Issue date
Hosted by GULF HARBOUR YACHT CLUB Inc on the beautiful Whangaparoa Peninsula, the racing started in fine form with a consistent south westerly breeze.
This is the first time we have been hosted by this club and the regatta is a prelude to the NZ Nationals in 2014. John Sinclair, our Race Officer and his team had a race brief on the Friday night and a wonderful meal was provided afterwards. There was no messing about Saturday morning when we had a start gun at 0955 hours and 14 boats to launch.
Four races were contested in a moderate breeze before it began oscillating during the afternoon and slowly abating. The placing’s were spasmodic with fortunes lost and won by getting the favoured side and there was a pattern emerging with Murray Gilbert and Jon Burgess in Ffrenetic being the most consistent finishing with 3 guns and a third. The last placing turned out to be their discard.
Murray Thom with Phil Quinn in a borrowed boat were showing signs of being quick with a string of 2nd places but would prove not consistent enough to hold out Craig Coulham and Adrienne in Blow Ffish. However, they finished the regatta in 4th place. Sally Garret and Neil Easton were also building form and doing better than most and would finish strongly. The fight for placing’s in the middle of the fleet was fierce and Rob Ward and Bruce from Whangarei in Fflying Colours were showing their class by leading the silver pack convincingly, as well as some well sailed gold fleet boats. They finished the regatta in a very credible 5th place.
Sandra Williams from Nelson sailing with Graeme Robinson from Napier in Busineff couldn’t quite find the same form she sailed at the Nationals but was still finding her way towards the front end finishing the regatta in 6th place.
Cody Banks returning to the fleet after a summer absence was finding it hard to find good form but still snagged a 3rd in race 3 to keep his hopes alive but finished 7th overall followed closely by Chris Field sailing with his young crew Sam King in 8th place.
Sunday dawned overcast with misty rain. The first race was sailed but the breeze started to die with the clearing conditions and 6 of the fleet of 15 yachts couldn’t finish in the required time. For several hours the fleet ghosted about the northern area of the Hauraki Gulf and finally a light sea breeze began and the final race was started in five knots of north easterly. The land didn’t heat enough to sustain the onshore breeze and it disappeared at the end of the race with two boats not quite making the time.
Jenny Price with Fiona sailing Iff did very well edging out her dad Fred in race 2 and finished the regatta with her strongest result finishing 6th in race 6.
Fred Price and David McIntyre in Ffirst Offspring had mixed fortune for the whole regatta but still managed a 4th place in race 5 on the second day to finish in 9th overall. David Wright and crew sailed very consistently finishing in 10th place.
Megan and Steve Cranch finally found time to sail their 15 after a very hectic sailing summer schedule and Jerome Slagter and his crew came down from Whangarei to get a feel for the competition and sailed consistently for the whole weekend. It was fantastic to see John Weston sailing with his son Jamie on Sunday, joined by Julian Reeves and Greg Taylor in Jaffa.
The podium positions went to:-
First Place and 4th time North Island Champions -Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess
Second Place Craig Coulham and Adrienne Rekke
Third Place Sally Garret and Neil Easton.
LAST CALL !!! - AUCKLAND CHAMPIONSHIP – SAIL AKARANA 16 – 17 MARCH
Organised and hosted by Royal Akarana Yacht Club, this is the last chance you can enter by going to racing@rayc.co.nz or check the website by going to www.rayc.co.nz
NEXT ….PARUA BAY REGATTA 13th and 14 APRIL 2013
Moving a bit further north, The WHANGAREI CRUISING CLUB is hosting another regatta for the FLYING FIFTEENS in this amazing setting. Definitely add this to your sailing calendar now, it will be worth the trip. Hopefully we will get a good amount of boats from the north attending both regattas and it gives us all a chance to sail in waters that you wouldn’t normally go to.
Zane Lewis is the person to contact regarding this regatta. You can contact him at:
Zane Lewis
Ph 09 438 8286
Mb 021 399 197
