The boat built to travel - Elliott 5.9 Traveler Series hits the road next weekend
by Kristine Horne 5 Apr 2021 04:42 PDT
5 April 2021
Elliot 5.9 Traveller Series - 2019 © E5.9 Assoc
Nearly 40 years on from the trailer yacht’s inception, the Elliott 5.9 fleet is preparing for their annual tradition of being towed around New Zealand for a series of sailing regattas: the now famous 5.9 Traveller Series.
With the first event of the series due to start on 10th April, celebrated kiwi yacht designer Greg Elliott has revealed his insights to the revolutionary design, and how it started an evolution of high performance sailboats that maintain their relevance today more than ever.
“At 5.9 meters in length, the Elliott 5.9 was designed strictly to meet the requirements of the NZ Trailer Yacht Association’s rules at the time for boats under 6 meters” says Elliott. “In the early 80’s, the trailer yacht scene was extremely active and so many back yards had a boat being built. Trailer yachting was big right around NZ; you’d sleep aboard the boats at regattas, they were real fun family events”.
Elliott explained that he was heavily involved with the class at its beginning, from when he built the first wooden ones in the early 80’s including stints of cruising in his own 5.9 for up to three weeks at a time. However, the Elliott 5.9 was innovative and was designed to push the boundaries of the rules. At times he was cold-shouldered for bringing such a performance angle into the social trailer yachting community.
“We first won the 1983 Trailer Yacht National Championships and went on to win quite a bit over the next years” he continues. “Once we started to make the 5.9’s of fibreglass, the fleet started to expand quite quickly” he continues.
It became a natural progression as the fleet was sizeable enough to race against themselves, that their own ‘one-design’ series was formed: the Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series. There have been only a few minor modifications to the boat since the 1980’s - a change to the mainsheet traveller position and the sealing off of the outboard well. The actual shape of the boat and cabin top has not changed. In fact, the modern fibreglass boats are being made from the mould of an original wooden boat.
Elliott explains his original intentions with the Elliott 5.9: “When it first came out, it was revolutionary for a trailer yacht and we had to spend a few years just trying to comply with things like the stability index. It is a true trailer yacht that was designed to be towed behind a modest car to fun sailing events all over NZ. It was meant to be a really cost effective way to enjoy good yachting and as such it has grown into something that world-class sailors appreciate”.
The Elliott 5.9 is sailed by a crew of three people, and the one-design fleet is regarded as one of the most fiercely competitive in New Zealand, yet genuinely friendly and very social (with thanks to its trailer-yacht roots).
“In a world where the cost of living continues to go up in every respect, having a sailboat capable of this level of competition at this budget point is otherwise unheard of,” Elliott explains.
After the 5.9 was established, Greg Elliott went on to design the Elliott 6 as an evolution of the 5.9 which in its time, became the Olympic-class keelboat for women’s match racing at the London 2012 Olympics.
“It’s fantastic that the class and owners have brought the 5.9’s as close to one-design as it could be. I’m more than happy, it’s a great little boat” Elliott concludes.
As many other “little boats” are wrapping up their season to hibernate for winter, this not-so-sleepy class is gearing up for its 2021 Traveller Series due to commence at Lake Rotoiti on 10th April.
A schedule of at least five regattas is scheduled for the season including:
· April 10-11 at Lake Rotoiti’s Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron
· May 20-22 at Whitianga’s Mercury Bay Boating Club (incl National Championships)
· July 3-4 at Napier’s Napier Sailing Club
· August 14-15 at Auckland’s Bucklands Beach Yacht Club
· September 25-26 at Warkworth’s Sandspit Yacht Club
The Notice of Race for the season is now available online www.e59.org.nz.
Results and pictures can be followed online the NZ Elliott 5.9 Facebook page or Instagram @nz_elliott_5.9_class. Contact for more information.
The Elliott 5.9 Class is supported by sponsors including Kitchen Link, Switchpro Electrical, NZ Spars & Rigging and KPMG.
About the Elliott 5.9
The Elliott 5.9 emerged in the early 1980’s as a high performing trailer yacht and continues to deliver competitive one design racing in a welcoming fleet of world-class sailors and novices alike. The boats started a revolution with their well-balanced and cost effective design, and quickly become the boat of choice for top club training schemes and a breeding ground for NZ’s America’s Cup, Ocean Race and Olympic champions.
Sailed by a crew of three, the Elliott 5.9 remains a low maintenance sailboat with an efficient single spreader fractional rig, a well-balanced sail plan and practical deck layout. Whether sailing among mixed trailer yachts, sport boat fleets or in a one design setting, the 5.9 is celebrated for its responsiveness and outstanding value.
About the Traveller Series:
The Elliott 5.9 Class Association organises an annual series of 5-6 regattas around NZ’s North Island through the winter months, taking advantage of the ease in towing the boats behind a modest vehicle and opportunity for a fun weekend away yachting with friends and family invited. All of the traveller series events are windward-leeward style one design racing with up to 10 races and a social event in the evening.
Enquiries and Information:
Stu Clarke Elliott 5.9 Class Association President
I 021 890 067