Winners decided at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland

by Event media on 8 Feb 2009
Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Ashley won his division and winners emerged from amongst the eleven divisions at Sail Auckland, New Zealand’s premier regatta for dinghy sailors.

In the lighter airs of the final day of racing the all female crew of Chelsea Whitburn and Gabrielle Cross took the series in the 29er fleet over fellow Dunedin duo Dan Meehan and Deryck Edie.

No surprises in the 420 division with Logan Dunning-Beck and Ben Goodwin holding onto their lead and taking the win nine points clear of the all female crew of Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher. Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock drop to fourth place overall after James Turner and Marcus Hansen won the final race of the series to propel them into third place overall.

Just one change in the Splash class as 16-year old Noumea International Etienne Le Pen winning the final race and taking back his first overall in the regatta, which he held until day three, from Kiwi Michael Cate of Onerahi Yacht Club. James Little holds his third place spot and first female Laura Hemingway retains fourth place overall.

A formidable result from former Optimist World Champion Chris Steele in the Starling class who wins the series easily with an astonishing 9 wins out of 10 races. Scott Barnes representing Murrays Bay Sailing Club holds onto second place overall, seven points clear of third placed Grant Hamilton from the Sandspit Yacht Club.

Geoffrey Woolley and Mark Overington of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron were clear winners in the 470 fleet with a total of 18 points.

Second overall went to Paul Snow-Hanson and Jason Saunders and third place to the Malaysian Yachting Team of Matt Ali Razman & Ahmad Hakhimi who bumped out Olympian Jo Aleh and her crew of Olivia Powrie, who were pushed back to fourth overall after a disappointing seventh in today’s Medal race.

A fifth place in the Medal race was enough for Olympic Representative and National Champ Andrew Murdoch to emerge the clear winner of the highly competitive Laser Class. Murdoch lead from day one. Two Murrays Bay Boating Club sailors, Andy Maloney & Michael Bullot had a fantastic competitive regatta with Maloney securing second place overall after winning the final race this afternoon, leaving Bullot with third.

It was an extremely tight contest in the Laser Radial fleet with the top Malaysian International Mohd Romzi Mohamad narrowly holding onto fourth place in the medal race to win the division. His team mate Harithammy Nassution, who is also the first youth won the final race and secured second overall. The next two places both went to youth entrants Josh Porebski and Nicholas Croft.

In the Women’s Laser Radial fleet Belgium International Carolijn Brouwer took the series win, over Wellington sailor Cushla Hume-Merry and local Auckland sailor Sara Winther. The first female youth went to Sarah Toothill, who finished an impressive fourth overall in the fleet.

Noumea International Thomas Goyard never looked like losing the RS:X youth division with an impressive 13points overall, well ahead of fellow Noumea youth sailor Jonathon Blanquat. Third overall went to Hei man Chan, the female youth sailors from Hong Kong.

Kiwi Kate Ellingham held her lead over Finnish sailor Tuuli Petaja and Canadian Nikola Girke in the RS:X female board sailing.

It was an extremely close battle between RS:X board sailing rivals JP Tobin and Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Ashley. A nail-bitter for Ashley as Tobin won the final race and Ashley finished third, but leaving him enough of a lead to win the series overall by just two points. Antonio Cozzolino finished third overall on 44points, all three sailors represent the Takapuna Boating Club. .

The comradre and sportsmanship has been outstanding over all the classes and the past four days of highly competitive sailing at Singapore Airline Sail Auckland.
It has been a pleasure to watch all the racing!

The annual ISAF Grade One event is held over four racedays traditionally at the beginning of February, watch for this event next year!

Full results can be found online at www.sailauckland.org.nz

Results by division

29er
1. Chelsea Whitburn / Gabrielle Cross – MacAndrew Bay Boating Club – 14pts
2. Dan Meehan / Deryck Edie – Ravensbourne Yacht Club – 16pt
3. Tim Evans / Philip Evans – Kohimarama Yacht Club – 25pts

420
1. Logan Dunning-Beck / Ben Goodwin – Napier Sailing Club – 13pts
2. Alexandra Maloney / Bianca Barbarich-Bacher – Murrays Bay Sailing Club -22pts
3. James Turner / Marcus Hansen – Murrays Bay Sailing Club – 49pts

Splash
1. Etienne Le Pen – SRC Noumea – 21pts
2. Michael Cate – Onerahi Yacht Club – 22pts
3. James Little – Kohimarama Yacht Club – 32pts
4. Laura Hemingway (female) – Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club – 35pts

Starling
1. Chris Steele – Wakatere Boating Club – 9pts
2. Scott Barnes – Murrays Bay Sailing Club – 21pts
3. Grant Hamilton – Sandspit Yacht Club – 28pts
4. Geyongjin Lee (female) – Korea Sailing – 56pts

Laser Radial Men & Youth
1. Mohd Romzi Mohamad – Malaysian Yachting Association – 62pts
2. Harithammy Nassution (1st Youth) - Malaysian Yachting Association – 67pts
3. Nicolas Croft (Youth) – Murrays Bay Sailing Club – 68pts
4. Josh Porebki (Youth) – Worser Bay Boating Club – 68pts

Laser Radial Women & Youth
1. Carolijn Brouwer – Belgium – 71pts
2. Cushla Hume-Merry – Evans Bay Boating Club – 88pts
3. Sara Winther – Takapuna Boating Club – 90pts
5. Sarah Tootill (1st Youth) – Bucklands Beach Yacht Club – 202pts

Laser Full
1. Andrew Murdoch – KeriKeri Cruising Club – 38pts
2. Andy Maloney – Murrays Bay Boating Club – 57pts
3. Michael Bullot - Murrays Bay Boating Club – 59pts

RS:X Men
1. Tom Ashley – Takapuna Boating Club – 16pts
2. JP Tobin – Takapuna Boating Club – 18pts
3. Antonio Cozzolino - Takapuna Boating Club – 44pts

RS:X Youth
1. Thomas Goyard (Youth) – Noumea – 13pts
2. Jonathon Blanquart (Youth) – Noumea – 47pts
3. Hei man Chan (Female Youth) – Hong Kong – 53pts

RS:X Women
1. Kate Ellingham – Takapuna Boating Club – 28pts
2. Tuuli Petaja – Finland – 35pts
3. Nikola Girke – Royal Vancouver Yacht Club – 41pts

470
1. Geoffrey Woolley & Mark Overington – RNZYS – 18pts
2. Paul Snow-Hansen & Jason Saunders – Wakatere Boating Club – 31pts
3. Matt Ali Razman & Ahmad Hakhimi – Malaysian Yachting Association – 42pts
4. Jo Aleh & Olivia Powrie – Takapuna Boating Club – 44pts