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Briefings – 9 March 2011
In this issue:
YNZ News
Quake Update
 If
the start of the Canterbury sailing season was disrupted by the
September 4 quake, the end of the season has been, not surprisingly,
worse affected in the aftermath of February’s devastating disaster which
sees the local Club’s doing what they can to offer some normality to
members.
The team at Yachting New Zealand
wishes to express to Canterbury residents, and fellow yachties and
boaties in the region that our thoughts remain with you at this
extremely challenging time.
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
escaped major damage to the despite the collapse of the bank behind the
Clubhouse, but proximity to the quake’s epicentre means that Club
members have suffered, and with the Lyttelton Tunnel closed to the
public the port community is isolated, and while racing is back on
attendance is down.
YNZ’s Regional Support Officer Kate Spackman reports on the yacht clubs in the region…
Waimakariri Sailing & Powerboat Club:
Sailing is possible on the Waimakariri River, but not in the Brooklands
Lagoon as the water quality is not good. Their race programme for the
rest of the season has not been changed.
Stewarts Gulley Yacht Club: Located further up the Waimakariri River, they are still sailing at this Club.
Estuary Clubs… “All sailing on
the estuary and the Waimak River is on hold until the water quality
improves,” explains Kate. “I would say the estuary could be out of
action for a long time as there are so many broken sewerage pipes in
East Christchurch.”
Mount Pleasant Yacht Club: Has postponed all sailing until the water quality improves.
Christchurch Yacht Club:
Sailing won’t be resumed before water quality improves and the
Commodore Nick Richardson adds that with Christchurch residents and Club
members experiencing extreme hardship racing is unlikely to resume this
season as a mark of respect. Read a report from Nick published on Sail-World here.
Pleasant Point Yacht Club:
The clubhouse was destroyed in the September quake (pictured above) and
the club now faces the decision whether to rebuild on the site again or
relocate. The present site has sunk and is now flooding at a 2.4metre
high tide.
Naval Point Club Lyttelton:
Has changed their racing programme – the President Cup, the South
Island Champs for the Young 88, the Trailer Yachts and the Noelex 22 on
the 9th-10th April. Access to Lyttelton is via Dyers Pass Rd as the
Lyttelton Tunnel has limited access.
Charteris Bay Boating Club: The Club is re-commencing sailing and coaching on 14th March.
Kate is trying to establish whether any Pigeon Bay Boating Club members have been over to the club to check on damage. And she reports that the Akaroa Clubs are okay.
The New Zealand Government
has launched an appeal to help the people of Christchurch and the
Canterbury region during this time of great need. You can help make a
difference by donating to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. Click here to make a donation now.
The donations will be used to help the communities, families and people of Christchurch and the Canterbury region.
Dates for your diary
 Due
to the Rugby World Cup (which does not finish until 23rd October) and
the Perth ISAF Worlds in early December, it has been decided to change a
number of important dates as follows;
The Commodores Conference will be postponed until 2012.
The 2011 Excellence Awards will be earlier this year on Friday 28th October.
The 57th Annual General Meeting will now take place on Saturday 29th October.
Further information will be available on the www.yachtingnz.org.nz and in Briefings in the lead up to these events.
Sailors with Disabilities Support and Development Officer Position
Yachting New Zealand is looking
to appoint a Support and Development Officer for Sailors with
Disabilities.
The main purpose of this role is
to increase participation of people with disability in sailing, through
supporting activities and working with groups such as Sailability and
Blind Sailing, to attract people with disabilities in to sailing for
sport and recreation.
A job description is available from the Situations vacant page of our website.
A sailing background would be
very beneficial but experience in sport administration and development
along with an empathy and knowledge of working with people with
disability would be pre requisite.
Applications by email should go to dianne@yachtingnz.org.nz
or by post to Att: Dianne Logan, Yachting New Zealand, Box 91209,
Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142. Any queries can be directed to
Andrew Clouston at andrew@yachtingnz.org.nz or (09) 361 4021.
Applications close on March 25th, 2011.
Jan Dawson to Join Air New Zealand Board
YNZ President, Jan Dawson,
currently the chair and chief executive of KPMG, will join the board of
Air New Zealand on 1 April.
Ms Dawson has more than 30 years
experience as a lead audit partner with many of New Zealand’s major
companies as well as experience in the UK and Canada.
She has more recently been a
regional board member of KPMG Asia Pacific, a board member of KPMG
Australia and a councillor of KPMG International.
