Yachting MOFFAT CUP

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29145, 4 March 1960, Page 12

Yachting MOFFAT CUP

Wellington Wins Series

(New Zealand Press Association) GISBORNE, March 3.

Replica (Wellington) is the 1960 idlealong sailing champion and winner of the Moffat Cup. Skippered by B. Cooper, with R. Macdonald and L. A. Zorn as crew, Rpplica won the title by 11.9 points in the five races from Nerjda (Southland), with Finito (Poverty Bay) eight points behind.

For Cooper, Replica’s triumph was the realisation of a dream. She is a true replica in every sense of the word, a copy of the lines and colouring of Wellington's 1956 Moffat Cup winner, Lorraine, which was destroyed by fire on the way from Napier to Wellington after winning the Hawke's Bay championships. Cooper resolved then to build a replica of Lorraine.

Poverty Bay and Wellington fought out a magnificent duel in deteriorating weather in the fifth race this morning, the Wellington boat crossing the line first in a thrilling finish. The weather was rough and the yachts took a heavy battering In a strong south-east wind. For the first time in the contest all the boats, except Finito. used three-man crews.

Otago, Canterbury, and Wellington got away well in the beat to the windward marker, but Poverty Bay and Wellington battled their way to the front. Poverty Bay reached the marker lOsec ahead of Wellington, with Canterbury and Southland not far behind. Then came Taranaki. Wanganui-Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Auckland. Otago. Bay of Plenty, and Nelson.-

Spinnakers out, the boats fairly flew with the wind towards the leeward marker. Poverty Bay Increased the lead slightly to round the buoy 13sec ahead of Wellington, which caught Canterbury with a beautiful gybe as it took the turn. Lead Changes

Wellington got the better of the duel with Poverty Bay and forged Into the lead round the outer marker. The Poverty Bay yacht blanketed the Wellington representative as they neared the leeward marker, and took the lead, gybing nicely about lOsec ahead of Wellington. Then came Southland. 35sec Canterbury. ssec, well clear of Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, and Taranaki.

The Hawke’s Bay boat made a lovely turn, holding the spinnaker right to the buoy. Then came Bay of Plenty, Wanganui-Manawatu, Otago, and Nelson. With some brilliant sailing In the face of the wind, Wellington rounded the windward marker almost a minute ahead of Poverty Bay. Poverty Bay made up a lot of leeway as the yachts raced round the outer marker towards the leeward buoy. However. Wellington was 30sec ahead of Poverty Bay rounding the leeward marker. Both boats were well clear of other contestants, Southland making the turn almost a minute behind Poverty Bay. Then came Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay. In the next leg, Wellington rounded the marker 40sec ahead of Poverty Bay, with Canterbury 50sec behind in third place, and Southland 30sec behind in fourth position. In the slog against the wind towards the finishing line both Replica and Finito sailed magnificently, hut Wellington crossed the line first, with Poverty Bay second. Southland third, and Canterbury fourth. Hawke's Bay was involved in a mix-up at the start with Bay of Plenty and Auckland. The Hawke’s Bay boat was holed in the forward and stern bulkheads and shipped water all the way. A protest was lodged by both Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, and Auckland was disqualified. The race started at 10.8 a.m. and the official finishing times were:— Wellington, llhr 26in, 1; Poverty Bav llhr 26min 42sec, 2; Southland, llhr 27min 39sec. 3; Canterbury, llhr 25min 52sec, 4. Aggregate points were: —Wellington 295.24. Southland 283.34, PovertyBay 275.01, Canterbury 258.57, Bay of Plenty 230. Hawke’s Bay 190.47. Auckland 124.12, Otago 117.2, Taranaki 106.6, Wanganui-Manawatu 96.21, Nelson 93.03.