Wellington sailors win NZ Youth Match Racing

by Dean Stanley on 1 Sep 2008 Wellington sailors win NZ Youth Match Racing Championships

After four days of sailing on Wellington harbour Matthew Steven, Matthew Clough and Chris Jones have been crowned the 2008 New Zealand Youth Match Racing national champions. They won the finals 3-1 in a hard fought match race against their Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club team mates Josh Junior, Tim Coltman and Josh Porebski.

Junior’s team were quickly down 2-0 in the final with Steven’s team taking advantage of a slight upwind speed edge to win matches one and two comfortably. Junior came out firing in match three convincingly winning the pre start and forcing a penalty on Steven, before sailing away to win comfortably.

Match four was full of tension. After an even start the two boats tacked on to port and a drag race ensued all the way to the starboard lay line. Steven’s team slowly but surely put half a boat length on Junior’s team enabling them to tack and lead into the top mark clear ahead. On the first downwind Junior attacked from behind and began to roll Steven, but in a last second attack Steven forced a penalty on Junior as he rolled over top.

Upwind for the final time Steven tacked relentlessly but Junior answered every tack with a tight cover. Junior rounded the top mark three boat lengths ahead, not enough to get rid of the penalty and still win. Junior began to attack Steven. The two boats tight reached to the starboard side of the course, they had a gybing dual with kites, junior dropped his kite and attacked, Steven responded by dropping his kite, then they started sailing back up wind giving Junior the opportunity to tack and clear his penalty. Kites back up and the boats were tight reaching neck and neck to the port side of the course. Junior gybed for the line, Steven followed suit, Junior reached the line first but as he crossed the line Steven forced a penalty on him – game over!

'We were very pleased to win out there this week in what has been a very close match racing regatta' and Steven as he accepted the Warren 'Wolfie' Williams Trophy as the New Zealand National Under 21 Match Champion.

Rounding out the top four places were two teams from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. William Tiller, Harry Thurston and Kodie Banks finished third while Sean Mason, Daniel Pooley and Donovan Neill came in fourth.

Regatta website www.rpnyc.org.nz