Jan is also chair of Yachting
New Zealand and deputy chair of Counties – Manukau District Health board
amongst a number of community involvements.
In welcoming Jan’s appointment,
Air New Zealand Chairman John Palmer said it was great to be able to
attract one of the country’s outstanding financial professionals to
continue the board renewal process.
“Jan will be a huge asset to the
Air New Zealand Board, just as she is to Yachting New Zealand,” says
David Abercrombie, Chief Executive. “The team here at YNZ congratulates
here and wishes her well in her new position.”
High Performance & International
YNZ announces team for 2011 Olympic Test Event
 Yachting
New Zealand’s appointed selectors have met to decide the New Zealand
Team of sailors to compete at the Olympic Test Event Regatta in Weymouth
from 1st – 14th August 2011.
Representatives have been
announced in seven of the ten Olympic classes with announcements in the
remaining three classes to be made following June’s Sail for Gold
Regatta, also on in Weymouth.
They have selected the following sailors in their respective classes...
Laser: Andrew Murdoch
Laser Radial: Sara Winther
Women’s 470: Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie
Men’s 470: Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders (pictured left)
Star: Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk
Finn: Dan Slater
49er: Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
Announcements regarding
selection in the Women’s Match Racing, Men’s RS:X and Women’s RS:X
events will be made after the 2011 Sail for Gold Regatta which runs from
6th – 11th June 2011.
The YNZ Selectors will continue
to monitor sailor performance in the on-going process towards selecting
the 2012 Olympic Sailing Team. Places for next year are undecided with
the earliest possible selections being made after the 2011 ISAF Sailing
World Championship with others decided in the months leading up to the
Games.
The Olympic Test Event,
otherwise known as the ‘Pre-Olympics’ is staged at the same time and
venue as next year’s ‘real deal’ Olympic Games Regatta giving organisers
and national teams an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations.
Other major Olympic class
regattas including the ISAF Sailing World Cup Series events and the 2011
ISAF Sailing World Championships on in Perth late this year all allow
for multiple entries from one country in each event. In contrast the
Olympic Test Event – like the Olympic Games – allows only one entry per
country in each of the ten events.
“The Olympic Test Event is our
chance for a full ‘dress rehearsal’ before next year’s Olympics,”
explains YNZ Olympic Programme Manager Jez Fanstone. “Our aim is to be
the best prepared we can be come August 2012, and this event is an
important part of that process.”
“It’s about knowledge gathering,
the opportunity to work together as a team and to fine-tune things as
we work towards Weymouth 2012. We’ll be testing our people and plans
both on the water and off the water.”
Between now and August these
sailors and other members of the NZL Sailing Team will be competing at
various ISAF Sailing World Cup Series Regattas including Princess Sofia
Regatta in Palma (2-9 April), French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres
(22-29 April), Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik (24-29 May), Skandia
Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth (5-11 June) and Kiel Week in Germany
(18-22 June).
Another major mark on the 2011
calendar for our Olympic campaigners is the ISAF Sailing World
Championships on from 3 – 18 December in Perth bringing together all ten
Olympic Class World Championship events (each staged separately in
other years) in what will potentially be the largest gathering of
Olympic class sailors ever. The December event is significant on the
road to the Olympic Games as 75% of national qualification is allocated
on performance at this regatta.
Perth 2011 Set To Break Records with International Sailing Talent
 The
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has so far received 661 entries
from 72 nations for the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth
this year.At the closing date for priority places on 28 February, a
total of 941 sailors were registered to make the trip to Perth in
December.
Alastair Fox, ISAF Events
Manager said, “The ISAF Sailing World Championships is a key event in
world sailing and second only to the Olympic Sailing Competition.
“To have so many sailors entered
already is excellent news for Perth 2011 and we expect many more to
enter as we prepare for the championships.”
Perth 2011 Event Director, John
Longley added, “It is a pleasing number of first round entries and we
are right on track to reach our expected number of 1,400 athletes and
850 boats from at least 80 nations.”
Cadiz (ESP) hosted the inaugural
championships in 2003 with 71 nations represented. In 2007 Cascais
(POR) welcomed 76 nations. And Perth are well on track to break the
nations record having already received applications from 72 nations.
The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing
World Championships, taking place from 3 to 18 December 2011, will bring
together past and future Champions as titles are decided in the ten
Olympic sailing events.
