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The Young 88 Owners Association continues to innovate to keep the sailing fun and numbers healthy. This year the association has joined with fleet and event sponsor Harken to provide the “Win Wicked Winches” spot prize; a pair of Harken Performa winches valued at more than $2500.
The “nats” has once again attracted a very competitive fleet of young and old “weekend warriors” and global sailing rock stars to duke it out for trophies engraved with a who’s who of NZ Sailing.
Mike Sanderson, ISAF World Sailor of the Year and Volvo Ocean race winning skipper has “dusted off” Flash Gordon and teamed up with an accomplished Kiwi contingent. The crew are mainly off the Mini Maxi Bella Mente and aim to emulate their 2013 victory enjoying a different style of competitive racing.
Flash will be taking on the seasoned Y88 campaigners led by last year’s winner Zane Gifford on Raging Hormones and North Sails Sprints winner Nathan (Sooty) Williams on Slipstream III.
Waka Huia. Photo by Suellen Hurling | LiveSailDie.com Wake Huia Dave Hazard – Skitzo was last year’s runner up and will be leading the under 25’s with a crew mainly out of the RNZYS Youth Training Program.
Keeping them honest is a hard core bunch of Young 88 stalwarts chasing the big prize but also vying for the Owner Driver trophy and 1st Corinthian (non pro) crew.
The 2016 regatta will once again be run by an internationally qualified race management team from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron plus on water umpires. Their goal is to keep this very competitive fleet on the right side of the race rules.
Weather for the weekend is still a complete mystery with none of the forecast models agreeing. The range is 3-25kts from all points of the compass. A true test of crews, and race committee!
Racing will be held on the former Americas Cup waters north of Auckland’s extinct volcano Rangitoto Island and will start at 1000am on Saturday and Sunday 9-10 April.
Prize giving is to be held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on Sunday evening. The awards will be handed out by the 88’s design genius Jim Young and NZ mass production pioneer, Young 88 boat builder/marketer Roger Land.
Follow the racing online:
RNZYS event page http://www.rnzys.org.nz/rnzys-events/harken-young-88-national-championships/
Young 88 Facebook page www.facebook.com/YoungEightyEight/
Young 88 web site www.young88.org.nz/
Photo and Video provider www.LiveSailDie.com
Entrants in the 2016 Harken Young 88 Nationals include:
War Machine Chris Macindoe RNZYS
Men @ Work Frans de Court RNZYS
Slipstream III Nathan Williams RNZYS
Skitzo David Hazard RNZYS
Medium Dry Philip Rzepecky RNZYS
Simple Minds Bruce Scott RNZYS
Legless Grant Crawford WBC
Sailor Moon Jacko van Deventer KIYC
Heartlight Roger Sims SSANZ
Flash Gordon Mike Sanderson RNZYS
Waka Huia Bill Dalbeth RNZYS
Voodoo Leigh Miller RAYC
Undercover Edward Massey RNZYS
Raging Hormones Zane Gifford RNZYS
