Issue date
There was little change across the fleet leaders on day two of 2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland despite a day of tricky conditions on the water for all in Auckland today.
There was more close racing as the regatta now hits the mid-way mark for most, and the OK Dinghy and Flying Fifteen winners are crowned.
Conditions in Auckland today tested Race Officials and sailors alike with shifty, funky winds seeing luck play a stronger part in race results today. Some abandonments and plenty of re-set courses were the result of fickle winds that came and went throughout the day.
Latest standings at the end of day two in the 49er, 49erFX, 470, Kite-board racing, 29er and 420 classes are still pending at the time of release.
49erFX: It was the skiffs that provided the male versus female story of the day today with Women’s World Champions Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech very pleased to get one over Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the opening race on day two.
Molly Meech says; “We won the first race and we beat Pete and Blair which is pretty cool. We got second to Josh and Marcus so that was a really good achievement for us.”
Maloney and Meech have strong international competition here at 2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland and they’re enjoying the quality racing. “In the second one we had a good comeback but it got really flukey. It was good close racing, the lead changed all the time,” says Meech. “We have really nice speed out there, and it’s cool to have the Dutch girls and the Australians and the Japanese crews here to race with us.”
Laser: Netherlands Laser sailor Rutger Van Schaardenburg had another solid day, (6, 2, 2) and has extended his lead in the fleet as his rivals produced mixed results in the challenging conditions. NZL Sailing Team’s Andy Maloney retains 2nd place overall but is now ten points back from Van Schaardenburg after he placed 7th, 10th and then 1st in today’s three races. Nicholas Heiner, also from the Netherlands is in 3rd with no change to the top three in this class today.
Laser Radial: Sara Winther is still out in front in the 31 strong Laser Radial fleet. The Takapuna Boating Club sailor came away from today with a 9, 1, 4 and now sits four points clear of Ryan Lo Jun Han of Singapore. Winther says; "it was a very tricky day to stay consistent and really hard with the big tide. Hopefully the breeze is better tomorrow!"
After today Trent Rippey, a youth sailor from Tauranga, has caught the Singaporean on points to round out the top three. Meanwhile Scott Leith produced the most consistent results from day two and he shifts from 5th to 4th closing in on the leaders.
Finn: Taking three from three today on the Finn course Josh Junior, from Worser Bay Boating Club, has broken the points tie and stretched out a five point lead over NZL Sailing Team-mate Andrew Murdoch. Junior has 5 points, while Murdoch is still safely in 2nd place on 9 points with former OK Dinghy World Champion Karl Purdie lying 3rd on 14 points.
With two days of racing to go this Finn battle isn’t over yet and will be one to watch over the second half of the regatta.
Nacra 17: Gemma Jones (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and Jason Saunders (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club) have extended their lead in the Nacra 17 mixed multi-hull class adding another three wins today to maintain a squeaky clean score-card with six race wins over the first half of the regatta. Rachel Basevi and Tomer Simhoney are in 2nd with three 2nd places in today’s racing while Taylor Burn and Vicky Francis are laying 3rd.
RS:X: On day two it was the RS:X windsurfer’s turn to hit Course E first with the kite-board racers to follow, and JP Tobin continued his demonstration of world class windsurfing clocking up another two race wins to hold a perfect score-card across the opening half of the regatta. Behind him the finishing order was consistent across both races sailed today with Korea’s Kyounghwan Lee placing 2nd in the two races and Tony Mackenzie from the Manly Sailing Club 3rd. It’s these three sailors who hold the top three spots in the Olympic men’s windsurfing division.
Among the RS:X 8.5 fleet the Patrick Haybittle from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club still holds the lead with Alexander Hart from Tauranga holding station in 2nd after a race win in today’s second race. Female windsurfer Natalia Kosinska has climbed up the leader-board into 3rd overall with a 1st and a 2nd on the water today.
Paralympics Classes: Racing is extremely competitive in the SKUD 18 two-person Paralympic class with Brendan Tourelle and Anna Ankersmit chasing leaders, and new combination, Tim Dempsey and Gemma Fletcher for the lead. Just one point separates the top two crews as they head into the second half of the regatta.
Dempsey describes the day; “Pretty testing conditions out there today, it was quite shifty, there were some big shifts and they had to reset the course a few times – it was quite hard to pick at times. Some really close tight racing so it’s been good.”
“Our plan for the next few days is to win every race, which is not going to be easy. Brendan and Anna are sailing really well, so they’re going to be pretty tough to beat.”
Dempsey says that he and his new sailing partner Gemma Fletcher are starting to gel; “It’s working really well, Gemma just a long way in a really short space of time. She hasn’t been sailing the SKUD very long at all. I couldn’t have asked for better really at this point in time.”
An incredible battle is unfolding in the 2.4mR single-handed Paralympic class, with the five boat fleet frequently crossing the finish line overlapped in super tight racing. Australia’s Matt Bugg has the edge and leads by one point from Christchurch sailor Brett Willcock, with 2012 Paralympic representative Paul Francis close behind in 3rd place.
The two-boat dual in the Sonar class sees Rick Dodson and crew leading by one point from the rival entry with Callum Conroy at the helm. Dodson recorded an OCS in today’s second race but discards that to retain his lead.
OK Dinghy & Flying Fifteen Final Results: Both the OK Dinghy and Flying Fifteen fleets have closed out their regatta, and after two days of fierce racing and friendly after-race camaraderie the winners have been crowned.
Luke O’Connell from Worser Bay Boating Club has taken out the OK Dinghy event from Ben Morrison, with Matt Stechman taking 3rd place. Overnight leader Bradley Douglas had to settle for 4th just one point off Stechman.
In the Flying Fifteen class Royal Akarana Yacht Club locals, Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess won out over club-mates Craig Coulam and Adrienne Rekke. Rob Ward and Bruce Yovich rounded out the podium spots.
2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland
Top three standings as available (provisional)
Laser
1st Rutger van Schaardenburg (NED) (8 points)
2nd Andy Maloney (18 points)
3rd Nicholas Heiner (20 points)
Laser Radial
1st Sara Winther (10 points)
2nd Ryan Lo Jun Han (14 points)
3rd Trent Rippey (14 points)
49er – provisional after race five
1st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (5 points)
2nd Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (8 points)
3rd Logan Beck and Jack Simpson (11 points)
49erFX – provisional after race five
1st Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (4 points)
2nd Haylee Outteridge and Ella Clark (11 points)
3rd Annemiek Bekkering and crew (12 points)
470 – provisional after race four
1st Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox (8 points)
2nd Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (9 points)
3rd James Turner and Luke Stevenson (13 points)
Nacra 17
1st Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders (5 points)
2nd Rachel Basevi and Tomer Simhony (10 points)
3rd Taylor Burn and Vicky Francis (15 points)
Finn
1st Josh Junior (5 points)
2nd Andrew Murdoch (9 points)
3rd Karl Purdie (14 points)
RS:X 9.5
1st Jon-Paul Tobin (5 points)
2nd Kyounghwan Lee (8 points)
3rd Tony Mackenzie (12 points)
RS:X 8.5
1st Patrick Haybittle (7 points)
2nd = Alexander Hart (9 points)
2nd = Natalia Kosinska (9 points)
420 – provisional after race four
1st Sam Barnett and Zak Merton (14 points)
2nd Eliza Wilkinson and Kate Stewart (14 points)
3rd Libby Porter and Charlotte Porter (16 points)
29er - provisional after race five
1st Micah Wilkinson and Jack Rogers (6 points)
2nd Nick Egnot-Johnson and Alex Wotton (9 points)
3rd Markus Somerville and Isaac McHardie (11 points)
Kite-board – at the end of day one
1st Torrin Bright (5 points)
2nd Ben Turner (9 points)
3rd Brad Walker (14 points)
Top female (5th overall): Justina Sellers
OK Dinghies Final Results
1st Luke O’Connell
2nd Ben Morrison
3rd Matt Stechman
Flying 15 Final Results
1st Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess
2nd Craig Coulam and Adrienne Rekke
3rd Rob Ward and Bruce Yovich
Hansa Liberty
1st Helena Horswell (9 points)
2nd Russell Phillips (AUS) (13 points)
3rd John Buchanan (9 points)
2.4mR
1st Matt Bugg (AUS) (9 points)
2nd Brett Willcock (10 points)
3rd Paul Francis (11 points)
Skud 18
1st Tim Dempsey and Gemma Fletcher (7 points)
2nd Brendan Tourelle and Anna Ankersmit (8 points)
3rd Paul Wager and Jan Apel (14 points)
Sonar
1st Rick Dodson, John Weston and David Allerton (5 points)
2nd Callum Conroy, Pauline Eitjes and crew (6 points)
303 Double-handed
1st Tan Wei Qiang and Yap Qian Yin (5 points)
2nd Lim Kok Liang and Aaron Per Yong Quan (9 points)
3rd Sulaiman Bin Pungot and Low Mun Chong (15 points)
To follow the action head to sailauckland.org.nz - the up-to-the-minute website features a social media feed where competitors, supporters and volunteers posts using #sailakl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will paint a real-time picture of what’s happening on the water.
About 2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland 2014 will take place at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club from the 1st – 4th February 2014.
The NZL Sailing Team are anticipated to feature strongly in what is the biggest Olympic and Paralympic class regatta in New Zealand, and alongside them will be New Zealand’s top developing youth sailors and keen competitors in a range of invited classes such as the OK Dinghy and A-Class catamaran.
All Olympic and Paralympic class boats are invited to take part: The Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 470 Men, 470 Women, 49er, 49er FX, RS:X 8.5, RS:X 9.5, Nacra 17, Skud 18, 2.4mR and also other classes are encouraged: the OK Dinghy, 29er, 420, Liberty, Hansa 303, Kiteboards, F18 and A Class Catamaran.
Over four days of racing 11-15 races will take place for each fleet, and the format for all classes will be fleet racing with no medal race. All racing will take place in the Waitemata Harbour, in the surrounds of Rangitoto Island, North Head, Mechanics Bay and Browns Island.
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland is made possible only thanks to the contributions from principle sponsor Oceanbridge, and supporters: Sport New Zealand, Yachting New Zealand, Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Danske Mobler, The Landing and Orakei Marina. Equally important is a team of more than 50 volunteers that are behind the success of this regatta every year.
Media enquiries:
Jodie Bakewell-White
Jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz
021 709 065
Sailor enquiries:
Suellen Hurling
suellen@rayc.org.nz
021 892 004
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