The regatta is one of the great
events in the world sailing calendar. It is a key qualifying event for
sailors aspiring to represent their country at the 2012 London Olympic
Games, as 75% of the national Olympic places will be decided in Perth.
Seven of the 72 nations entered
so far are newcomers to the ISAF Sailing World Championships. ISAF and
Perth 2011 are pleased to welcome the Cook Islands, who are sending
entries in the Laser and Laser Radial.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Montenegro and Trinidad and Tobago are each sending one entry into the
Laser class. St Lucia will have a representative in the Laser Radial and
Palestine has entrants in the Men’s RS:X and Men’s 470.
Out of the ten events, the Laser
has the most entries with 113, followed by the Laser Radial with 92 and
Men’s RS:X on 75.
MNAs can still earn more places
based on the 2011 ISAF World Rankings and also through the ISAF
Qualification Commission.
Star crew at Bacardi Cup
 NZL
Sailing Team Star crew – Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk – are sailing on
Miami’s Biscayne Bay this week competing at the Bacardi Cup Regatta as
part of the Miami Sailing Week 2011.
This is an important event in
the Star class as the countdown is now on to the 2012 Olympic Games and a
world class fleet will challenge the kiwi crew.
Among the elite field is Mark
Reynolds (San Diego, Calif.), often referred to as the “Star of the Star
Class,” who has a resumé that includes two world championship titles
(1995, 2000) and three Olympic medals (1992 Gold,1988 Silver, 2000 Gold)
in arguably the most competitive one-design class in the world.
Additional Olympians in the
fleet include Mateusz Kusznierewicz of Poland, who won Olympic gold and
bronze in the Finn class (1996 and 2004) before switching to the Star
for the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he finished fourth; New Zealand’s
three-time Olympian (1996, 2004, 2008) Hamish Pepper; and Ireland’s 2008
Olympian Peter O’Leary.
“There are about 15 different
sailors that could win,” said Rick Merriman (New York, N.Y.), the 2010
Bacardi Cup titleholder, who will race with 2008 Olympian Austin Sperry
(Gulfport, Miss.). “Mateusz won the World Championships here in 2008,
Freddy Loof (SWE) just finished second at last month’s Rolex Miami OCR
and Peter O'Leary won Weymouth Sail for Gold this past summer. Plus
past BACARDI Cup winners Hamish Pepper (NZL) and Peter Bromby (BER). I
just barely touched the list of contenders! It will be another tough
regatta.”
2011 Slalom Windsurfing
 The
2011 IFCA Slalom Ocean Championships and the Windsurfing NZ Slalom
National Championships were on in Dunedin between 16th and 20th February
2011.
Dunedin's Gareth Wood held a
clear six-point advantage over James Dinnis (Taranaki) and Rowan Law
(Perth), to claim the national title, but as Wood was not racing the
Formula 42 board, he did not qualify for the Oceania title. That title
went to Law, the visiting Australian, from Paul Vliestra (Dunedin),
second, and Terry Beentjes (Christchurch), third.
In the women's event, Annie
Crombie (Christchurch) and Sue Bradley (Queenstown) were tied on 16.75
points each at the finish of competition on Thursday and the titles were
decided by count back, and neither could be separated until Crombie's
final ride on Thursday was taken into account, where she gained a .07
advantage over Bradley, and won her fourth national windsurfing slalom
title. Bradley however was the Oceanic Women's winner.
Lawrence Carey (Auckland) at
just 16 years of age, won a highly competitive under-20 section, holding
out Dan Meechan (Dunedin, 19), who finished second and Tom McGregor
(Christchurch, 15) and Harry Reed (Auckland, 19), who tied for third.
See http://www.windsurfingnz.org/ for more windsurfing news.
NZL Blind Sailing off to Perth
 The
NZL Blind Sailing Team is set to open their 2012 international campaign
travelling to Perth this month where Royal Perth Yacht Club is hosting
the IFDS Disabled Sailing International Championship, 2011, Homerus
Blind Match Racing from March 19 to 26 this year.
The kiwi team, which includes
Russel Lowry (B1) helm, Paulien Eitjes (B2) Mainsheet/tactician and Tom
Donaghy, with Gary Smith along as coach, will be one of seven teams from
five nations to compete on the Swan River a couple of weeks from now.
As a helmsperson, New Zealand’s
Paulien Eitjes has won Homerus International Match Racing Championships
in 2007 and 2008, and claimed the B2 division of the 2009 IFDS Blind
Sailing World Championships in Rotorua. She is moving to the mainsheet
for the 2011 Match Racing Worlds with Russell Lowry on the helm and Tom
Donaghy on headsail.
