A typical Pupuke gusty and very shifty SW breeze, averaging around 10 knots, greeted the fleet for the 2022 North Harbour Masters. The conditions for the 5 race series tested everyone, and consistency proved extremely difficult for most of the fleet of 21 Masters, 13 in the ILCA 7 and 8 in the ILCA 6.

 

The exception was Phil Wild (M), who managed to take out every race in the ILCA 6, some by a close margin but some pretty comprehensively! The battle for second was however close, with GGM Kevin Welsh just pipping GM Don McGlashan by a point, while Legend Barry Knott was 4th. Georgina Wooldridge was the leading women's master in 5th overall.

 

In the ILCA 7's the final result was determined on count back, with both Rohan Lord (GM) and Cris Brodie (GM) scoring two bullets, but the title coming down to Rohan's third best result being a 2nd while Cris' was a 3rd! The best of the rest were GGM's Mark Hursthouse and David Giles, who ended with a nice margin over the rest of the fleet. David took the bullet in race 2, but a UFD in race 3 and a difficult 4th race left him unable to match Mark overall. Everyone in the rest of the fleet really struggled for consistency, with the next half dozen only separated by a couple of points, led by top Master Greg Wilshire.

 

As usual the fleets enjoyed top class race management from PRO Garth Briden and an entertaining prize giving from Commodore John Dowsett. 

 

This was the first regatta of the season for many, and with the North Islands in a couple of weeks and then the Nationals at Murrays Bay coming up in January it provided a good way to clear out the cobwebs and a very enjoyable days racing.

 

 

Nick Page
 

Murrays Bay held the long running Stack Winter Champs over the weekend 15/16 October and turned on a wide range of conditions at what will be the venue for the upcoming ILCA 2023 Nationals.  The event was run very well with RO, Nick Olson and team dealing with some tricky conditions not to mention a cold snap that really made it feel like it was still winter.

While full rigs weren’t able to compete the radial fleet was strong with an excellent turn out from competitors from all over the country as far north as the Bay of Islands/Taipa and as far South as Dunedin with Queen Charlotte, Tauranga, Napier, Hamilton as well as Auckland all well represented.

Day one was Easterly, lightish and got lighter through the day.  Reigning female National Champ, Greta Pilkington, leveraged her recent European experience to be the stand out performer with two wins: gliding past some old hack to take the lead and extend in the first race.  Zach Stibbe  snuck into second on the line with Phil Wild in 3rd.  Race two softened even more and saw a lot of place changes throughout the race – most notably was Greta who worked her way up into the lead with George Lane second and George Pilkington in 3rd.  Racing was then abandoned for the day.

Day two was 15-20knots from the SW and garnered a great deal of excitement on shore from those keen to smash the beats and send it on the reaches.  Interestingly enough, it was the older hands who had the legs over the course of the day.  Race one saw a lot of place changes with initial race leader opting to sail another course, a couple of capsizes here and there and shifts typical of a puffy south wester.  Lane showed consistency and was quite happy to watch numerous boats around him mess things up and found himself in the lead with a couple of legs to go.  George Pilkington repeated his previous solid top 3 place with second and Wild getting back to 3rd.  Race four was certainly the one for the old boys of the fleet with Wild, Lane and Dunedin sailor Peter Graham rounding out the top three.  By now, most of the fleet were hurting but only half way through the day.  Lane sailed sensibly and consistently to take race 5, George Pilkington in 2nd and Zach Stribbe powered into 3rd on the last beat.  The last race saw Lane again sail well to take another gun with Graham in second and Greta storming through into 3rd.  To top things off after four breezy races, everyone then got to enjoy the relaxing 40min slog back to the beach – gotta love the southwester!

Overall, consistency was crucial as the score card showed that between the top three overall place getters, there was only one race between them outside of the top 5 over the entire event (when Greta capsized????).

 

Murrays Bay held the long running Stack Winter Champs over the weekend 15/16 October and turned on a wide range of conditions at what will be the venue for the upcoming ILCA 2023 Nationals.  The event was run very well with RO, Nick Olson and team dealing with some tricky conditions not to mention a cold snap that really made it feel like it was still winter.

While full rigs weren’t able to compete the radial fleet was strong with an excellent turn out from competitors from all over the country as far north as the Bay of Islands/Taipa and as far South as Dunedin with Queen Charlotte, Tauranga, Napier, Hamilton as well as Auckland all well represented.

