Briefings – 3 December 2009

IN THIS ISSUE:

•   High Performance & International
•   Local Sailing
•   Admin, Safety & Training
•   Of Interest
•   What's On
•   Contact the Briefings Editor

LEAD STORY
 

All New Zealand podium at major Australian regatta

Josh Junior and his crew of Matthew Steven and Chris Jones, representing Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, have won the Musto International Youth Match Racing Championship in convincing style at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

William Tiller (RNZYS) finished second, and Scott Burling (RNZYS) placed third.

After leading the round robins in an enviable position, having lost only one race, Junior defeated fellow countryman Scott Burling in the semi finals with two straight wins.

Going into the grand final, Junior was match fit and on a winning streak. Race Officer Denis Thompson set the course in Sydney’s Rushcutters Bay taking advantage of the 9-11 knot westerly breeze.

In the first match Junior led Will Tiller from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron throughout the match. Junior was given a penalty for early entry, which he carried through the match undertaking his penalty turn just prior to crossing the finish line.
In Match Two Junior controlled the race from the pre-start manoeuvres to the top mark, leading Tiller throughout the match and taking the win by two boat lengths.

In what was the final match of the day, Junior again received a pre-start penalty, but he managed to wipe this off soon after the start by inflicting a penalty on Tiller. Displaying good racing tactics at the mark roundings, Junior shut out Tiller and sailed home by three boat lengths to clinch the Musto International Youth Match Racing Championship.

Commenting on his win, Junior said “This has been a great regatta for us – it’s our first win on Aussie soil and I am ecstatic. The regatta had a great mix of conditions that really suited us.”

“To have three New Zealand teams on the podium when the competition has been really close it’s truly fantastic,” concluded Junior.
This regatta concludes a month of competition in New Zealand and Australia for the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club team. They have competed in four regattas and bring home a 1, 5, 3, 1 scorecard to Wellington.

World Number One Adam Minoprio also made it through to the Semi Finals of the Australian Sunseeker Cup, where he was knocked out by Ben Ainslie. 

HIGH PERFORMANCE & INTERNATIONAL

Blue Water sailors win New Zealand Sailor of the Year

Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne, watch captains on Ericsson 4, the outstanding winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, have been jointly named Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year, at the 2009 Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards. 

Jackson and Bannatyne, two of the world’s most experienced and successful ocean racers, are now in an elite group of three, joining another New Zealander Mark Christensen as the only sailors to have won the famous round the world race three times. The VOR 08/09 was the tenth edition of the Round the World Race that started as the Whitbread in 1973 and has since become a very significant race for New Zealand sailors.   

Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne sailed on New Zealand Endeavour in the 1993-94 race winning the maxi class.  Then, in the 2001-02 race, Bannatyne, collected his second win in three races as a member of the illbruck crew. Jackson made it two as watch captain on the all conquering ABN AMRO ONE crew in the 2004/05 race. This latest win now means both Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne have three wins each, from five races. 

The Young Sailor of the Year title also went to joint winners: Sam Meech, for his victory in the Laser at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Brazil this July, and the combination of Bianca Barbarich-Bacher and Alex Maloney, who won the Women’s 420 World Championships earlier this year.
The Team New Zealand 2000 Trust was awarded the Presidents Award for its work in promoting and supporting the interests of yachting. 

Nearly sixty sailors and sailing teams were honoured at the Yachting Excellence Awards, held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on Friday 20 November and officiated by yachting broadcaster Peter Montgomery.

Thank you to Natalie Fox (Foxfotography) for the image.

More world champs splash down in Takapuna

The Splash single handed dinghy is a class that New Zealand excels in. In recognition, the 2010 World Splash Championships will soon be held at Takapuna on January 2-8, 2010. 

Takapuna Boating Club are the event organisers and Grant Cunningham is running a very tight ship at the helm backed up by a team of very competent organisers and volunteers. 

North Shore City Council have chipped in enormously for the event and currently we have expectations of over 70 sailors from 10 different countries for the regatta. 

Of particular note we have some very successful past sailors either already registered or hopefully soon to register.

The current World Splash Champion - Declan Burn from Queen Charlotte Yacht Club - is registered to defend his title as is Nienke Reina Jorna from the Netherlands to defend her world girls title. Also sailing are some extremely competent sailors including Philipine van Aanholt from The Dutch Antilles - 2008 World Girls Champion and runner-up in 2009, Ben Lutze - World Champion 2008, George Lane - 2nd runner-up 2008, Chris Steele - previous World Optimist Champion, and Etienne Le Pen from New Caledonia - previous European Optimist Champion. 

The 10 countries registered so far are New Zealand, Holland, Belgium, The Dutch Antilles, Germany, France(New Caledonia), China, The Czech Republic, American Samoa and Switzerland. Other countries that may register are Samoa, The Cook Islands and Korea. 
This will be a great international event for Takapuna so come along and see some of the best young sailors in the world fight it out in this regatta.

Youth Selection, Youth Squad and Youth Sailing meeting announcement

To be held at the big marquee, at the Sir Peter Blake Regatta, 5pm, Saturday 5th December.  

