Oceanbridge Sail Auckland- Few surprises on Medal winners podium

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 4 Feb 2014
After four days of compelling racing on the Waitemata Harbour, 2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland has come to a close with winners celebrated at prize-giving following racing today at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club.

470: Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie secured victory in the 470. Heading into the day with the overall lead the reigning women’s world champions, and winners of 2013 ISAF Rolex World Female Sailor of the Year sailed strongly on the final day of the regatta with a 2, 1, 1 from their three races to nail home the win.

Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox placed second overall with James Turner and Luke Stevenson finishing up in third overall making it a kiwi podium all round in this event.

After racing Polly Powrie says; 'We did have good day, another solid day and that’s all we needed to do.'

The pair have enjoyed getting back in the boat after a break from competition through the Christmas period; 'It’s been great for us its early on in our preparations for the year and it pointed out all our rusty spots so we’ve managed to take the kinks out throughout the week and its really nice to come away with a win.'

Powrie anticipates that the rivalry between them and Snow-Hansen and Willcox will resume soon; 'We have National Champs in a couple of weeks up in Kerikeri so it’ll be all on for that no doubt!'

49er: Looking hard to beat going into the final day 49er World Champs Peter Burling and Blair Tuke wrapped up the regatta with a clean string of wins today to take the 49er title here at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland by a convincing 17 point margin.

'It was pretty interesting racing, pretty shifty, but we managed to come out on the right side of it a fair few times so we’ve been happy with the week and the boat was going well.'

Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski – silver medallists at the 2013 World Championships were second overall, while Benjamin Goodwin and Sam Bullock from the Napier Sailing Club snuck through for the bronze.

49erFX: In the 49erFX it was the World Champions showing their class as well – Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech fending off the international competition from Annemiek Bekkering of the Netherlands to take out the 49erFX class in front of the home audience.

Maloney and Meech clocked up eight race wins across the fourteen race series and finished six points clear of Bekkering. Australia’s Haylee Outteridge and Ella Clark came home in third place.

Laser: Rutger Van Schaardenburg, visiting sailor from the Netherlands brought home victory in the Laser class after sailing consistently well throughout the four day regatta.

Ven Schaardenburg says; 'I finished with first place and I’m really happy with that. I had a bit of a struggle on the first day with speed upwind but with good downwind speed it gave me the victories and good results here. And I am a little bit lucky with the wind circumstances – they suit me well.'

It was a multi-national podium in the class with NZL Sailing Team’s Andy Maloney comfortably in second place and Colin Cheng from Singapore taking the bronze with a good final day on the water.

Van Schaardenburg says he came to Auckland for the quality competition; 'New Zealand sailors like Andy Maloney, Sam Meech and Thomas Saunders, they are good sailors at a good level and it is cold at home right now.'

Laser Radial: With points tight on the leader-board among the top three going into today the Laser Radial leaders hit the water with all to play for. In the end Ryan Lo Jun Han takes the win despite not having his best day on the water with a fifth and a third.

Just one point back was Sara Winther, Olympic campaigner in the female single-hander, while youth male sailor Trent Rippey from Tauranga sails home to third overall in what was one of the largest fleets competing at 2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland.

Finn: There was a compelling finish in the Finn class with two-time Olympian in the Laser Andrew Murdoch going into the final day three points adrift of younger training partner Josh Junior (Worser Bay Boating Club) facing an uphill battle for victory. But after a win in today’s first race and Junior finishing third it all came down to the final race, which went the way of Murdoch who is the overall winner by just one point.

NZL Sailing Team Finn Coach John Cutler says; 'It’s been really close racing between the two of them and they’ve each had phases where one of them has been more dominant. You know it’s a pity in the end that one of them has to win and naturally one has to lose. It came down to the final mark of the final race and that’s as close as you are going to get!'

'It’s been tough racing we’ve had stronger winds at times and when you get this sea breeze and it bends around Rangitoto, and the current has been strong. So it’s been really tough conditions.'

'The whole fleet has been going really well, especially upwind, and if the top guys don’t get it right they don’t round in first in second – they’ve had to work hard for the results this week and I think it sharpens them up and should stand them in good stead when they get to Europe.'

Nacra 17: Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders from the NZL Sailing Team took to the water today with a clean score-card, and while they didn’t maintain that until the end placing second in today’s two races, they easily take out the victory in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull class.

Rachel Basevi and Tomer Simhony ended the regatta on a high note with a couple of wins on the final day, taking second overall with Taylor Burn and Vicky Francis finishing third overall.

RS:X Windsurfing: Jon-Paul Tobin and Natalia Kosinska have won the RS:X windsurfing, Tobin with a clean sweep of wins across the entire regatta in the Men’s RS:X 9.5 division. His closest rival was Korean international Su Whan Lee. Tony Mackenzie rounded out the podium placings in third.

It was a different story for Kosinska however who has had a tough battle with youth rider from Murrays Bay Sailing Club Patrick Haybittle for overall victory in the RS:X 8.5 division. Kosinska, an NZL Sailing Team Olympic campaigner, was lying second to Haybittle over the first half of the series, but edged in front with a string of wins on the penultimate day setting the scene for a grand finale on day four.

Today, in light wind pumping conditions, Haybittle won both races sailed, Kosinska placing third in both and just hanging on to take a narrow one point overall victory.

Kite-board Racing: Torrin Bright, the inaugural National Champion in kite-board racing, has been dominant at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland not missing a beat with 14 wins from 14 races. Brad Walker and Ben Turner were consistently finishing behind Bright and take second and third respectively.

Paralympics Classes: Sonar, SKUD 18, 2.4mR

Tim Dempsey and new SKUD18 partner Gemma Fletcher have secured victory in the Paralympic double-hander. The breeze across the Paralympic sailing course was consistent and so was Dempsey’s form clocking up another couple of race wins on the final day. Brendan Tourelle and anna Ankersmit finished second with Netherlands sailors Akko Van Der Veen and Liza Elburg in third.

Brett Willcock (Charteris Bay Yacht Club) wins the 2.4mR class from Matt Bugg of Australia with Paul Francis (Takapuna Boating Club) rounding out the podium after some excellent racing in the Paralympic single-hander.

Anticipating that this morning’s lack of wind would last throughout the day the two boat Sonar fleet weren’t on the water and results from yesterday stand as final.

Invited: 29er & 420

Equal points at the top of the 29er leader-board required a count-back to determine Micah Wilkinson and Jack Rogers (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) as the overall winners from Markus Somerville and Isaac McHardie. Both pairs had four wins across the regatta after extremely tight racing in the youth skiff class featuring ten boats. William McKenzie and Sam Simpson secured third place.

In the 420 Sam Barnett and Zac Merton (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club) who won out, with three female crews following on the leader-board. Napier sailors Olivia Mackay and Abby Goodwin were second overall with Eliza Wilkinson and Kate Stewart in third place.

Hansa Liberty & Hansa 303

John Buchanan (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) has taken overall victory in the Hansa Liberty from Helena Horswell (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) with Australian visitor Russell Phillips finishing third. Tan Wei Qiang and Yap Qian Yin from Singapore have won the Hansa 303 double-handed class.

2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland Final top three

49er
1st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
2nd Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski
3rd Benjamin Goodwin and Sam Bullock

49erFX
1st Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech
2nd Annemiek Bekkering and crew
3rd Haylee Outteridge and Ella Clark

470
1st Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie
2nd Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox
3rd James Turner and Luke Stevenson

Laser
1st Rutger van Schaardenburg (NED)
2nd Andy Maloney
3rd Colin Cheng (SIN)

Laser Radial
1st Ryan Lo Jun Han
2nd Sara Winther
3rd Trent Rippey

Nacra 17
1st Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders
2nd Rachel Basevi and Tomer Simhony
3rd Taylor Burn and Vicky Francis

Finn
1st Andrew Murdoch
2nd Josh Junior
3rd Karl Purdie

RS:X 9.5
1st Jon-Paul Tobin
2nd Kyounghwan Lee
3rd Tony Mackenzie

RS:X 8.5
1st Natalia Kosinska
2nd Patrick Haybittle
3rd Nicolas Goyard (FRA)

420
1st Sam Barnett and Zak Merton
2nd Olivia Mackay Abby Goodwin
3rd Eliza Wilkinson and Kate Stewart

29er
1st Micah Wilkinson and Jack Rogers
2nd Markus Somerville and Isaac McHardie
3rd William MacKenzie and Sam Simpson

Kite-board
1st Torrin Bright
2nd Brad Walker
3rd Ben Turner

Hansa Liberty
1st John Buchanan
2nd Helena Horswell
3rd Russell Phillips (AUS)

2.4mR
1st Brett Willcock
2nd Matt Bugg (AUS)
3rd Paul Francis

Skud 18
1st Tim Dempsey and Gemma Fletcher
2nd Brendan Tourelle and Anna Ankersmit
3rd Akko Van Der Veen and Liza Elburg

Sonar
1st Rick Dodson, John Weston and David Allerton
2nd Callum Conroy, Pauline Eitjes and crew

303 Double-handed
1st Tan Wei Qiang and Yap Qian Yin
2nd Lim Kok Liang and Aaron Per Yong Quan
3rd Sulaiman Bin Pungot and Low Mun Chong

Oceanbridge Sail Auckland is made possible only thanks to the contributions from principle sponsor Oceanbridge, and supporters: Sport New Zealand, Yachting New Zealand, Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Danske Mobler, The Landing and Orakei Marina. Equally important is a team of more than 50 volunteers that are behind the success of this regatta every year.