Day one was Easterly, lightish and got lighter through the day.  Reigning female National Champ, Greta Pilkington, leveraged her recent European experience to be the stand out performer with two wins: gliding past some old hack to take the lead and extend in the first race.  Zach Stibbe  snuck into second on the line with Phil Wild in 3rd.  Race two softened even more and saw a lot of place changes throughout the race – most notably was Greta who worked her way up into the lead with George Lane second and George Pilkington in 3rd.  Racing was then abandoned for the day.

Day two was 15-20knots from the SW and garnered a great deal of excitement on shore from those keen to smash the beats and send it on the reaches.  Interestingly enough, it was the older hands who had the legs over the course of the day.  Race one saw a lot of place changes with initial race leader opting to sail another course, a couple of capsizes here and there and shifts typical of a puffy south wester.  Lane showed consistency and was quite happy to watch numerous boats around him mess things up and found himself in the lead with a couple of legs to go.  George Pilkington repeated his previous solid top 3 place with second and Wild getting back to 3rd.  Race four was certainly the one for the old boys of the fleet with Wild, Lane and Dunedin sailor Peter Graham rounding out the top three.  By now, most of the fleet were hurting but only half way through the day.  Lane sailed sensibly and consistently to take race 5, George Pilkington in 2nd and Zach Stribbe powered into 3rd on the last beat.  The last race saw Lane again sail well to take another gun with Graham in second and Greta storming through into 3rd.  To top things off after four breezy races, everyone then got to enjoy the relaxing 40min slog back to the beach – gotta love the southwester!

Overall, consistency was crucial as the score card showed that between the top three overall place getters, there was only one race between them outside of the top 5 over the entire event (when Greta capsized????).

 

 

The Auckland ILCA (Laser) champs was held at Tamaki on 2nd and 3rd April, incorporating the Auckland Masters one day regatta on the Saturday. 

 

A good fleet of 44 turned out on Saturday morning to a forecast of light and variable conditions for the weekend and indeed that was what we got, northerly breezes 5 to 8 knots on Saturday and struggling to get to 5 knots on Sunday. That, combined with the usual Tamaki washing machine chop from ferries and with half of Auckland out boating, definitely made for some interesting racing. Standout performance had to be 82 year old Sandy Grigg being very competitive in the Standard fleet; never say local knowledge is not important, he joined Tamaki in about 1952!

 

On Saturday the Standard Masters, who made up the majority of the Standard fleet, enjoyed close racing with Al Tate making the most of the conditions to be the leading masters in all 4 races and take home the Auckland Masters trophy. He was followed by a close bunch in most races with Chris Brodie eventually coming through as leading GM and second master overall, Mark Hursthouse third overall and first GGM with David Giles and Mike Fyfe from Akarana rounding out the top bunch. In the Radials the Masters were in the minority but ended up well spread through the large youth fleet. Standout was Phil Wild, winning the Masters championship and sitting 3rd overall at the end of the day, including getting the gun in one race. Tamaki Apprentice Phillip Bennett was second master with leading GM Werner Hennig in 3rd.

 

On Sunday a few masters were back to join the balance of the fleets to decide the Auckland Champs. In the Radials Fijian Olympic rep Sophia Morgan had led overnight and had a great battle with Caleb Armit (Y) in the two races completed on Sunday. In the end it was Caleb who won on count back from Sophia with George Lane(O) third and Greta Pilkington, who won two races but struggled a bit for consistency, finishing 4th overall. In the Standards the racing at the top of the fleet was close both days but Thomas Mulcahy dominated the results in the end with Samoan Olympic rep Eroni Leilua second overall and master Chris Brodie 3rd.

 

Overall  a challenging regatta for all but great to see a strong fleet at the end of this Covid affected season.

Final Results

Final day icing on the cake

 

The final day of the 2022 ILCA (Laser) Nationals at Queen Charlotte Yacht Club was another cracker, with the scheduled final two races completed to wrap up an extremely successful contest. Today the breeze was back in the SE, so the racing was again on the far side of the sound, as it was on day 1. When the D flag was raised to release the fleet onto the water the race officer described the conditions on course as "a steady 15 knots". However, as we have all learnt over the last 4 days, steady is not a word applicable to wind in Queen Charlotte Sound! We got wind ranging from not much more than 5 knots up to well over 15 knots with some big shifts and oscillations, but race officer Peter Henderson again set excellent courses for the conditions and gave us two great races for all the fleets.