At the meeting Ian Neely will outline details on the selection trials and proposed plan for the Youth Squad and Youth Team training for the up-coming year.

The meeting will also outline plans to help maintain and develop the domestic base of Youth sailing.

Any sailors or parents interested in the 2010 Youth Squad and selection trials for the 2010 Youth Team or any future Youth sailing should attend this meeting. Any feedback and questions are welcome.

Sailors recognised at Massey University Harbour Sport Excellence Awards
 

The 17th Annual Massey University Harbour Sport Excellence Awards saw 420 Harbour sportspeople, Sporting Legends and their supporters in attendance on Friday 6th November at the Spencer on Byron Hotel, Takapuna.

The 2009 Regional Sport Excellence Awards organised by Harbour Sport celebrated outstanding sporting achievements of past and present Harbour people involved in sport. Harbour athletes, administrators, coaches, umpires, referees and volunteers are all instrumental to the success of sport in the region and the evening is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the winners and finalists of the 12 Excellence 
Award Categories together with 17 AUT sponsored Sport Acknowledgement Awards. Winners from yachting were:

• McDonalds Junior Sportsman of the Year - Sam Meech -Yachting
• Massey University Regional Team of the Year - Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk - Yachting
• Youthtown Junior Team of the Year - Alexandra Maloney and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher - Yachting
• Legends of Harbour Inductees - Ralph Roberts – Yachting

Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie, Finn Drummond, and Michael Bullot were also category finalists.

Congratulations to all. 
 

LOCAL SAILING

 

Quartet succeed at junior class trials
 

Trials for the North Harbour and Auckland Harbour Reps were run on the weekend of 28-29 November. Winners in each class, going through to the National Championships with their entry fees paid for by the Auckland Yachting and Boating Association, are:

• Auckland Tanner cup rep William Linkhorn from Kohimarama  Yacht Club
• Auckland Starling Match racing rep Sam Mackenzie from Kohimarama Yacht Club
• North Harbour Tanner Cup rep Erica Dawson from Murrays Bay Sailing Club
• North Harbour Staring Match Racing rep Logan Beck from Wakatere Boating Club

Note from Torbay Sailing Club on the Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta

"As of Tuesday 1st of December we have 320 registrations over 15 classes – we are on target to match or surpass previous years and retain this as the largest two day regatta in the country!

This year is going to be very special – as we have Lion NZ as a committee boat – Sir Peter Blake’s 78 foot Whitbread ocean race yacht. Click here to see a brief history of this illustrious yacht. She is a tangible link to Sir Peter and why we sail in this regatta to remember a great New Zealander. She will be an impressive sight on the course and chance to get up close and personal to a real NZ icon.

The weather forecast is looking good and we have fantastic sponsors in Toyota NZ, Albany Toyota and the North Shore City Council. If you haven’t done so by now register online at www.TorbaySailingClub.org.nz and get the $10.00 discount. We will close online registrations on Thursday evening. Late entries will be accepted at the club on Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning – but this makes our lives really hard – so get online and be part of largest 2 day regatta in the country.

Sailing Instructions (SI) were emailed to registered sailors last night along with instructions for lunches. They are also available from our web site. See you on the water to remember a great New Zealander."
 
Sail well 

Torbay Sailing Club

Updates from the 420 Association 
 

The New Zealand 420 Association is holding the National Championships and World team selection trials at Murrays Bay Sailing Club February 25-28.

The 420 Association is also introducing a separate restricted fleet for all comers and school 420s. This fleet will sail without trapeze or spinnakers and will serve as an introductory step to the open competition, in order to attract new sailors, parent /son /daughter type combinations and increase school participation.

Trophies in the restricted class will be awarded for the top school nationally and open age.

The regatta for this fleet will be run from 26-28 February.

For more information contact Craig Moss  crmoss@clear.net.nz  0274731218, or visit www.420sailing.org.nz
 

‘Turangi Worlds’ attract 30 entrants.
 

The OK Dinghy Turangi International Open, known traditionally as the “Turangi Worlds”, was held over 21 and 22 November at Turangi Yacht Club, Stump Bay, Lake Taupo.  This regatta has been running for over 10 years now and is one of the most popular events on the OK summer calendar.  With the 2010 Worlds now just over 2 months away, this year we had a record 30 entries all looking to stake a claim to a spot in the NZ team, as well as chasing the coveted Golden Trout. 

BMW Sailing Cup World Final to be held on our shores

Auckland will host the World Final of the BMW Sailing Cup in March 2010.

New Zealand won the right to host the event after the kiwi crew won the 2009 BMW Sailing Cup World Final in Italy, beating the Italian team, 3 - 2, in the finals of the best-of-5 match racing series which was contested in Bénéteau First Class 7.5 metre yachts. 

The BMW Sailing Cup is considered the most prestigious amateur international title for keelboat sailors. Amateur crews compete in national regattas in their home countries to progress to the World Finals. 
The inaugural event was raced in association with the last America’s Cup regatta in Valencia in 2007.

BMW Group New Zealand, Managing Director, Mark Gilbert said the opportunity to host the International World Final in Auckland was too good to miss.

