Sail-World.com : VW Print Intl 420 Class Nationals and NZ Selection Trials 2009

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Sail-World.com : VW Print Intl 420 Class Nationals and NZ Selection Trials 2009

VW Print Intl 420 Class Nationals and NZ Selection Trials 2009

'2007 420 Worlds - Carl Evans and Peter Burling and Simon Cooke/Scott Illingworth' Sail-World.com /AUS © Click Here to view large photo

Following soon after the successful Flying Dutchman World championships over New Year, the Napier Sailing Club is holding another major regatta attracting top sailors from around the country, this time to compete in the VW Print International 420 Class National Championships and New Zealand Selection Trials for 2009.

Along with the National Championship title there are 14 positions (seven male and seven female) up for grabs to form the team to represent New Zealand at the International 420 worlds to be held on Lake Garda, Italy in July this year.

The regatta will have some of the countriy's finest young sailing talent on show and promises to be a close fought event. Simon Cooke, second to Carl Evans and Peter Burling in the 2006 event, is arguably the most experienced sailor in fleet at Napier this weekend. An Olympic sailor (7th in the 470 at Sydney, 2000), Cooke is a four times national 470 champion (1997, 1999, 2000, & 2003), and finished fourth at the 420 worlds in Greece last year. He and Illingworth will be hard to beat.

Paul Snow-Hansen (helm) and Jason Saunders (crew) will also be at the front of the fleet in 51986. Paul is the current national 420 champion and already has a long history of national and international success. Saunders is the 2007 National Starling champion and the pair are now regular 470 competitors.

The pairing of Dunning-Beck (helm) and Ben Goodwin (crew) sailing 52363 will be right up there. Dunning-Beck is the current National Optimist Champion having won the title two years running. He also won the P-Class Tanner Cup in 2008 and has been a member of the New Zealand Worlds Optimist team. Goodwin is the current 420 national champion (crew) winning the title at last year’s event in New Plymouth (with Paul Snow-Hansen). Goodwin also has plenty of international experience having represented New Zealand at the 2007 and 2008 youth worlds.

Also vying for the national title, and capable contenders, are Alex Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher. Maloney has had national success in the Optimist and P Class, and Barbarich-Bacher finished second (with Shelley Hesson) at the 2007 women’s 420 worlds. Together Maloney and Barbarich-Bacher finished 13th at the 420 Greece worlds last year.

Another female crew to watch is the Berry sisters, Emma and Sarah. This pairing has experience on their side having sailed together in the class since the 2006 nationals where they placed 17th. Since then they have competed in youth worlds, world championships and contested numerous regattas in Europe. The Berry’s finished fourth in the 2007 women’s 420 worlds and 16th at the Greece worlds. They will be hoping for a podium finish this weekend.

Local intra-sibling parings of Naomi Mannering and Kagan Weeks, and Jake Weeks and Briar Mannering are also crews to watch and combined have plenty of experience and success at the national and international level. Luke Stevens and Sam Bullock from Tauranga, and Sam MacKay and Matt Broome from Napier are other competitive crews capable of upsetting the favourites. The forecast for this weekend isn’t looking ideal with light southerlies and showers likely for the first two days and around 10 knots for Sunday and Monday, something the lighter crews will appreciate.

The temperature will be warm so who knows… For the competitors it’s going to be tough to crack the top ten in this event with my punt on the first five going to Beck and Goodwin, Snow-Hansen and Saunders, Maloney and Barbarich-Bacher, Cooke and Illingworth, and the Berry sisters - and not necessarily in that order.

For my boys sake I hope I’m wrong….If you can get near the action on the water it will be worth the effort!

by Lyle Tresadern

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10:44 AM Wed 18 Feb 2009 GMT

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