Josh Cook and team take out 2010 Winter Match Racing Championships

by Matt Steven on 30 Aug 2010
The Winter Match Racing Programme sailors concluded their winter training on the weekend of the 28 and 29 August, with a Grade 5 match racing regatta held out of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club. The plan to do a round robin semis and final looked promising with 15 knots expected each day however this did not come to fruition.

The teams went out to do battle on Saturday morning with a shifty Northerly breeze. The wind slowly died and the race committee had to shift the course. While doing this the heavens opened with a downpour of torrential rain which caused the wind to completely die.

As a 10 knot Northeaster filled in racing continued until the round robin was completed. The points were close. Josh Cook and his team of Ollie Rolfe, Isaac Paterson and Hannah Corke were ahead of James McLean, Alex Paterson and Stuart Williams on count-back with 4 wins a piece close behind in third was Nick Thyne, Tom Rowland and Theo deJong.

Sunday dawned again with the promise of 15 knots, the sailors were excited with Semis and Finals planned. However the wind died a lot earlier than the day before and the chances of getting the full schedule completed was slim. The race committee got away one race. However this was not enough to decide a winner so the results in the round robin stood.

A big thank you to the umpires John Grace, Steve Macris, Phil McDowell and Dave Gautrey along with the volunteers on the start boat Roger Cook and Mike Francis who all braved the wet conditions.