Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Dynamic 40 Leaderboard

Editorial- A square and bleary-eyed Kiwi nation

by nzeditor@sail-world.com on 5 Jun 2007
Welcome to the Monday edition of Sail-World.Com/NZ’s newsletter – late out due to Monday being Queens Birthday Weekend in New Zealand and a public holiday.

The three day weekend was a great excuse for Kiwi sailing fans to stay up late at night watching the racing in Valencia, with plenty of time to sleep in or have an afternoon nap to prepare for the next race.

No such luck for the next two races, during the working week, and if NZL-92’s form continues, the Finals will be over by Thursday morning (NZT).

To be honest the outcome is not a surprise to us, and we indicated as much in our pre-Final Review. We feel the same way about Alinghi, but obviously there is not a lot of data to work from. Luna Rossa’s main strength lay in playing the soft and shifting Valencia breezes of some of the Round Robin racing, however these seem to have stabilised since the start of the Semi-Finals.

This is confirmed to some extent by the telling statistic that of the 64 legs sailed since the start of the Semi-Finals, on only one has there been a lead change. And, the passing lanes that were a feature of the Round Robins have gone. Firstly as a result of the more stable breeze, and secondly because of the improvement in the standard of the tactics as crews come to grips with the Valencian conditions.

As to whether Emirates Team New Zealand can win the America’s Cup, it would seem to be a matter of how hard the Mushroom Crew in NZL-84 can push NZL-92 in the time between the Louis Vuitton Finals and the America’s Cup.

Full marks to Desafio Espanol – they have been clearly the best opposition that Emirates Team New Zealand have faced, and on form, are unfortunate not to have made the Louis Vuitton Cup Final. They would seem to be the second fastest boat in the sharp end of the regatta.


In this issue we have featured stories from the Finn Europeans which are getting underway in Hungary. The Finn and OK Classes are fortunate to have Robert Deaves covering their regattas for the online media, and we have two reports from Robert.

The Finns are also fortunate to have coach and competitor Gus Miller amongst their number. One of the great enthusiasts of the class and sailing, Gus is at the Europeans doing what he does best – getting new sailors established and tending the crop he has planted in previous years.


At the end of this week, the NZ Optimist Association will be holding their annual fundraising dinner at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, and there is a lot of memorabilia from the 32nd America’s Cup going under the hammer and is sure to attract international as well as local interest.

Over the years this class has done a great job of getting teams away to a variety of international, world and regional regattas – with no sailor doing more than one event. And gaining this international experience at a young age is a great way to both keep people in sailing and building the next generation of America’s Cup sailors.

So dig deep please, people.


Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor

Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeHyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Related Articles

Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits.
Posted on 3 Jun
Robert Burke on HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility
Robert Burke discusses the upcoming closure of HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility Community sailing organizations are a fantastic and affordable way of drawing new sailors into the sport. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Community Sailing is being forced to close one of its two locations in January.
Posted on 3 Jun
The call of the mighty
See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action, braving the elements, and glory for the victorious. As an Australian, you have King Louie (the late Lou Abrahams), and the late Sir Jim Hardy as the poster boys.
Posted on 1 Jun
Where to purchase adaptive sailing equipment
Seats, hoists, etc for sailors with a disability Several organisations have contributed their knowledge regarding where to purchase adaptive sailing equipment such as seats for dinghies and hoists for wheelchair users to get into boats.
Posted on 1 Jun
America's Cup Power Plays
And Growing Sailing Through Learning There's always so much speculation and intrigue in-between each edition of the America's Cup. Everyone wants to know what is happening behind closed doors, inside the teams, and when the Challengers meet with the Defender.
Posted on 28 May
Hyde Sails Flying Fifteen Video Tuning Guide
Ben McGrane explains how to get the most out of your B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs Hyde Sails release new detailed video guide for tuning the Flying 15 for use with the B1 mainsail with B1 or 2H jibs.
Posted on 22 May
Gladwell's Line: - May 22 - A big month
Kiwi's loss is Italy's gain - our thoughts on the hosting debacle. Kiwi's loss is Italy's gain - our thoughts on the hosting debacle. Paul Whiting's tribute - 45yrs on. Surprise winner of biggest ever two-handed nationals. Chalkie Bland remembered.
Posted on 22 May
Puget Sound sailing, Etchells, J/70s, Cup news
Seeking Goldilocks conditions on Puget Sound, Etchells NAs, J/70 U.S. Nationals, AC38 news As the saying goes, 'you don't know unless you go'. While I've mostly heard this phrase applied to climbing, skiing, and mountaineering, four late-winter and springtime races on Puget Sound this year exemplified the fact that this line.
Posted on 20 May
The appeal of offshore
Is there still appeal? Have we made it too onerous? Why would someone take it up now? I had been pondering. Yes. Marquee events have no issue attracting entrants. Middle Sea, Transpac, Cape to Rio, Fastnet, and Hobart all spring to mind instantly, but what of the ‘lesser' races? Lots of boats in pens (slips) a lot of the time
Posted on 18 May
Banger Racing, Back Racing and No Racing
Racing on the cheap, a return to racing for young Aussies, and ILCA struggles We start with racing on the cheap at the Colander Cup, then focus on a return to racing for the Aussies at the Youth Worlds, moving on to a complete lack of racing at the ILCA Worlds, and then looking at how SailGP should be back out on the water.
Posted on 14 May