Harken E5.9 Travellers Series to be held at Opua

Slam Dunk - Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series © Elliott 5.9 Assoc

After a slightly extended break, the Harken Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series resumes at Opua over the weekend of the 9 - 10 th September.

The Harken series has so far attracted 18 boats and Opua looks like it will have another good turn out, with 13 to 14 boats making the start line. Opua has always proven to be a popular stop on the Elliott 5.9 calendar. It is a location that ideally suits the ability to trailer the Elliott 5.9 to great locations for competitive racing.

Bloodline will be travelling the furthest, as they make their way up from Napier, while Usain Boat, Ice Breaker, Frivolous Fish will be making the most of home waters.

The racing is expected to be very tight, which is the nature of this one design class.

In the absence of R+R, Shapeshifter and Slam Dunk are the most consistent performers in the starting fleet for Opua. However, there are probably six other boats that could potentially win this regatta, or equally end up finishing ninth or lower. So, this will be another intriguing regatta.

Reggae Shark - Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series - photo © Elliott 5.9 Assoc

It really will come down to who fronts over the two days. While differing conditions may suit some more than others, results so far this season show that it really isn't possible to pick any of the likely results.

With such a tight fleet, consistency always proves to be the difference and the ability to minimise any poor results will again prove crucial.

With only two regatta to go, the overall series is also finally balanced.

Shapeshifter has a solid lead at the top of the table, due to their consistent performance at every regatta. Reggae Shark and Revelry hold second and third respectively. However, if either of these two boats are inconsistent in the last two reggatta, then there are a number of boats who could make the podium battle quite interesting.

Slam Dunk is the most obvious threat, however, Dirty Circus and Bloodline are outside chances after good results in the regattas that they have attended so far. Two good regattas by these boats will allow them to drop their high scores and the points table could close up rapidly.

Thank you to our series sponsor, Harken and Marlow, for your ongoing support of the class. 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 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.