The IFDS Blind Match Racing
Championship will be sailed in Sonar keelboats using the Homerus
Autonomous Sailing system. Three acoustic buoys, each with a unique
signal, define the course and boats have their own sound signal that
changes when on port or starboard tack.
A crew of three sailors
classified as B1, B2 or B3 under the IBSA Classification System will
make-up teams with a collective maximum of 5 IBSA points. The
helmsperson must be classification B1 and the gender is mixed, with a
minimum of one female and one male team member.
Reflections from Andy Meiklejohn on Hugo Boss
 Andy Meiklejohn,
on board Hugo Boss, is the only kiwi competing in the Barcelona World
Race on now in which 14 boats are racing two-handed around the globe.
Currently approaching Cape Horn, Hugo Boss is lying eighth in the fleet.
It was by coincidence that
Meiklejohn, aboard Hugo Boss found himself sailing through home waters
at the same time that Christchurch was struck by the Tuesday quake
rocking New Zealand as a nation and causing the kiwi sailor to reflect
on the situation.
This is his account written on 23rd February...
“As I sit here on Hugo Boss as
we sail through the Cook Strait, I can only think how good it is to be
sailing past home. The scenery of the upper South island is amazingly
rugged and desolate but incredibly beautiful.”
“We have had a tough time of the
last 7 weeks with several issues forcing us to be slower than optimal,
this was also after a very light exit to the Med, conditions that the
heaviest boat in the fleet definitely did not like.
“Wouter and myself have managed
to pull together our resources, our common strength and the belief and
with the support of Alex and our shore team to keep the yacht in the
race, and here we are just 400 miles behind 4th place and the battle
begins again.
“Our troubles however are
insignificant compared to the disaster that has just hit the
Christchurch region of New Zealand. This is an area with incredible
pride and emotional toughness. They boast an unrivaled sporting success
through their Cricket teams, netball teams and the All-conquering
Crusaders rugby outfit who have dominated southern hemisphere rugby for
the last 15 years.”
Keep reading here.
Local Sailing
Akatea home in Round North Island
Closing in on Auckland, those ‘still standing’ in the SSANZ Round North Island Two-Handed Race will no doubt have a look of relief as they cross the finish.
Brand-new Cookson 50 Akatea,
sailed by Pete Geary and Rodney Keenan, stole a march on the rest of the
fleet in the final leg, crossing the finish line in Auckland at 2.21am
this morning, while the rest of the fleet languishes in light airs on
the other side of the Coromandel. Akatea has now won all four legs of
the race on line, and looks certain to also win on PHRF handicap.
The light wind departure from
Auckland of the 36 boat Round North Island two-handed race fleet didn’t
give much indication of what was to come, and leg two of the
short-handed race quickly turned into a battle of attrition.
Between Mongonui and Wellington a
good percentage of the fleet withdrew from the race with reports of
damage to both boat and crew seemingly flooding in, as the yachts
battled their way into strong headwinds and rough seas. Gales in
Wellington delayed the departure of the remaining fleet bound for
Napier, with the leading yachts then breaking 24hours elapsed time to
Napier.
As they set off participants
were predicted to be arriving back to Auckland within two weeks, as it
turns out it will be closer to three, and given the circumstances that
have played out the stories will continue to be told long after that.
See SSANZ for news, images, reports and video from the race.
BMW Auckland Regatta
 Now
in its fourth year the popular BMW Auckland Regatta offers highly
competitive racing at home for the Auckland yacht racing fraternity
whether you are on board a modern keelboat, a classic yacht, a multi or a
sports boat, and 2011 will be no exception in that regard. More than 80
boats are expected to hit the water between 18th and 20th March for
three days of racing including windward/leeward racing and harbour
courses.
Entries close this Friday – the 11th with every entry receiving a bottle of Mount Gay rum.
This year, organisers – the
Buckland Beach Yacht Club and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in
conjunction - are ramping up the social side to the regatta with the
inclusion of the Steinlager Motuihe Beach Party at Motuihe Island on the
Hauraki Gulf on Saturday 19th.
Racing on day two will see the
fleets finish in the vicinity of Motuihe, a recreational reserve island
of close to 180 hectares which lies between Motutapu and Waiheke
Islands, known for its stunning beaches.
