Olympic Hopefuls, Force 470, Contest Sail Auckland

by Andrew Brown on 7 Feb 2002 Force 470 Racing - Helmsman Andrew Brown and Crew Jamie Hunt

Force 470 will be contesting the Sail Auckland Regatta - commencing this Friday, 8 February.

Sail Auckland is a big regatta for the 470 fleet, as it doubles for the selection for the Pre Pre Olympics, and the
selection for a spot at the 2002 World Championships.

Force 470 Racing comprises two sailors - Helmsman Andrew Brown and crew Jamie Hunt, and over 10 support personnel. The
majority of Force 470's support team are personnel of the New Zealand Academy of Sport. According to Andrew and Jamie, the
most integral of their support team are coaches John Clinton and Leslie Egnot - facilitated by Yachting New Zealand's
Future Champions' Academy.

Andrew Brown and Jamie Hunt teamed up at the beginning of 2001to give the 470 a go, and to see where year one together
might lead.

Force 470's year had it's ups and downs. Highs include winning the Yachting New Zealand Ranking Series and the Australian
National Championships. Lows - ripping their Spinnaker in the qualification round for the 470 World Championships
resulting in missing out on gaining entry to the Gold Fleet. Consolation was a credible third placing overall in the
Silver Fleet.

Both Andrew and Jamie believe they have potential to be world class champions. Force 470 has a strategy in place for
success at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

To date Force 470 has gained ranking points in all four ranking events in the 2001/2002 series sailed so far - including
winning the New Zealand 470 Nationals.

Sail Auckland is the fifth ranking regatta on Force 470's schedule.