Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series kicks off at Rotoiti
by Gareth Howard - Elliott 5.9 Association 4 May 2023 14:22 PDT
Ollie and Sam prep their boat for the upcoming series © Elliott 5.9 Assn.
The first round of the 2023Harken Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series will be hosted by the BOPTYS
at Lake Rotoiti 6 - 7th of May.
Fresh from the very successful Elliott 5.9 Nationals, another strong fleet will again do battle to see who can gain an early advantage in the five regatta Traveller Series. Tony Poolman from BOPTYS has always looked after the class and the social BBQ on the Saturday night is a great way to get together at the start of the series. Lake Rotoiti has become the regular first Traveller Series regatta. The ability to tow the Elliott 5.9s to various locations means the class always looks to include a freshwater lake event in the series and lake conditions always provide an opportunity for various boats to shine.
As always, the one design racing is expected to be tight. Most attention will focus on the new national champions, Shapeshifter. They have definitely shown a liking for light and shifter conditions. They won last year's Whitianga regatta in these conditions and took control of the recent nationals in similar conditions.The normal lake conditions may well play into their hands so they will be expected to be pushing for the regatta win. Blurr, after missing the nationals, is making a return to the fleet. Blurr is one of the most consistently performed boats in the Elliott 5.9 fleet. Last year at Rotoiti, Blurr challenged for the overall win so will again be looking forward to the lake conditions on offer.
Other boats that missed the nationals are Bloodline and Animal Crackers Both these boats are based out of Napier. The recent cyclone and ferry issues curtailed their national ambitions. With Napier locked in as the second Traveller Series regatta, they will both be keen to be back in the action before claiming home water advantage in Napier, 16 - 17 June.
Bloodline has previously performed well in the light conditions. Their best result was a second overall, in light conditions, when the Traveller Series was last hosted in Napier. They will be looking to repeat this form early in the series and see if this will springboard them into overall Traveller Series contention Animal Crackers now has a full Traveller Series season under their belt. As a relatively new crew, they are now starting to gel and have managed some good individual results. Again,
the lake conditions may well suit them. Consistent results will see them toward the top of the leaderboard.
Howevhereer, no one will get to claim this regatta win without first getting past the ever present R+R. While typical lake conditions may not be their favourite, they have always been consistent. This consistently, in what can be challenging conditions, has always served them well, including an impressive three Rotoiti regatta wins.
The class will also be welcoming the Youth Development boat to the series at Rotoiti. This is a boat provided by the class to a youth team to support youth development. Youth development has always been a key part of the Elliott 5.9 class.
See here for full details.
A youth team from Glendowie Boating Club (Ollie Davidson, Sam Gowen, Lydia Boyd, Jack Webb) have been allocated the class development boat for the duration of the series. With support of class members, particularly Bart Bearda from NZ Rigging, they have recently prepared the boat ready for action. Not only will they get to experience the competitive nature of this one design boat, but they will also get to draw on the vast experience that class members are only too willing to share.
Of note, the first three boats at the recent nationals, while they may no longer be youths, were all graduates of the RNZYS Youth Training Scheme. Many of the current fleet progressed through the program when the Elliott 5.9 was the training scheme boat. It is this level of competition and sailing development that is still a key factor in the Elliott 5.9s ongoing popularity.
Follow results and pictures online www.facebook.com/elliott5.9 and for more information on the Elliott 5.9 Class Association visit www.e59.org.nz
Previous results can be found here https://elliott59.weebly.com/results.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.