Russell Coutts gives junior sailing a boost at Whangaparaoa

by Bevan McKavanagh on 11 Jul 2016 What a great weekend of grass roots junior sailing for the O’pen BIC class at Manly Sailing Club.

America's Cup winning skipper and Olympic Gold medalist Russell Coutts was an active supporter at a regatta staged in the O'pen Bic class at Manly Sailing Club, close to his home in Tindall's Bay. Bevan McKavanagh reports:

After a wild lightning storm Thursday night, Friday was light, followed by a strong offshore breeze from the SE for Saturday and Sunday. Day 1 we managed an invitation race with the entire 33 boat fleet which was then split into a Gold and Silver fleet based on the decision of from the sailors, the Gold being the experienced sailors and the Silver the novice. The fleets were almost a 50/50 split with 17 in the Gold and 16 in the Silver.

Over the three days we managed eight Races for the Gold Fleet and seven races for the Silver along with a two-up Adventure Race. This is a unique, non-point score race where by we match the first and the last sailor from the Invitation race and move towards the centre of the fleet to make up the remaining 2-up crews. This is popular with the sailors and a great way to see them meeting others and it allows the experienced sailors to share their skills with the less experienced sailors.

Friday night was a highlight for us all, Russell and Jenny Coutts invited the entire fleet, their families, volunteers and race officials along for a BBQ at their home. It was a memorable experience for all of us and very kind of Russell and Jenny Coutts.

Russell’s presence over the weekend was amazing and felt by all, if he wasn’t on the water coaching the silver fleer aboard his Sealegs, he was on shore tuning boats ready for the day's sailing. A true example of one of the World’s most elite sailors putting something back into the sport we all love.

Congratulations to all those that took part, we hope to see you at another O’pen BIC regatta over the summer. Keep an eye on the Class website (www.openbic.org.nz) for future regattas.

Check out final results click here