New Zealand National Match Racing Championships - 27th November 2008

by Barry Davies

Intensity levels were high going into day two of the New Zealand Match Racing Championships, with some tight races being fought out under the increasing pressure to make it into the semi finals. A fresh breeze of 10 – 15 knots coming from the South West made for perfect match racing conditions and created a mixed bag of results, with some upsetting losses and surprising wins.

Rod Davis suffered 4 losses today, losing races to Ben Ainslie, Dean Barker Reuben Corbett, and Josh Junior. The two young teams made it hard for last years defending champion, with some close races. The match between Corbett and Davis was definitely a highlight of the day, the young team rising to the competition and pushing Davis into a nail biting finish. Davis, having a penalty to complete on the last downwind leg forced Corbett into a trap at the finish line in an attempt to clear his penalty. However by keeping his nose clean, Corbett was able to keep well clear and sail to the finish, beating Davis by 10 seconds. This match triggered the start of a good day for the youth team, as they then went on to beat Ben Ainslie in the following race. Corbett’s team attributed their wins to their crew work and boat handling skills. This just proves the point that experience isn’t everything in a match racing regatta, where anything is possible!

The Race Committee was able to get away eight flights today, completing the first round robin and also two races of the second round robin. Dean Barker leads the field, coming off the water today with 11 wins, and remains undefeated. Ben Ainslie isn’t far behind with 9 wins, closely followed by up and coming Phil Robertson on 8 wins. Rod Davis, after a few hard blows today still holds 7 wins, followed by Jury and Minoprio tied up on 6. With the rest of the teams not far behind, it’s all on for tomorrow’s day racing!

Fabulous views can be found from the Westhaven sea wall, where the racing is held out in front of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron