Elliott 5.9 Travellers Series Regatta: Close racing and camaraderie in Whitianga
by Gareth Howard 4 Aug 23:18 PDT
2025 E 5.9 Traveller's Trophy 0 Whitianga and Buffalo Beach - Coromandel - August 2025 © E5.9 Assoc
The third Elliott 5.9 Travellers Series regatta was held on July 26th and 27th in Whitianga, bringing a small but highly competitive fleet to the beautiful Mercury Bay.
Race Officer Phil Hart and his team of volunteers from the Mercury Bay Boating Club had an easy task setting the course, thanks to a steady northeasterly wind that provided excellent sailing conditions over both days.
Day 1: Tight Competition on Buffalo Beach
Saturday's racing took place in a consistent 10-14 knot breeze, with the wind coming from 50 degrees off Buffalo Beach. The day's racing was dominated early on by RnR, helmed by Craig Satterwaite, with his daughter Gretel and Nathan Williams. They claimed victory in the first two races.
Race 1: RnR finished first, followed by Class President Stu Clark's Slam Dunk crew (Stu Bettany and Cam Horne) in second, and Dave Cochran's Zoot Allures in third.
Race 2: A general recall led to a restart, but the outcome was similar. RnR won by over a minute, with Slam Dunk just holding off Zoot Allures for second and third, respectively.
The next races saw the competition heat up. Slam Dunk took the win in the third race, followed by the Napier crew on Bloodline (Gavin Earle, Gareth Howard, and Dave Plowman), with RnR finishing third.
The fourth race was a highlight for the younger sailors, with the four-person crew on Nyx taking the win. The crew, led by Ollie Davidson, had a dramatic Friday night, dropping their mast and breaking the rudder stock during rigging. A number of class members rallied to help with repairs, ensuring they could get on the water for the weekend. Slam Dunk finished second and Bloodline third. Unfortunately, Zoot Allures, which had been leading at the first top mark, broke its gooseneck and was forced to retire for the rest of the day.
RnR bounced back to win the final two races of the day, with Bloodline securing second in both. Dirty Circus rounded out the podium in the sixth race.
At the end of Saturday, the standings were: RnR on 6 points, Slam Dunk on 10 points, and Bloodline on 14 points (with a dropped race).
The evening concluded with a class dinner at Grace O'Malleys, where sailors enjoyed a slideshow of photos and drone footage from the day's racing, captured by Helen Hart.
Day 2: A Change of Scenery and a Tight Finish
Sunday's racing moved to Cooks Beach to minimize the effect of the outgoing tide. The wind was a lighter 5-10 knots from 30 degrees. Zoot Allures was back on the water after repairing its gooseneck overnight, as was the young crew on Class Act, who also had to make repairs to their gooseneck.
Race 7: RnR took another win, with Zoot Allures and Dirty Circus coming in second and third.
Race 8: Slam Dunk claimed the win, followed by RnR and Bloodline.
The mood was lighthearted between races, with some on-water antics entertaining the fleet.
RnR continued its strong performance, winning race nine, followed by Bloodline and Dirty Circus. The final race of the regatta, race ten, was the closest of the entire weekend, with very tight margins across the fleet. Zoot Allures showed impressive recovery, moving from seventh around the top mark to finish third, behind RnR (first) and Slam Dunk (second).
Final Results and Looking Ahead
The regatta concluded with RnR as the clear winner, finishing with 12 points. Slam Dunk secured second place with 21 points, and Bloodline took third with 32 points. The battle for the remaining spots was incredibly close: Dirty Circus - 42 points Zoot Allures - 43 points (despite carrying two DNCs) Class Act - 45 points Nyx - 46 points Razorback - 67 points
The prize-giving wrapped up by 2 p.m., allowing everyone to get home at a reasonable time.
If you are interested in joining this competitive on-water and sociable off-water class, there are currently two good boats for sale on Trade Me.
The next regatta is to be held at Opua 13 -1 4 September.
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.