Interdominion Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships underway

by Kirsty Laws on 5 Oct 2010
Algies Bay turned on a variety of conditions today for Day 2 of the annual Interdominion Team Sailing Championships.

The top three schools from Australia and New Zealand are competing for the Trans-Tasman trophy (winning country) and InterDominion trophy (winning school). The day started slowly with racing delayed till midday waiting for wind. The breeze then built steadily through the afternoon to 10-12 knots by the end of racing.

New Zealand are represented by Kerikeri High School, Tauranga Boys College and St Kentigern College. St Virgil's College/Guilford Young College (Hobart), St Michael's College (Adelaide) and St Joseph's College (Port Lincoln) are sailing for Australia.

This year for the first time there is also an invitational girls' event, the Koru Knitwear Girls' School Team Sailing Championships, running concurrently with the Interdominion. Teams competing are Moreton Bay College (Brisbane), Walford Anglican School for Girls (Adelaide), New Plymouth Girls High School (NZ), Napier Girls High School (NZ), Nelson College for Girls (NZ) and Westlake Girls High School (NZ).

After four round robins the New Zealand teams are firmly in control of both events, with long-time rivals Kerikeri and Tauranga fighting it out for the lead. The Australian teams, accustomed to racing smaller Pacer yachts back home, are having to adapt to the 420 yachts used in NZ and to the local conditions.

Napier Girls (girls' champions from the NZ Secondary School Nationals) are neck and neck with New Plymouth Girls in the girls' event.

The New Zealand Team Sailing Association are very grateful for the assistance of Yachting Australia in sponsoring two qualified Team Sailing umpires, Nev Willis and Rob Armstrong, to attend the event, and to Nev and Rob for offering their time and expertise, without which the event would not be happening.

We would also like to thank the Jane Gifford Society for providing the restored historic scow Jane Gifford for the event.

Running commentary, photo gallery link and full results available on www.nztsa.co.nz