Top international crew win 2010 NZ Flying Fifteen Championship

by Sandra Williams on 2 Feb 2010
Aaron Goodmanson and Alister Rowlands from Charteris Bay Yacht Club sailing ‘Ffortune' confirmed their status as New Zealand's Top Flying Fifteen sailors by easily winning the 11 race Schneider Electric Flying Fifteen Nationals sailed on Lyttelton Harbour at the weekend.

The 12 boat fleet included 6 of the New Zealand team who competed at the Melbourne Worlds last season, but the 20 knot NE winds suited the local boys and they showed with a good win in race one how they are able to make the international fleet look slow in these conditions.

Good tactics and crew work kept Fortune clear despite determined sailing from Brett Willcock and Dave Pearson also from Charteris Bay in ‘Ffoto Finish' and Aucklanders Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess in ‘Ffrentic'. These two crewed ranked 12th and 8th in the World could make little impression and it was not until race 7 in a dying breeze that Ffortune was finally beaten.

Defending champions John Leydon and Sandra Williams from Nelson, having their first regatta in new boat ‘Fflypast', got ahead in a wind shift on the first beat and opened up a good lead before having to cover Ffortune closely all the way to the finish line.

A change to cool southerlies on the last day brought flatter water in the harbour and Ffrentic won the first two races from Ffortune and then from Craig Coulam and Adrienne Rekke in ‘Blowfish'.

Ffortune sailed the last two races with an experimental mainsail being trialled by the class worldwide, and won the last two races from Frenetic.

The new sail is a suggestion to modernise the sail plan and has a shorter foot and larger roach. It seemed to do the job in the shifty gusty conditions and Goodmanson said it looked to have potential.

Final National Chmapionship places were

1. Ffortune, Aaron Goodmanson and Alister Rowlands, CBYC

2. Ffrenetic, Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess, RAYC

3. Ffoto Finish, Brett Willcock and David Pearson, CBYC

4. Blowfish (Leatham Edmond Memorial Trophey for first mixed crew), Craig Coulam and Adriene Rekke, RAYC

First Silver Fleet - Sally Garret and Neil Easton, Iff 3087, RAYC

First Classic Fleet- Neil Edmond and Nigel Soper, Icefflower 2775, CBYC

Improvers Trophy - Grant Rutledge and Craig Sheppard, Just Magic, Motueka YC.

The contest was well run by a combined Charteris Bay Yacht Club and Naval Point Club race management team and the crews were hosted by a very capable and organised Charteris Bay Yacht Club.

Full Results can be found at http://www.navalpoint.co.nz/results/ff290110.htm