The Teams Racing National Regatta began with a few weeks of intense training at the end of Term 3 and into the holidays before our departure for Algies Bay, north of Auckland. The regatta in the middle week of the spring break also doubled as the Inter-Dominion Championships – an event usually held in the September break – between the top Kiwi and Australian teams. After a rain-interrupted week of sailing, the boys managed a very creditable 11th overall out of 20 teams in the national competition. The first three sailing days resulted in a 3rd and then 2nd in the middle silver fleet for the first two rounds, respectively. It was a very strong performance from the team in challenging, windy conditions. A 2nd place in round one would have meant promotion to the top gold fleet for some highly competitive racing for the rest of the week. Once the six elite open and girls’ teams had been selected to sail in the inter-dominion event, we had, in effect, a promotion into a combined silver/gold grouping, with more
intense and tactical sailing for the team. This was a big challenge for our predominantly young skippers, but they managed some fine victories on the final day’s 3rd round of racing. The wins over teams either previously in the gold fleet or higher ranked in the silver fleet were the highlights of the final round, which decided overall rankings in light but, finally, sunny conditions. We now have integrated four additional 420 dinghies into our fleet this season, so special thanks to Griff Simpson for his wonderful support of our team through his incredible generosity by gifting two impressive, quality dinghies into the fleet via his business, Mr Boats. Arthur Mahon, a Year 13 student from Rolleston House, deserves special mention for going the extra mile with help on the day-to-day team management and organisation above and beyond what is normally expected from a student, especially at the major regattas. He was recognised by being awarded the Grigg-Kidner Cup for contribution to Sailing. Harry Lee was the recipient
of the most improved sailor. He shows much promise for the future with his enthusiasm and growth in confidence this year. I personally must thank Victor Sue- Tang, Shelly Jackson and our coach, Jonathan Clarke, for the many hours of training and work with the team – both on and off the water – over the whole year as we work to improve our performances and skills at all levels for all team members. Steven Everingham MiC Sailing
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Register 2022 Sport
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