Tsunami doesn't deter sailors in final of 2010 BMW Auckland Regatta
by Ivor Wilkins on 28 Feb 2010
Sister Moonshine racing in the Young 88 class on the Day 3, BMW Auckland Regatta Ivor Wilkins/Offshore Images
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The final day of the BMW Auckland Regatta saw some tight battles around a picturesque Hauraki Gulf course today as the front-runners battled to confirm their positions while those still in contention sought to unseat them.
In two divisions, the outcome was already sealed and the leaders knew they had done enough in the first two days of racing to ensure they could not be dislodged. These were Higher Ground (Brian Trubovich) in B Division and Azure (Phil Douglas) in C Division.
With their places secure, they may have opted to stay ashore to relax and celebrate their victories. But they went out anyway and were rewarded with a champagne day of racing in perfect conditions.
In the face of tsunami warnings following the devastating earthquake in Chile, the start of racing was delayed for an hour, but in the event there was no further impact on the competition.
While the winners in Divisions B and C were already known, some extremely tight battles had to be settled in the final race in other divisions. In Division A, it was all on between Power Play (Ian McBurney) and BMW Yachtsport (Mark Brown), with just 3pts between them.
The two raced literally within touching distance for long periods of today’s race, but in the end Power Play did enough to ensure overall victory.
The tightest battle was in the Open Multihull Division, where the top three boats, Taeping (Dave Andrews), Exodus (Matthew Flynn) and Timberwolf (Tim Willetts) were all tied up on 13pts each, with Taeping clinching the overall win after the last race.
A similar situation existed in Division E, where Gladiator (Jeremy Scott) and Tiaoga Iti (Craig Anderson) were tied on 13 pts each, with Candela (James Duke) just half a point further back. Tiaoga Iti came through in the end to top their leaderboard.
After the completion of the nine-race schedule, the top three places in the various divisions are as follows (based on provisional results in PHRF for Divisions A-E and General Handicap for the multihulls and Line Honours for the Young 88s):
A Div: Power Play (Ian McBurney), Bullrush (Ant Robinson), BMW Yachtsport (Mark Brown)
B Div: Higher Ground (Brian Trubovich), Pacific Sundance (Bernard Hide), Notorious (Christiaan Arns)
C Div: Azure (Phil Douglas), First By Farr (Andrew Reid), Max Headroom (Phil Yuil/Ross Ardern)
D Div: Cool Change (Gary Kirkland-Smith), Cadibarra 6 (Stephen Davies), Grunty Chicken (Grant McKinnon)
E Div: Tiago Iti (Craig Anderson), Candela (James Duke), Gladiator (Jeremy Scott)
Open multihull: Taeping (Dave Andrews), Timberwolf (Tim Willetts, Exodus (Matthew Flynn)
8.5m multihull: Lucifer (Laurie Jury), Creepy Crawler (Ryan Taylor), Attitude (Shane Bellingham)
Y88: Dangerzone (Grant Turnbull), Slipstream (Phil Robertson/Don Greenaway), Panama Jack (Stefan Goldwater)
For full results, please see the event website: www.bmwaucklandregatta.co.nz
Divisional winners from the BMW Auckland Regatta advance to the BMW Sailing Cup. This will see competitors sailing off in identical Farr MRX yachts for the honour of representing New Zealand in the BMW Sailing Cup World Final – to be held in Auckland from March 22 - 25.
New Zealand is the defending champion after Roger Pagani and his crew won the 2009 event at Lake Garda, Italy. This year’s representative will go up against top amateur teams from around the world to do battle for the 2010 world title.
The BMW Auckland Regatta is followed by the Auckland Festival of Sailing which comprises a series of on and off the water events including the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta, the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland, the BMW Sailing Cup World Final and the Auckland International Boat Show.
Along with BMW, the Principal Partner, BMW Auckland Regatta thanks the following sponsors for their generosity and support with the event:
Key sponsors: KPMG, Auckland City Council, Manukau City Council
Official Clothing Supplier: Musto
Divisional sponsors: OKI, Yanmar – Whiting Power Systems, North Sails, Mount Gay Rum, BSP Design
Support sponsors: Yachting New Zealand, Southern Cross Healthcare, Wind Warrior Yachts
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