 

Favourite Tom Saunders continued to dominate the 41 boat ILCA 7 fleet, adding the 2022 New Zealand  ILCA 7 championship to his recent ILCA World Championship win. He did not have it all his own way however, with George Gautrey taking out the first race of the day to finish just 4 points behind Tom in second overall. After getting a bit buried in the days first race Luke Cashmore's second in the final race was enough for him to secure 3rd place overall, just ahead of Luke Deegan with Eroni Leilua 5th. Eroni however left looking very happy after he picked up a new sail as a spot prize at the prize giving! Thomas Mulcahy in 6th overall was the winner of the U21 trophy. 

 

Top Grand Master Andrew Dellabarca won the Masters overall, closely followed by leading Master Kris Decke and leading Apprentice Tim Pitcaithly. These three achieved consistently strong results all weekend, which gave them a significant lead on the rest of the masters fleet, several of whom achieved excellent individual race results but lacked the consistency of the leading three. Nick Page was the leading GGM in 18th overall.

 

Standout performance of the regatta was Caleb Armit's (Y) perfect 9 point score to win the ILCA 6 overall. He took todays variable conditions in his stride to add wins in both todays races to his scoresheet. George Lane (O) secured second overall with two top 3 races today, matched on the day by Dylan Forsyth (Y) who finished 3rd overall and second Youth. The women's title was closely fought right to the final finish, with Great Pilkington's two 4th places today securing her the woman's title, in her first year out of the youth ranks, and 4th overall ahead of Annabelle Rennie-Younger and Olivia Christie in 5th and 6th overall. Teaghan Denny was the leading Youth Girl ahead of Anna Martin and Gabriella Kenton-Smith.

 

Apprentice Phil Wild secured the ILCA 6 Masters title with a race to spare by winning the days first race. Ed Tam continued his usual super consistent regatta to secure 2nd overall and the Masters division victory ahead of top GM Werner Hennig in 3rd overall. GGM Pete Thomas bookended the regatta with a win in the last race to match his win in the opening race, securing 4th overall and the GGM trophy. Leading Masters woman was GM Helen Spencer with GGM Gill Waiting and GM Lucia Chagas second and 3rd of the women's masters.

 

Overall the 2022 nationals will be remembered as an outstanding success. A fantastic venue, enthusiastic club, large fleets, excellent but variable conditions, extremely close racing and fully deserving champions in every division make this one to remember. So thanks to QCYC for hosting the championship, all the volunteers for making it possible and of course Omicron for waiting until after the last race to require the move to Red from tonight! Next year will be at Murrays Bay Sailing Club so we look forward to a resumption of the excellent competition there.

 

Nick Page

Another Beautiful Day on the Sound

 

Patience was the name of the game for the beginning of day 3. The fleet was on course for a 1pm start as scheduled, with a light easterly blowing. The first race started, only to be abandoned a few minutes later when the breeze completely died. After a bit of a wait a good NW breeze developed and allowed all 3 scheduled races to be completed. Blowing directly off the northern shore of the sound the breeze was rather fickle, varying in strength from around 8 to 15 knots, always gusty and shifty, making for another physically testing day for all the sailors. It was again warm with clear blue skies, attracting a few extra spectators onto the course. We again enjoyed very close racing in all the fleets, with places changing frequently as the shifts and pressure lines came through. It was certainly not a lottery though and the leaders generally consolidated their positions in all fleets.

 

In the ILCA 7's it was again a two out of three bullet day for reigning World Champ Tom Saunders, but he did prove human, slipping to third in the second race of the day after misjudging the tide and hitting the top mark. This race was led for a long time by Luke Deegan but it was finally George Gautrey that got the gun from Luke and Tom. So with only tomorrows two scheduled races remaining Tom is in a strong position at the head of the fleet with George a clear second. Behind them it is a tight battle between Luke Cashmore and Luke Deegan for the final podium spot, with Samoan Olympic rep Eroni Leilua still in with a shot as well from 5th overall. In the Masters the top 3 are close and have  a significant points advantage over the rest of the Masters field. Andrew Dellabarca (GM) again had a strong and consistent day to hold a narrow lead in the Masters fleet from Chris Decke (M), with leading Apprentice Master Tim Pitcaithly close behind.

