Elliott 5.9 Nationals: Shapeshifter prevails in close contest
by Gareth Howard - Elliott 5.9 Association 2 Apr 2023 03:12 PDT
2 April 2023
2023 Elliott 5.9 Nationals - Queen Charlotte Yacht Club © Elliott 5.9 Assoc
Shapeshifter (Nick Bastow, Matthew Stuart and James Glidden) won the 2023 Elliott 5.9 national Championship, at Queen Charlotte Yacht Club in the picturesque Marlborough Sounds.
In doing so, they literally had to wrestle the title of R+R (Craig Satterthwaite, Bart Bearda and Matt Mitchell) with eventually only one point separating these two at the top of the table.
Sailed out of Queen Charlotte Yacht Club, in Picton, conditions started light and shifty with only three of the scheduled four races completed on day one.
While Shapeshifter made their intentions clear, by winning the opening race, they also made their title challenge difficult by picking up an OCS and maximum points in Race 2. This meant that any further slip ups would likely cost them any chance at the title. Meanwhile it was business as usual for R+R. They picked up two race wins to take a good lead into Day 2, while Revelry were consistent and held a comfortable third overall.
Day 2 presented a better breeze, and while still shifty, five races were completed to keep the regatta on track. Shapeshifter picked up three wins while R+R had an uncharacteristic mixed day with two wins but also a fifth and a seventh to see these two boats tied at the top of leaderboard after Day 2.
Revelry still held third but the ever consistent Slam Dunk was keeping in touch.
The battle for the first South Island boat was also shaping as an interesting contest with Boat 1 producing some good results to hold the upper hand over Retro.
Day 3, and there was everything to play for. The breeze had built further and was now quite blustery and shifty. While Shapesifter was sharing the top of the table, they still had their OCS to consider and any error would put paid to their title chances. However, it was R+R who started the day putting pressure on themselves when they picked up an eighth place in the first race of the day. It was now advantage Shapeshifter, but you never count R+R out.
True to form, R+R showed their real class by winning the last three races of the regatta to set up a nail biting finish. But with the pressure on, Shapeshifter held their nerve to bank three second places and claim the title. One slip up by Shapeshifter, and the title would have remained in the hands of R+R but it was not to be and a new Elliott 5.9 Champion was crowned.
While this battle unfolded at the head of the fleet, Revelry let their grip on third place slip as they slipped down the fleet in a couple of races on the final day while Slam Dunk remained consistent and managed to grab third place overall.
Retro found some good form on the final day, including a race win and this was enough for them to overhaul Boat 1 and continue to claim bragging rights as the first South Island boat.
A big thank you goes to Lisa and Sam and the rest of the team at Queen Charlotte Yacht Club. They put on an outstanding event, booth on and off the water. The facilities were fantastic and nothing was too much trouble including facilitating on the water boat repairs when Dirty Circus had rudder gudgeon issues.
The race committee, ably led by Paul Davies, did a great job getting away the full twelve races in what was at time shifty and variable conditions.
The focus now shifts to the five regatta Traveller Series with the first regatta to be held at Lake Rotoiti 6 - 7 May.
The racing will continue to be tight and competitive with most of the same boats going head to head again. There will also be some additional boats getting in on the action including those boats from Napier and the Far North who unfortunately had to miss the nationals due to cyclone and ferry interruptions. The class will also welcome in the youth crew, on the class boat, with another youth crew also expected to join the fray.
Follow results and pictures online www.facebook.com/elliott5.9 and for results www.sailwave.com/results/Elliot59Nationals2023
for more information on the Elliott 5.9 Class Association visit www.e59.org.nz
A full list of previous National Champions can be found online here https://elliott59.weebly.com/nz-national-champions.html
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.