Nautilus Braids Elliott 5.9 Southern Circuit begins at Labour Weekend
by Gareth Howard - Elliott 5.9 Association 22 Oct 2024 19:52 PDT
Elliott 5.9 Southern circuit starts on Labour Weekend at Lake Aviemore - October 2024 © Elliott 5.9 Assoc
The Nautilus Braids Elliott 5.9 Southern Circuit kicks off at Lake Aviemore over Labour weekend as part of the Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club's Aviemore Classic Regatta.
This highly anticipated three-day event features round-the-buoy racing on Friday and Saturday, followed by the grand finale on Sunday: the two-lap Aviemore Classic race around the lake, involving the entire trailer yacht fleet. The mass start is a spectacular sight as 40 to 50 boats charge down the lake, adding to the thrill of the event.
Lake Aviemore, situated on the Waitaki River in South Canterbury, is part of the Waitaki power scheme of hydro lakes that supply electricity to New Zealand. The Labour weekend regatta brings hundreds of people to the nearby town of Otamatata, boosting local tourism. The lake's winds, often blowing from either end of the lake, provide ideal and sometimes challenging sailing conditions, making it a favourite venue for sailors. This year marks the 36th running of the event, a testament to its importance in the sailing calendar.
Shane Smith on Boat One aims to continue his stellar form after a remarkable 2023 -24 season, having won both the series and the South Island championships. Meanwhile, Retro, sailed by class sponsor Andrew McFarlane, is returning as a contender to watch as he continues to improve. With many crews camping by the lakeside, the camaraderie among the sailors is expected to be in full swing.
The Nautilus Braids Elliott 5.9 Southern Circuit will continue with its second round at Pigeon Bay on Banks Peninsula on the 23rd and 24th of November, which will serve as the South Island Championships. The series will conclude in Nelson on January 18th and 19th, rounding off what promises to be an exciting competition.
Racing across the one design Elliott 5.9 southern fleet is, as usual, expected to be tight. The ability to easily tow the Elliott 5.9 means that 5.9s from across the South Island, including Nelson, Christchurch and Timaru will be competing throughout the series.
The overall series will also provide the South Island boats with a great warm up to the Napier based nationals that will be held 3 - 5 April 2025. This will see the coming together of the North and South Island fleets with 20 or more Elliott 5.9s likely to be on the start line. After a closely fought North Island Traveller Series, and an ever improving South Island fleet, it is shaping as one of the most competitive one design class nationals to be sailed in NZ.
Results can be found here elliott59.weebly.com/results.html
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
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.