Ashore at the Island there will
be a BBQ, bar and live band – everything that is required to entertain a
big gathering of yachties after a hard days racing.
Among the early entries is
former IRC National Championship winning boat Georgia One. The Farr 43
sailed with the hard-to-beat professionalism of owner Jim Farmer will be
marked as a division favourite.
And Stefan Goldwater’s recent
arrival to Auckland, Tirade, a Melges 32, will line up in Division A
against the likes of Z39, BMW Yachtsport and Cookson 12 Powerplay.
BMW Auckland Regatta
18th – 20th March
www.bmwaucklandregatta.co.nz
Koru Match update
 Koru
Match came out on top after four round robins in the women’s event at
the MUSTO Match Race Cup staged by RPNYC in Wellington, in a range of
weather conditions.
The team then matched up against
Team Osborne (Samantha Osborne, Claudia Pierce and Taylor Holland) in
the semi finals and won, 3-0. In the finals, Koru Match beat Bowater
Racing (Danielle Bowater, Bianca Cook and Katie de Lange) 2-0.
“Over the last four days we have
won 19 of 20 races,” report Koru Match Team. “We’re pleased with our
performance.”
Koru Match went on to place
second at the New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships in
Auckland.
Next on the agenda for Koru
Match is the European Olympic circuit and in two weeks the girls depart
for five months of World Cup Regattas (Palma, Hyeres, Medemblik,
Weymouth).
“This is a crucial part of our campaign for the 2012 Olympics,” reports the team.
Koru Match: Stephanie Hazard (Helm), Susannah Pyatt (Bow) & Jenna Hansen (Trim)
Powrie wins LIVEsport Telecom New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships
 Olivia
Powrie and crew saved their best for last at the LIVESPORT TELECOM New
Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships winning the finals 3 – nil
over Stephanie Hazard.
The regatta, hosted by the
RNZYS, wrapped up last Sunday. The two were certainly very evenly
matched and the racing in the finals series was action packed with the
lead changing in each race.
Powrie and her crew won the
first race by 11 seconds and the second by 1 minutes and 21 seconds,
then it was down to race three in a must win for Hazard.
The start of race three brought a
smile to the competitors’ faces when a gust of 26 knots and white water
hit the course area. The Race Committee went into the pre-start and
both boats entered but when conditions worsened and the wind dial on the
Race Committee boat went up to 28 knots the race was abandoned.
The squall lasted about 2
minutes and settled back down to around 15 knots which was a pleasant
change from this morning’s light airs and race three was re-started.
It was an even start with Hazard
a boat length to windward of Powrie. By the top mark Hazard was still 1
length in front, but downwind Powrie caught up and was to windward of
Hazard as Hazard sailed past her proper course to the bottom mark and
was given a penalty. Powrie rounded directly behind Hazard and managed a
cleaner rounding and by the top mark was in the lead and won the last
race by 27seconds.
Powrie made the transition from
crewing a 470 to helming an Elliott 7 in a match racing regatta, look
easy. Sailing with her this weekend was her 470 helmsman Jo Aleh and
one of New Zealand’s top Laser Radial sailors her sister Miranda Powrie,
Merran Walbridge on bow who has just had two year’s off racing to have
two children and Wellington match racer Anita Trudgen doing tactics.
“It was good racing, in a range
of conditions” smiled Powrie, “I had an awesome crew – for sure”.
In the petit finals between
Jessica McDowell and Samantha Osborne, it was the first to win 2 races.
It was an even start in race one
with Osborne who was carrying a pre-start penalty managing to clear it
upwind and win the race by 28 seconds. In race two McDowell led off the
start line and round the bottom mark but Osborne managed to sail over
her downwind and take race two and third place overall in the regatta.
Full Metal Jacket Racing win in Wellington
 A
win for Full Metal Jacket Racing helmed by Will Tiller at the MUSTO
Wellington Match Race Cup has earned the team entry to the German World
Tour Regatta on at the end of May.
Here’s a report from the team written after the final day of racing on Feb 27th...
“The four Skippers through to
the semi-finals were; Reuben Corbett (11th World ranking), Josh Junior
(45th), Will Tiller (35th) and Tim Coltman.
Reuben and team won the round
robin stages and had the choice of semi-final opponents; He decided to
race Tim Coltman and ended up losing 2-0.
"We were left to race Josh
Junior for a spot in the finals. In both races we lead off the start and
held a slim lead around the course to win 2-0 this booked us a spot in
the finals against Tim.
