark, both from Queen Charlotte Yacht Club at the top of the South Island made the long trip north worthwhile finishing in fourth and fifth place overall.
The Black Flag was in use to penalise sailors who cross the line in the final minute before a start, catching 18 sailors in the final race of the day.
In the Green Fleet, for first year competitors, the Cook Islands dominated, taking seven of the top ten positons overall. The event was won by Teakuoa Framhein with Scott Guy (Kohimaramara) in second, and Helene Johnson (Rarotonga) third.
www.wakatere.org.nz/Results/2012-2013/2013OptiAK-Open.html!Click_here for Open Fleet results
http://www.wakatere.org.nz/Results/2012-2013/2013OptiAK-Green.html!Click_here for Green fleet results
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