Issue date
San Francisco, California.
New Zealand's C-Tech, the first 18 Skiff to finish today’s Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race, has claimed the championship in the Nespresso International 18 Skiff Regatta hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club.
New Zealand's C-Tech team of skipper Alex Vallings, Chris Kitchen and Josh McCormack, continued its domination of the week with the 18s to wrap up the title with two races remaining Saturday---preceding their Bridge to Bridge success with a win in the 18s' warm-up race and now counting five wins in eight races overall.
C-Tech was the first 18 Skiff in the 18-boat class dominated by Australians and the USA's Howie Hamlin-led teams for the first 11 years, but Hamlin, entering the day in second place, was never a factor.
Otherwise, the result made the day for the Kiwis' Graham Catley, although his boat missed the 30-minute deadline for an official finish.
Catley, an Auckland businessman who has been a prior San Francisco competitor and is the lead supporter of the Kiwi campaigns, said, "This is the first year New Zealand has been competitive, with good equipment and time to develop sailing skills with the 18s."
Primarily through Catley's efforts and support, New Zealand Catley brought seven teams to San Francisco.
Vallings and his placed seventh in this year's JJ Giltinan class championship at Sydney, Australia, after only a few weeks with the tricky boats, "so this is their first real competition," Catley said. "We need to get a benchmark in New Zealand to bring the other boats up to it."
The leaders
(18 boats; after 8 of 10 races; one discard)
1. C-Tech, Alex Vallings/Chris Kitchen/Josh McCormack, New Zealand, 1-1-3-(6)-1-2-1-1, 10 points.
2. Mounts Bay W.A., Grant Rollerson/Justin Healey/Marco Schurman, Australia, 3-4-6-1-2-(19/DNF)-3-4, 23.
3. Yandoo, John Winning/David Gibson/Andrew Hay, Australia, 5-3-4-5-(19/DNF)-5-2-3, 27.
4. CST Composites, Howard Hamlin/Matt Noble/Matt McKinlay, USA, 4-5-1-3-3-4-(19/DNF)-12, 32.
5. Lumix, Jonathan Witty/James Hozack/ Marcus Ashley-Jones, Australia, 2-2-7-8-7-3-(9)-9, 38.
