Burn wins 2010 Starling Match Race Nationals

by Sutter Schumacher on 11 Jan 2010
Declan Burn, sailing for Marlborough, won the Davie Norris Boatbuilders 2010 Starling Match Race National Championship on Monday, beating Bay of Plenty's Luke Stevenson 3-1 in a best-of-five match final sailed out of Naval Point Club Lyttelton.

Burn and Stevenson each finished the round-robin with 7-2 records to advance to the semi-finals. Burn defeated North Harbour's Logan Dunning Beck 2-1 in the semis to earn his place in the final round. Stevenson beat Peter Sise of Otago 2-0 to advance.

In the final, Burn won the first two matches, maintaining his composure while Stevenson fought through a couple of capsizes during a passing southerly squall. In the third match, as the post-squall wind died and Stevenson built a solid lead, Burn attempted to reel Stevenson in by initiating a tacking duel. Stevenson took the bait but, in the end, the tactic failed and Stevenson opened up his lead even further. The match proved to be his only victory in the finals.

Down 2-1 going into the fourth match of the finals and not ready to give up without a fight, Stevenson gave Burn a taste of his own medicine, initiating a jibing duel half-way down the final run. Although he did manage to close the gap between himself and Burn, he was unable to seal the deal and complete his penalty turn – assessed by the umpires for a Rule 42 infraction earlier in the race – before Burn crossed the finish line.

Monday's victory caps off a week of excellent sailing for 17-year-old Burn, who finished second at the Splash Worlds in Auckland on Friday. Next up for Burn and the other Starling match racers is the Davie Norris Boatbuilders Starling Nationals – a 4-day, 12-race, fleet race regatta to determine the class's New Zealand champion. Although Burn is a strong contender, he'll have his work cut out for him if he is to win a third-consecutive podium finish within two weeks; he's up against nearly 90 competitors from around the country. Racing begins Wednesday on Lyttelton Harbour.

ROUND-ROBIN (9 flights completed)
Luke Stevenson, Bay of Plenty, 7 wins - 2 losses
Declan Burn, Marlborough, 7-2
Logan Dunning Beck, North Harbour, 7-2
Peter Sise, Otago, 6-3
Sam McKenzie, Auckland, 5-4
Carey Shelly, South Canterbury, 4-5
Adam Middleton, Wellington, 3-6
Ollie Steiner, Hawkes Bay, 2-7
Gareth Moore, Canterbury, 2-7
Alice Noyer, Northland, 2-7

SEMI-FINALS (best of 3 races):
Luke Stevenson (Bay of Plenty) def. Peter Sise (Otago), 2-0
Declan Burn (Marlborough) def. Logan Dunning Beck (North Harbour), 2-1

FINAL (best of 5):
Declan Burn (Marlborough) def. Luke Stevenson (Bay of Plenty), 3-1