"Again we won both starts and
managed to extend off the line, although Tim sailed some nice shifts up
the beats we managed to hold on to comfortably win 2-0.
This Regatta gives us entry to
the German World Tour regatta held at the end of May and the team is
looking forward for a shot at racing some of the world’s best."
Full Metal Jacket: Will Tiller,
Shaun Mason, Adrian Short, Harry Thurston & Daniel Pooley
Earthquake interrupted South Island voyage
This story from Nicky Jenkins in Waikawa
 It
was the culmination of a huge effort when Freerk Kempkers sailed
Division two boat Shenanigan into 8th place in the Port Marlborough
Twilight racing series at Waikawa Boating Club this week.
Five weeks ago Freerk with crew
Mick Paul, Neil Holland and Frank Green set off to circumnavigate the
South Island in the 10 metre Lidgard Daemon making their way from Queen
Charlotte Sound east across Tasman Bay and then down the west
coast. Fiordland explored they moved south to Stewart Island.
Then reports came through of the
Christchurch earthquake. With Freerk’s house severely damaged and
Neil’s house a write-off they sailed Shenanigan to a berth at the Otago
Yacht Club Dunedin and returned over landvto the devastated city.
Freerk was full of praise for
Otago Yacht Club. “They were brilliant” he said. “Took the boat
totally into their care just when we needed help.” Two weeks later just
hours before the Tuesday night race he sailed Shenanigan back into
Waikawa Bay and raced, this time with the crew of Perfection, Bill
Brehaut, Kim Gabara and Tony Hutchinson on board.
A steady breeze from the east
encouraged forty eight boats to race on Tuesday, the largest fleet so
far this year. Dave Kelway’s Checkmate and Mike Vining’s Nefertiti were
one and two in the spinnaker division, a result subject to protest
before the winner can be declared.
Aaron Blackmore took out
Division 1with his Lidgard 32 Bavaria, from Kerry Kirk in the Tracker
Bright Eyes II and Bill Richards with the lightweight home built Dudley
Dix designed Panic Knot.
A record 15 boats raced in
Division Two where Ron Ives, pleased to be back on the water after an
enforced spell ashore with shoulder surgery, enjoyed his first win of
the series with the Ross 780 Easy Rider. Mick Paul was second sailing
the Mull 31 Cisco and Ron Gabites third on his Davidson designed Free
Expression.
Numbers were up in Division
three too with eleven boats in the race. Ron Van Velzen continued his
good run with another win on the Pacific 38 Vanquish from Bryan
Morrison’s Noelex 25 Vision and the Lidgard Supertramp sailed by John
Oswald.
Rowdy claims 2011 North Island Paper Tiger Champs
 The
2011 North Island Paper Tiger Championships were hosted during the last
weekend of February at Stump Bay, Lake Taupo by the Turangi Yacht and
Power Boat Club.
Rowdy (Ryan) Leatham from New
Plymouth took his first Paper Tiger North Island title in a very close
fought contest with class stalwarts (and mentors) Glenn Syman and John
Thomson from Wellington.
After a weekend of competition
and seven races the top three places were separated by minimal points no
one knowing the final results until they were announced at Prize
Giving.
The weekend saw typical Turangi
conditions with weather conditions in the 6 -10 knot range (and
beautiful sunshine) ensuring that plenty of excitement and place changes
were seen with some incredibly tight racing throughout the entire
fleet.
The sight of nearly 40 Paper
Tigers racing on Lake Taupo was really impressive, and sure to continue
when the final round of the North Island Grand Prix series takes place
at the Mighty River Power Regatta hosted by the Lake Taupo Yacht Club on
12-13 March. The series is still wide open for up to six sailors to
claim in the final regatta.
Overall Results include:
1st Rowdy Leatham New Plymouth Yacht Club
2nd Glenn Syman Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
3rd John Thomson Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
w: www.papertiger.org.nz
James Spithill guest speaking
The Royal Akarana Yacht Club
invites anyone interested to attend the Nexus Gold Cup prize-giving
where James Spithill – who was at the helm of BMW Oracle winner of the
33rd Americas Cup – will be the guest speaker.
"Come along and hear the latest
Americas Cup news from Oracle," invites Kevin Robertson, Club Manager.
Friday 18th March at 7pm at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club... please rsvp to the Club on kevin@rayc.org.nz or tel (09) 524 9945 if you plan to attend.
