18 footers put on great spectacle at NZ nationals

by Dave Healy on 22 Dec 2008
Eight crews came together at the Auckland Sailing Club to compete for the NZ national title over two days of racing. Seven races were scheduled, with 5 required to constitute a series.

There was an excitement amongst the field as the NZ fleet has been going through a growth season, with a number of sailors in their rookie 18 footer season and every boat sailing with a new combination. One notable appearance was Dan Slater returning to 18 footers to helm Ssangyong, filling in for Scott Kennedy.

Day one greeted the sailors with a 4-8kt SW breeze and a very strong tide. Just one of the 4 schedule races was completed, with Davie Norris Boats (Chris Skinner) narrowly winning ahead of Fine Line Ropes (Phil Airey), and Ssangyong finishing third.

Day two was a different story with a 16-22kt Easterly against the strong outgoing tide. This made for a nasty sea state and some exciting viewing for the spectators. Also, given the 4 races required the sailors were in for a grueling day.

Race two saw Maersk (Graeme Catley) take the victory in a very close race, ahead of CT battens (Alex Vallings) and Davie Norris Boats.

Race three was being dominated by Davie Norris Boats until the final downwind leg when they cart-wheeled in the big chop, leaving Fine Line Ropes to take the win followed by Maersk and CT battens.

So with 2 races left in the afternoon just one point separated Fine Line Ropes, Maersk and Davie Norris Boats.

Race 4 was a close fought battle between Fine Line Ropes and Davie Norris Boats, with CT battens also in the mix until they lost their mast on the first downwind leg. In a painful repeat of race three, Chris Skinner steered his team to have the lead with just the final downwind leg to go. This time they ran into trouble when the kite fell down and trawled under the boat, again letting Fine Line Ropes cruise to the victory.

Phil Airey and his team continued their consistent form in the close field to grab the overall victory with a dominate win in race 5, followed by Davie Norris Boats and Maersk.

Overall Results (5 races with one drop):

1 Fineline Ropes 5pts
2 Davie Norris Boats 8pts
3 Maersk 10pts
4 SSangyong 14pts
5 CT Sailbattens 20pts
6 Rosemount Miller 22pts
7 Ella Bache 35pts
8 Stunt Academy 36pts