“Being a predominantly European competition, we have had to work hard to bring this regatta to the southern hemisphere which in itself is an enormous win for New Zealand sailing,” said Mr Gilbert.

The BMW Sailing Cup World Final will take place from 21 to 24 March. It will be preceded by the BMW Auckland Regatta and the New Zealand BMW Sailing Cup which will be held earlier in the year, with the victorious kiwi crew representing New Zealand in the World Finals. The New Zealand crew will meet the winners of the national competitions held in Germany, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain and, for the first time, Hong Kong. This triplet of events is being jointly hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club.

World Champ Andrew May takes Access Class Nationals

From DAVID STALEY - Ten sailors with a disability competed in the Access Liberty Class Nationals between November 12 – 15 in Wellington.  The regatta was held in conjunction with the Paralympics New Zealand National Championships - the first time sailing has been included in this bi-annual event.

With 7 wins from 8 starts, Andrew May secured the championship with a comfortable margin to Tim Dempsey.  A very consistent Pascal Sigrist (Auckland) managed to edge out local favourite and event organiser Annabelle Tye, who struggled in Saturday’s stronger conditions, to take third spot.

This regatta demonstrated New Zealand’s depth of talent that has risen out of the nation’s burgeoning Sailability movement and become involved with the newly formed National Access Class Association.  May will be campaigning the International 2.4mR for the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition, and Dempsey and vision impaired crew Paulien Eitjes are hoping to be the first SKUD 18 team to qualify New Zealand for the Paralympics.  But behind them are a committed group of tenacious sailors honing their skills with a view to representing their country at International competitions.

The next National Championships for the New Zealand Access Class Association are expected to include the 2.3 and 303 classes and be held in early 2011.

Starling owners take note
 

The Glendowie Boating Club class has recently mailed out a rule change ballot to all registered Starling owners but a number of those registered no longer own Starlings or have changed address. Anyone interested in more information about the ballot can contact Richard Brown on starlingclass@gmail.com

Ahoy ye scurvy dogs! Warm-up for the tall ships

The Kerikeri Cruising Club invites classic boats to join the “Round the Islands Traditional Division” on January 2nd 2010 starting at 1200 from the Club start line. Traditional is defined as any construction, designed before 1960, and spinnakers are not used. Racing rules, including safety regulations are available on the websitewww.kerikericruisingclub.org.nz under sailing instructions and notices posted on the day.  They will also be available from the Club breakwater between 10.30am and 10.50am. This race is usually about 30 NM over 4-5 hours winding up back at the Clubhouse in Doves Bay for a socialised drink, race results and prize giving.  Great Spot prizes. For further information please call Katrina Upperton 09 407 7288. email: smcmanus@xtra.co.nz
 

SAFETY, ADMIN & TRAINING

New Race Official Appointments

Congratulations to the following people who have been announced as Race Officials. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, both to get to this point, and in the future:

• Antje Muller from Bay of Islands YC – appointed as a Club Race Office
• Margaret Harvey of Richmond YC – appointed as  Club Race Officer
• Glenda Jackson of Naval Point Club Lyttelton as Club Race Officer
• Bruce Jones of Worser Bay Boating Club – Club Umpire
• Rachael Clark of Queen Charlotte YC – Club Umpire

Yachting New Zealand 2010 Committees
 

The YNZ Board has approved the 2010 Committees. Changes to the committees are as follows:

New members
Cameron Thorpe – KORC Committee
Sara Roberts – KORC Committee
Stu Wilson – KORC Committee
Richard Brown – Junior Classes Committee
Adrian Mannering – Junior Classes Committee
Jim Maloney – High Performance Committee
Dave Mackay – Junior Classes Committee
Ian Neely - High Performance Committee (YNZ Representative)

Resigned members
Brian Peet – Junior Classes Committee
Ray Haslar – KORC Committee (Remains on the PHRF sub-Committee)
Barry Potter – Cruising and Powerboat Committee
Roger Tweddell – Junior Classes Committee

Click here for a full list of all committee members >

OF INTEREST

New SPARC service helps clubs be better run

SPARC and Yachting New Zealand are encouraging yacht clubs to take advantage of a new service that helps sport and recreation organisations to become better run. 

Using the same principles utilised by many top businesses, clubs using the Organisational Deveopment Tool (ODT) will sit down with a trained facilitator and answer questions about leadership, planning, customer (member) focus, how they deliver their sport, how they manage their staff and volunteers, and internal management of the sport. That information is then used to help your club create a cycle of preparation, assessment, reporting, development, and reviewing. 

One of the key benefits is that your club will receive a comprehensive ‘Warrant of Fitness’ assessment report that identifies areas where it can improve, and a facility that helps you to stay on track as you implement the changes. 

The SPARC Organisational Development Tool is mainly software based, and helps to develop successful and sustainable sport and recreational organisations. It identifies strengths and opportunities and provides direction and clarity as you work to improve. 

The service is usually free, and your organisation will be assessed to see if it’s suitable to use the tool. We recommend that you act soon - contact Andrew Clouston at Yachting New Zealand to find out more. 

WHAT’S ON