Stack Interiors Winter Championships, Murrays Bay. Image copyright Brian Haybittle.
by Zoe Hawkins
273 boats and more than 300 sailors took part in the Stack Interiors Winter Champs off Murrays Bay on the North Shore of Auckland from 1-3 October 2010.
Image copyright Brian Haybittle.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Murrays Bay Sailing Club Commodore, Craig Moss. “The weather has been out of the box. Everyone has gotten all of the races in. The coaching clinics last week were excellent, and the racing was competitive, in ideal conditions.”
Image copyright Brian Haybittle.
The weekend offered up sunshine and crisp southerlies in the 12-18 knot range.
Image copyright Brian Haybittle.
“It was a little patchy but perfect for running an early season regatta,” says Craig Moss. “Starting was very tough – there were a lot of black flags, they had to be right onto it.”
Image copyright James Munro.
With highly competitive fleets, it was, for the most part, the experienced sailors, such as Optimist winner Jayvee Buchanan, Olympic-aspiring 49er combination Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and Sara Winther in the Laser Radial, who rose to the top.
Image copyright James Munro.
Two fleets – the 30-strong Optimist Green fleet, and the Techno board sailors, were raced closer in shore, and the Techno sailors received expertise from Grant Beck, former coach to both Bruce and Barbara Kendall, and whose son Hamish Dunning-Beck was racing. “That was very special,” says Craig.
Image copyright James Munro.
Image copyright James Munro.
Two days of intensive sailing coaching were part of the build up for around 140 of the competing sailors. “This really makes the event special and gives the young sailors a reason to travel to Auckland to take part,” says David Gunn of Stack Interiors. “To have the opportunity to be coached by some of the top Olympic and international sailors in their class is a huge privilege and we have been proud to see many young people take what they learned during coaching last week and apply it on the racecourse this week.”
Image copyright James Munro.
Image copyright James Munro.
Supporters of the event included principal sponsor and business interior design specialists Stack Interiors, sailing solutions specialist Harken, the Auckland Yachting and Boating Association and Yachting New Zealand. Andrew Brown and Force Racing facilitated the coaching of 140 sailors.
Image copyright James Munro.
Image copyright James Munro.
Coaching took place on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September, with racing starting on Friday 1 October for Juniors, and Saturday 2 October for Youth and Seniors. Racing finished for all classes on Sunday 3 October.
Murrays Bay
