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Shapeshifter put on a masterclass to take out the Elliott 5.9 North Island Championships in Whitianga recently but it was tight among the chasing pack with four teams tied on points in the battle for second.
The Shapeshifter crew of Brett Elliott, Nick Bastow and Matthew Stuart won four of the six races completed in the light and changeable conditions off the Mercury Bay Boating Club to finish 11 points ahead of their (four) nearest rivals.
Eventually Revelry (Beno Costello, Richard Bicknell, Zib Campbell) took out second place on countback, with Slam Dunk third, national champions R+R fourth and Nevis fifth. Zoot Allures were only two points further back in sixth.
The health of the class matched the competition, with the 17 entries at Whitianga believed to be a recent record for the Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series. The class is now the largest one-design fleet outside of the dinghy classes and similar numbers are expected for the fourth round of the Traveller Series at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club in August.
The first day of racing in Whitianga produced overcast, showery weather with light winds and some significant wind shifts. With the forecast breeze never arriving, the race committee did well to get two races away.
Shapeshifter managed to score good wins in both races, with all the other boats having mixed results, and their position strengthened when they won the first race of day two.
While there was a bit more sun for the second day, the breeze was still light and variable which made it difficult for the remainder of the fleet to post consistent scores.
A glimmer of hope emerged when Shapeshifter were sixth in race four but they soon recovered to win the penultimate race to strengthen their lead in the regatta.
A huge thanks goes to Phillip Hart and Jonathan Kilne and their helpers for again hosting the Elliott 5.9s at Whitianga both on and off the water.