Purdie wins OK National Title
 The
2011 OK Dinghy Nationals, staged in Gisborne for the first time in
decades last weekend, gathered together a strong fleet of 29 sailors.
© D & K Photography
Reigning World Champ Karl
Purdie, from Wellington, put in a week of pre-regatta training at the
venue, clearly determined to defend his title from 2010. Luke O’Connell
(Wellington) led the 2010/2011 NZ OK ranking series going into the
nationals, and other strong contenders included current 2010 Worlds
bronze medallist Matt Steven (Wellington) and former national champions
Ben Morrison (Auckland), Russell Pagewood (Auckland), Paul Rhodes
(Wellington) and Steve McDowell (Wellington).
Going into the final race,
Purdie held a slim lead over Steven and O’Connell and the regatta was
wide open. The wind continued to strengthen and veer right, and
Pagewood rounded the top mark first, followed by Pardington and Steven.
By the bottom mark positions had changed somewhat and Steven held a
slim lead over Purdie and McDowell, with O’Connell close behind. It all
came down to the final run, where Purdie sailed a very good leg to pass
Steven and hold his lead up the short beat to the finish and take his
second national title. Steve finished the race second and McDowell was
third.
In the final analysis, Purdie
was a deserving winner with Steven 2nd, O’Connell 3rd, McDowell 4th and
Morrison 5th. The Worser Bay sailors were clearly dominant, taking out 6
of the top 10 spots, with Wakatere taking 5th, 6th and 7th and only one
Napier sailor scraping in at 10th.
Visit the OK Dinghy website for the full report out of Gisborne written by Steve McDowell.
Skiff National Championships
 There’ll
be skiff racing aplenty on Auckland harbour this weekend with Auckland
Sailing Club playing host to the 49er, 29er and 12 foot Skiff National
Championship Regattas.
Racing runs from the 11th – 13th
March based at Okahu Bay in Auckland. For 29er sailors the event is the
second of two nomination regattas for selection of the 2011 NZL
Yachting Trust Youth Team to attend the 2011 ISAF Youth world
Championships in Zadar, Croatia, which promises that racing in the youth
division will be hotly contested.
There was a good turnout of
seven 29ers at the North Island Champs last weekend. Saturday was sailed
in 7 to 12 knots with some good close racing, then Sunday turned on a
blow up to 30 knots that gave some spectacular rides and capsizes. The
regatta was taken out by Matt Spray and Tyler Russell with a great
display of heavy weather sailing. In second place was Alex Maloney and
Molly Meech.
Images from Auckland Sailing Champs
 Regular
photographic contributor Roger Pearson, from the Wakatere Boating Club
was behind the lens at last weekend’s Auckland Sailing Champs.
He certainly has a talent for capturing all aspects of an event and his gallery from last weekend is well worth a look. Thanks again Roger.
Results from the regatta are available here.
Yachting photographs (and short
reports) are welcome from anyone wishing to contribute. Email the editor
on jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz
Youth Sailing
2011 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team Camps
Dates for the 2011 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team Camps have been decided…
(Locations are chosen due to boat storage and weather conditions)
Autumn Regatta 19, 20 March - Takapuna Boating Club
Boat handling/speed 26, 27 March - Takapuna Boat Ramp
Starting Camp 7, 8 May - Wakatere Boating C
Strategy Camp 28, 29 May (to be confirmed)
Regatta 4, 5, 6 June (to be confirmed)
This and more information can be downloaded from the YNZ website.
Interislander Opti Challenge
 Picton
pulled a monster 83 boat fleet of Optis from around both islands for
the popular Port Marlborough Interislander Optimist Challenge sailed on
Marlborough's Queen Charlotte Sound recently.
Interrupted in 2010 by a Tsunami
warning, one year on the regatta was challenged by light winds, but the
event was enjoyed by all. Green Fleet sailed their two day regatta
inside Picton Harbour and the Laser 4.7s with the Open Optimist Fleet
outside Mabel Island.
The 'Taste of Marlborough' was
eagerly looked forward to on return to shore with local food producers
including NZ King Salmon, Nelson Ranger mussels, Traditional Country
Preserves, Picton Village Bakkerij teamed with Spy Valley wines gave the
regatta a mini food and wine festival to highlight some of the best of
Marlborough's finest, a real point of difference from all other regattas
anywhere. The Queen Charlotte Yacht Club kitchen team provided great
food for the hungry sailors and a very social night was enjoyed as the
sun set.