 

In the ILCA 6's Caleb Armit (YB) enjoyed a stellar day, taking out all 3 races to build a really strong lead on the fleet. Second placed George Lane (O) had a tougher day with a few errors creeping in (he shared the pesky mark problem with Tom). Dylan Forsyth (YB) just held onto third overall but Zach Stibbe (YB) moved strongly up the leaderboard with a great 2/3/2 record today to sit 4th overall. The leading 4 women all has slightly up and down days but Olivia Christie (OW) did enough to lie 5th overall and lead the women with Annabelle Rennie-Younger (OW) and Greta Pilkington (YG) tied on points only 2 behind Olivia, while Emily Overend (OW) is very much still in contention only a couple of points further back.

 

In the ILCA 6 Masters Phil Wild (AM) again dominated, winning 2 races, but allowed Werner Hennig (GM) through to win the first race of the day. So going into the final day Phil has a good lead from Master Ed Tam with Werner in 3rd. Pete Thomas in 6th overall is the leading GGM while Helen Spencer continues to be the leading Master Woman ahead of Hamilton teammate Lucia Chagas.

 

Two races are scheduled for the final day tomorrow, hopefully with an earlier midday start if the wind gods cooperate.

 

Nick Page

Picture Perfect Conditions 

Day 2 Results

Day 2 Photos on Live Sail Die

The start was delayed an hour while the breeze built but we were then treated to 3 epic races in glorious conditions. The 10 to 15 knot easterly that developed blew straight down the sound and there were plenty of shifts to play and a nice seaway for the downwind legs. After yesterdays chilly blast today gave us blue skies and warm temperatures. The wind was ideal for close racing and there was incredible competition right through all the fleets. Every race was different, with no side paying consistently and wind strength, wave and tide changing enough to make every race unique and challenging.

 

At the front of the 41 boat ILCA 7 fleet the extremely close contest between reigning World Champion Tom Saunders and George Gautrey continued, with Tom scoring two bullets to Georges one on the day, extending Toms overall lead. Luke Cashmore and Luke Deegan continued to keep the two leaders on their toes with consistent top placings. Several masters were also right on the heels of the leaders, with GM Andrew Dellabarca the standout, finishing the day 5th overall. Kris Decke (M) was also right in the mix in two of the races, but got lost in the pack in the second race of the day, allowing Andrew to open up a gap at the front of the Masters fleet. Apprentice Tim Pitcaithly from Nelson continued his consistent form to be the leading Apprentice and leading South Island sailor.

 

Just as Tom let one get away in the 7's Caleb Armit let one slip in the ILCA 6's, with second overall George Lane triumphant in the last race of the day, although Caleb continues to lead convincingly overall. Two strong second placings saw Dylan Forsyth move to third overall. The close contest between the women continued. Olivia Christie moved up the leaderboard to be the leading woman in 4th overall, closely followed by standout youth Greta Pilkington. Local Picton sailor Emily Overend was all smiles after a solid day, capped off with a 3rd in the last race which moved her up to 6th overall.

 

Phil Wild (AM) was another to score 2 bullets today in the ILCA 6 masters,. His performance in the second race was one of the most dominant of the day, winning by a large margin after being beaten into second by Ed Tam (M) in the first race. Ed remains second overall and is followed by an improving Werner Hennig (GM) from Hamilton, who is tied on points with another GM, Roger Winton in forth. Helen Spencer is the leading womens master, although she let husband Rick slip ahead of her on the points table today, which I am sure she will be working to correct tomorrow.

 

So with half the series races now completed the favourites continue to dominate. With another fine day but slightly lighter winds forecast for tomorrow we can hopefully look forward to more close, high quality racing, with 3 races again scheduled.

 

Nick Page

 

A great opening day with an excellent fleet of 92 divided into 3 divisions; ILCA 7 (including Masters), ILCA 6 Open & Youth and ILCA 6 Masters for the 2022 ILCA Nationals at Queen Charlotte Yacht Club in Picton. 

 

Two races were completed today as scheduled in a fresh SE breeze. PRO Peter Henderson set a great start line and course, seeing all races completed without a general recall, with just a couple of over eager souls picking up OCS's on the day.