New Zealand Win Interdominion Team Sailing Championships at Algies Bay
by Kirsty Laws on 6 Oct 2010
Kerikeri vs Tauranga - Interdominion Schools Team Sailing Championships Kirsty Laws t.short@iconz.co.nz
New Zealand decisively won the three-day Interdominion School Team Sailing Championships from Australia at Algies Bay today.
The top three school teams each from Australia and New Zealand completed five round robins in a full three days of racing, in mostly light conditions. New Zealand dominated throughout the event, also winning the Trans-Tasman trophy for top country.
The Interdominion trophy for the top team went to Kerikeri High School (Dylan Wichman/Matthew Bindon, O'Shea Butler/Harris Bindon, Nathan Laurie/Andrea Hawtin, James Ayr, Oscar Reid), with Tauranga Boys College a close second. Kerikeri are also the 2010 Secondary School National Team Sailing Champions. The Kerikeri team were regular winners of both events for many years up to 2006, and after a period of redevelopment are obviously back to full strength.
St Kentigern College (NZ) were third. Top Australian team St Virgils/Guilford Young College (Hobart), who have been regular participants in the Interdominions, came out ahead of their compatriots St Joseph's College (from Port Lincoln, South Australia) and St Michael's College (Adelaide). The Australian teams found the unfamiliar boats and conditions a challenge, but will have their chance at revenge next year when the event is sailed in Australia, in Pacer yachts.
In the invitational Koru Knitwear New Zealand Girls Team Sailing, the lead changed several times throughout the regatta, between Nationals Girls Champions Napier Girls, and New Plymouth Girls. Napier were leading on Day 2 after four round robins. In the fifth round New Plymouth grabbed 5 wins and the lead, however the outcome depended on sailing the last race of the event, since the round robin had to be completed for the points to count. In a dying breeze just before the cutoff time of 5pm the last race was completed, and New Plymouth Girls won the event.
The New Zealand Team Sailing Association would like to thank Yachting Australia for sponsorship of umpires, Mahurangi Technical Institute and Koru Knitwear who sponsored the events, the Jane Gifford Society for providing the beautiful scow Jane Gifford, and Pub Charity who funded 24 sets of identical new sails, essential for the pooled matched sets of boats used in Team Sailing.
Link to photo gallery and full results available on www.nztsa.co.nz
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