Markus Somerville won the Open
Fleet Optimists convincingly by far the most consistent sailor
throughout. The young Wakatere Boating Club member has made a rapid rise
back to the top of the fleet after the Opti Worlds.
The North Island took the
Interislander Challenge Trophy for the first time, Markus accepting the
trophy for Wakatere Boating Club.
In the Green Fleet Islay Fowler
of Charteris Bay just pipped Henry Gibbs of Queen Charlotte Yacht Club
for first place, Tim Rutherford also of QCYC in third overall.
The Laser 4.7 Fleet was small
but packed with talent. Keith Inglis of Taupo took the win from Taylor
Burn of QCYC. The current Under 16 World Champ, Ryan Amlehn of Nelson
was third and Nelson's Phillippa Wood and had to settle for 4th.
The Port Marlborough
Interislander Challenge occupies a special place in the Regatta calender
now and continues to go from strength to strength.
The full race results, Overall and Age Groups, are on www.qcyc.org.nz
Is your school sailing team up for the challenge?
 Entries are now open for the RNZYS HARKEN New Zealand Schools Fleet Racing Regatta to be held on 2 & 3 April 2011.
This fun regatta is aimed at
promoting the RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme to schools
in the wider Auckland Region.The Youth Training Programme will provide
the boats, coaching staff, support boats and all you are required to do
is bring a team of four youths with their lifejackets and lunch for two
fantastic days of sailing.
The entry fee for the weekend is
$50 per person = $200.00 (excl. gst); $1000 boat damage bond shall be
signed at registration.
10 teams of 4 crew (helm, main,
trim, bow) will be invited to compete, if you and your team are
interested please complete an Expression of Interest form and return to
the Sailing Office by Friday 11 March.
View further information on the RNZYS event page
So far entries are in from;
1. Kings College
2. KeriKeri High School
3. Glendowie College
4. Northcote College
5. Birkenhead College
6. Mahurangi College
7. Westlake Boys High School
Of Interest
Kerikeri Cruising Club 75th Jubilee and Reunion
The Kerikeri Cruising Club will
celebrate its 75th Jubilee on March 25th and 26th and invites all
present and past members and guests to join in.
An official welcome follows the
Friday night rum race at 8:30pm including Happy Hour and complimentary
finger food. On Saturday there is a Round the Islands Race for Keelers (
A and B div.) and also a division for the Traditional boats.
Centre-board racing starting at 12.30.
Prize Giving will be at 4.30pm
followed by a party /dance in the marquee on the marina car-park with
food and drinks to suit all tastes on offer.
Enquiries to Mark Beauchamp. Chairman Jubilee Committee. beau@igrin.co.nz or 09 4076464 or 0274858207
What's on...
Here’s a line up of yachting on around the country over the coming two weeks.
Visit our online calendar to see what’s on, and don’t miss out on some free promotion for your next event... submit your event to our online calendar here.
2011 Flying Dutchman Class National Championships, 9th – 13th March
Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
more>
2011 420 Class National Championships, 10th – 13th March
Evans Bay Yacht & Motor Boat Club
more>
2011 29er & 49er National Class Championships, 11th – 13th March
Auckland Sailing Club
more>
MRP Centreboard Regatta, 12th – 13th March
LakeTaupo
more>
North Island Windsurfing Champs, 12th – 13th March
Sulphur Point
more>
Presidents Cup Canterbury Keelboat Champs, 12th – 13th March
Naval Point Club Lyttelton
more>
BMW Auckland Regatta, 17th – 20th March
Hauraki Gulf
more>
2011 New Zealand Splash National Championship, 17th - 20th March
Takapuna Boating Club
more>
Maraetai Centreboard Regatta, 19th March
Maraetai Beach
more>
2011 New Zealand Phase II National Championships, 19th - 20th March
Rotorua Yacht Club
more>
Round The Island Race, 19th March 2011
Kennedy Point Waiheke Is.
more>
2011 Hobie 16 Open National Championships, 19th - 20th March
Takapuna Boating Club
more>
2011 North Island Zephyr Championships
Rotorua Yacht Club
more>
2011 South Island Secondary Schools 420 Fleet Racing Regatta, 19th - 20th March
Timaru Yacht and Power Boat Club
more>
2011 South Island Optimist Championship, 19th - 20th March
Timaru Yacht and Power Boat Club
more>
Manukau Regatta @ Clarks Beach, 19th - 20th March
Clarks Beach Yacht Club
more>
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