Buchanan leads Tauranga Cup after Day 1

by Sutter Schumacher on 13 Jan 2010
When the Naval Point race committee began the starting sequence for the first race of the 2010 P Class National Championships today on Lyttelton Harbour, many eyes were on the 2010 Tanner Cup alums to go to the head of the class, or at least to the front of the fleet.

However it was local sailor Jayvee Buchanan – not one of the competitors from the just-completed Tanner Cup – who got out in front of the first race, lead at the first mark rounding, and rarely looked back. With five points to his name after Day 1, Buchanan now sits at the top of the leader board for the Davie Norris Boatbuilders 2010 Tauranga Cup, as the P nationals are formally known this year.

Admittedly, Buchanan is one of New Zealand's top youth dinghy sailors, and therefore no sleeper of an entry. The 14-year-old Chateris Bay sailor has competed on the international Optimist circuit and currently holds both the North and South Island Opti titles. And with a brand-new P Class hull built for him just months ago by a boat builder down the road from his home yacht club, it'd be surprising if he weren't near the top of the fleet.

That said, with three races and one day down at the Tauranga Cup – and all racers allowed to drop their two worst scores after the 10th race – it's still anyone's game. Although Buchanan and second-place (and Tanner Cup runner-up) Keith Inglis of Taupo YC, have a solid lead on the rest of the fleet, it's still too soon to put the smart money on anyone.

Certainly there are plenty of kids who are counting on that to be the case. Take, for example, Erica Dawson, who would love little more than to be the first female to win both the Tanner and Tauranga Cups, ever, let alone in the same year. She's currently sitting in third, but if she can use her seventh place finish today as a drop-race and keep the good boat-handling flowing, she's got a solid chance of making that dream reality.

And don't forget any of the 53 other P class sailors out on Lyttelton Harbour this week. They've all come to have a good time on and off the water. But they've also come to give the Tauranga Cup everything they've got. Based on today's racing, they're all well on their way.

Watch this space. Racing continues Thursday, Friday, and Saturday out of Naval Point Club Lyttelton.

Event: Davie Norris Boatbuilders 2010 Tauranga Cup for the National P Class Championship
Venue: Naval Point Club Lyttelton, Lyttelton Harbour
Race Date: 13 January 2010
Number of entries: 55

Provisional overall standings (top 10) after 3 races:

1) Jayvee Buchanan, Charteris Bay Yacht Club, 5 points
2) Keith Inglis, Taupo Yacht Club, 6 points
3) Erica Dawson, Murrays Bay Boating Club, 12 points
4) William Linkhorn, Kohimarama, 13 points
5) Trent Rippey, Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club, 16 points
6) Olivia Mackay, Napier Sailing Club, 17 points
7) Charlotte Corston, Charteris Bay Yacht Club, 24 points
8) Daniel Wylie, Waimakariri Sailing and Power Boat Club, 27 points
9) Taylor Burn, Queen Charlotte Yacht Club, 31 points
10) Isaac McHardie, Waikato Thames Valley, 32 points

Complete results on Naval Point Club Lyttelton's website: http://www.navalpoint.co.nz/2008-optimist-national-championships/Tauranga%20Day%201.pdf/view