Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M75

Kiwis win Noumea Match Racing Cup

by Hayden Whitburn on 19 Nov 2008
2008 Noumea Match Racing Cup - The NZers skippeerd by Michael Bullot (left) with Pierre Pennec and crew (right) Event Media

On the 8th of November the Match Racing Team of Mike Bullot, Chris Kitchen, Hayden Whitburn and Murray England travelled to Noumea to compete in the 2008 Noumea Match Racing Cup.

The event was sailed in Elliott 5.9’s which we were relatively inexperienced in but were lucky enough to have the use of one in Auckland before the event thanks to Chris Macindoe. We were able to get two nights out sailing before the event which was invaluable for our boat handling.

The event was very well organized and the 12 teams were very well looked after. The conditions were mainly light on the first three days until the finals where we saw a nice 15 knot breeze and very hot conditions.

We were pretty happy to be unbeaten after the two qualifying rounds and progressed to the final after a 2-0 score against a Korean team in the semi finals. The final saw us facing Frenchman Pierre Pennec, an ex Tornado Olympian and Mumm 36 Champion.

Race 1: We were able to get two penalties on him in the pre start which then allowed us to sail relatively conservatively and stay out of trouble which we successfully did.

Race 2 was much closer both boats starting bow to bow with us slightly to leeward. We knew we wanted the left side so we were worked to squeeze him out, forcing him to tack, we then sailed towards the edge of the new pressure tacked and easily made a seven boat length gain. We kept a tight cover up the remainder of the beat to round the top mark with a 10 boat length gap. This was closed dramatically by the bottom of the first run as he trailed down some new pressure. The final beat saw us stretch out to a comfortable lead through some great shift taking and eventually won the race by 40 seconds.

Race 3 The wind had now built to around 15 knots and with under a minute before the start one of our pole strops blew out, forcing us to retire.

Final Race.

With both teams improving over the regatta and the French team getting more aggressive in their pre starts the last race was very exciting, we managed to hold them out to the Starboard lay- line under the start line and using a spectator boat as an obstacle we could lead them in and covered them tightly up the first beat. We had a much better set around the top mark and extended in nice pressure we extended to win the final race by over 50 seconds.

We would like to thank the CNC Yacht Club for a great regatta also the Buckland’s Beach Yacht Club and Laurie Jury for the help and support we have been given over the last 5 months.

While Mike is now getting back into his Laser racing we are hoping to continue through next year with some selected events and see where we go from there.

Competing Teams

Jean-Christophe Vergé (NC), Gwenal Guttin, Didier Girardeau, Rémy Debordes
Tugdual Piriou (NC), Nicolas Vergé, Ghyslain Desbordes, Grégory Loste
Cédric Bouchet (NC), Alan Quéré, Laurent Cali, Jocelin Dupont
Roland Bone (NC), Pierre Laiss, Manu Domgui, Sylvie Avron
Boris François (NC), Mélanie Fur, Jean-Marc Gope, Benjamin Damien
Emmanuelle Merlo (NC), Lauren Pelen, Stéphanie Rolland, Mathilde Ingrassia
Patrick Baldi (NC), Nicolas Auteret, Christine Gaillard
Vincent Trinquet (NC), Julien Laporte, Edward Grattepanche, Sandrine Gravier
Mayeul Dalleau (NC), Olivier Lis, Pierre Perrin, Marlène Masson
Pierre Pennec (Fra), Antoine Rioux, Jérôme Esplaas, Titouan Piller
Park Ki-Cheol (Cor) Sung-Ahn, Byeong-Ki, Hoon-Seong
Mike Bullot (NZ), Hayden Whitburn, Chris Kitchen, Murray England

North Sails Loft 57 PodcastCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERSydney International On-Water Boat Show 2025

Related Articles

A Flying Season for Hyde Sails
With more to come in 2026 The 2025 Championship Season has been a busy one for the team at Hyde Sails, with major events up and down the UK, as well as spectacular results around the world.
Posted today at 9:30 am
New sequence for the Globe40
After crossing the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope yesterday evening After crossing the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope yesterday evening, passing not at the level of South Africa but at the southern limit of the course, the leading group of the 2nd edition of the GLOBE40 entered the new territory of the Indian Ocean.
Posted today at 8:12 am
Sun Hung Kai & Co Hong Kong Race Week 2026
Incorporating the 2026 29er Asian Championship Asia's No 1 dinghy regatta, presented by the the Sailing Federation of Hong Kong, China, and organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, returns to the southern waters of Hong Kong in January next year.
Posted today at 3:03 am
2025 Bermuda Gold Cup Day 1
Collisions and Comebacks An incident-packed first day at the 2025 Bermuda Gold Cup featured a collision in the first flight of the day before eight-time match racing world champion Ian Williams shot to the top of the leaderboard with Switzerland's Eric Monnin.
Posted today at 12:53 am
iQFOiL Youth & Junior Europeans 2025 day 3
Day three delivers high-speed racing and rising leaders in Sardinia Day three of the iQFOiL Youth & Junior European Championships brought a full schedule of racing to the sparkling waters off Club Nautico Arzachena in Sardinia.
Posted on 21 Oct
Tassie yachts take on the Vics in M2D Yacht Race
The AdvantEdge team is racing against the clock to repair a torn mainsail Tasmanian entrants AdvantEdge and Just Farr Love will be flying the flag for their home state in this year's Melbourne to Devonport 'Rudder Cup' Yacht Race.
Posted on 21 Oct
Transat Café L'or: Pam Lee has Class40 baptism
First skipper to have her own boat and her own project ready to race Ireland's Pam Lee has already made her own little bit of history as she lines up to start the Transat Café L'Or, the doublehanded race from Le Havre to Martinique.
Posted on 21 Oct
The passing of one of the greats of WA Sailing
Remembering Don Devine It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of PDSC Life Member and Past Commodore Don Devine on 11 October 2025.
Posted on 21 Oct
16ft & 13ft Skiff Port Jackson Championship
A surprise guest on Red Pumps Red! Zoe Dransfield thought her boyfriend was joking when he told her he might be able to secure one of the world's best sailors to fill in on Red Pumps Red for Saturday's Port Jackson Championships. And who could blame her?
Posted on 21 Oct
Pittwater Sail Expo This Weekend
Australia's Largest Sailing Boat Show Get ready to step aboard and set sail. The Pittwater Sail Expo 2025 is this weekend, from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 October at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC).
Posted on 21 Oct