Sanderson's Retro wins 2014 Elliott 5.9 Nationals

by NZ Elliott 5.9 Class Association on 10 Dec 2014
Mike Sanderson and his crew of Harry Thurston and Matt Stevens sailing Retro won the 2014 Elliott 5.9 Nationals sailed at Napier Sailing Club. Mike had last won the Elliott 5.9 Nationals in 1992 sailing 'Lambada, which he credits with launching his professional sailing career.

17 boats formed one of the most competitive fleet for many years, with five of the six new hulls racing.

Second overall was another new boat; Rough & Reddy sailed by Craig Satterthwaite , Richard 'Bart' Bearda and Matt Mitchell). The evergreen 'Voodoo' was third (Simon Manning, Andy Robertson and Matt 'Lockie' Hibbard). Next were Zoot Allures (Dave Cochran, Phil Haughton and Daniel Mann), Cheeky Darky (Nathan Williams, Andrew Brown and Nick Olsen) and Hobo (Rob Ward, Bruce Yovich and Mike Sherwood).

The conditions were tricky during the entire event with a strong Westerly gradient being pushed out by the Napier sea breeze on days one and two- however never for long. Every race was sailed in shifty conditions, with the final day being raced in very strong offshore breeze. Regular class PRO Paddy Simms made a fine job of coping with the conditions, assisted by a great team of Napier YC and E5.9 fleet volunteers.

Retro was consistent throughout the contest and a class above the other competitors, with second and third placings only being decided in the final race.

Two welcome additions to the regatta were Mark Howard and his Nelson based crew on Eagle, and Shock Treatment (Trevor Plowman) - a boat that has not raced with the class for many years. Both boats had their moments and it was great to see them in the fleet. Two Wellington-based boats,Albie Playford with Erotic and Phil McDowell with Rip-on-Bye, also made their Nationals debuts. And 'Dirty Harry', the sixth new boat (owned by Tim and Carla Holgate) raced for the first time at the event.


Class structure changes

After some consideration by the current class officers, owners have voted to further tighten a couple of key areas of the rules and to increase the resources available to the Association. This is driven by the rapid growth in the class, and a desire by all to continue to develop the Traveler Series and the one-design nature of the boat - preserving the competitiveness of the older boats. One key change is the formation of a Technical Committee. Reporting to the National Measurer, the Committee will be responsible for reviewing the class rules and ensuring considered and consistent treatment of any measurement issues.

More new E5.9 hulls underway in 2015

The NZ E5.9 Association has now built six new Elliott 5.9's in the past year with more hulls planned for 2015. This project was over a year in the planning and has been underwritten by the Elliott 5.9 Class Association on a cost recovery basis. The project is being undertaken in conjunction with, and is supported by, well known Auckland boatbuilder; Sea Craft/Haines Hunter.

Indicative pricing is $7,950+GST for a bonded hull, deck and hull liner with a faired and finished gunwale. All standard equipment to complete, including trailers, can be obtained through Association-approved suppliers and retail outlets. As an alternative there is a good supply of used equipment such as masts and sails.

All six of the new hulls are now sailing and have made an immediate impact with Rough & Reddy winning the 2014 Traveler Series. Each hull is fully compliant with the class rules, using the class association-owned moulds and construction guidelines. The lay-up is based on that used for earlier boats ensuring they remain competitive.

The Elliott 5.9 and NZ E5.9 Class Association

Offering close racing and great social events built around a North Island weekend regatta circuit, the Elliott 5.9 class is the perfect three-person syndicate boat. The class is relatively low maintenance and is sailed by a crew of three. No rail meat - everyone has a job! There are active fleets in Opua, Whangarei, Auckland, Plimmerton, and New Plymouth with boats in other venues like Tauranga, Napier, Lyttleton, Nelson and Queenstown.

Plimmerton now boasts six boats and the fleet is looking forward to another competitive season of club racing.

The E5.9 Class Association welcomes enquiries and will work with interested sailors and owners to get them into the fleet. Charter boats are occasionally available and there are occasionally second hand boats for sale.

Interested sailors can keep up with Association news and our events and projects by 'Liking' the E5.9 Association Facebook Page; www.facebook.com/elliott5.9.

You can also join our mailing list via the Subscribe to News button on the home page of our website: www.e59.org.nz.

Boats for sale can be found via Trademe, on our website or by contacting the Class Association.