LIVESPORT TELECOM New Zealand Women's Match Racing Championships - Day 3

Kim Stuart (USA) competing at the Livesport Telecom New Zealand Women's Match Racing Championships 2010. Image copyright RNZYS.

Three more flights completed - Pellew and Souter Still in the lead

by Sara Roberts

Australian’s Nicky Souter and Katie Pellew (nee Spithill) plus Kiwi Stephanie Hazard still lead the Live Sport Telecom New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships. Souter and Pellew lead on 13 points overall with Hazard just behind on 12 points. All three skippers won all three of their races today.

Hazard commented on her day, “We are hoping to get into the semi-finals where we imagine that the racing will be another step-up again. Today we concentrated on consolidating and my team sailed really well. We were only able to complete three races – but they were good races.”

Another frustrating day of wind-shifts and breeze fluctuations for Megan Kensington and her Race Committee, but the forecast for tomorrow is promising!

Next overall is Samantha Osborne on 10 points and Silja Lehtinen on 9 points overall. Osborne and Lehtinen will race each other in Flight Nine tomorrow, which will be one to watch!

North Shore sailor Sara Winther added another win to her total, taking her to 5 points overall just one point clear of RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme skipper Danielle Bowater on 4 points.

The youngest skipper at the Championships, Anita Trudgen is just one behind them on 3 points overall.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 9.30am Sunday, with Flight Six of Round Robin Two. Once completed the Race Committee will move straight into Semi-Finals & Finals.

Saturday’s Results
Round Robin Two
Flight Three
Lehtinen beat de Lange by 10s
Souter beat Trudgen by 43s
Osborne beat Bowater by 31s
Pellew beat Stuart 1m09s
Hazard beat Winther by 40s

Flight Four
Souter beat Bowater by 10s
Osborne beat Stuart by 38s
Pellew beat Winther by 1m3s
Hazard beat de Lange by 23s
Lehtinen beat Trudgen by 12s

Flight Five
Pellew beat Osborne by 1m6s
Winther beat de Lange by 19s
Hazard beat Trudgen by 45s
Lehtinen beat Bowater by 14s
Souter beat Stuart by 44s

Points Table
Nicky Souter (AUS) 13 wins
Katie Pellew (AUS) 13
Stephanie Hazard (NZL) 12
Sam Osborne (NZL) 10
Silja Lehtinen (FIN) 9
Sara Winther (NZL) 5
Danielle Bowater (NZL) 4
Anita Trudgen (NZL) 3
Katie de Lange (NZL) 1
Kim Stuart (USA) 0

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron