Strong Yachting Team For Rome

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29237, 22 June 1960, Page 13

Strong Yachting Team For Rome

AN a Bay of Naples in August, v the New Zealand t Olympic, yachting representatives will endeavour to repeat the feat of Peter Mander and Jack Cropp in 1956 of winning a gold medal. The men who have gained places in the New Zealand team are both experienced and highly skilled, and are equal to the best in the world.

■fhe New Zealand representatives in the Flying Dutchman class are Ron Watson and Murray Rae, both of whom are well fitted for the task that lies ahead. Aged 22, Watson had his first racing experience in 1949 in the crew of Howard Pascoe’s 18-fOoter, Result He also raced in the clinker-built International 14’s in Auckland at that time. N.Z. Title

When Pascoe retired from the sport Watson bought the Result and had considerable success, representing Auckland at Sydney in 1958. In the same year he won the New Zealand frostbite title and had considerable success In the Cherub class as well. He was selected as a member of the New Zealand international 14footer team which competed at Cowes, England, against Canadian and English teams. He later went to New Zealand he won the North Island Finn title In the 1968-69 season. He launched his Olympic

trial-winning Harmony with Helmar Pedersen last winter and they immediately met with success.

Murray Rae, the sheethand for Harmony, is 21. He joined Harmony only two weeks before the Olympic , trials, but had been associated with Watson for a long time. He sailed wl|h Watson in the 14-footers, was in his crew in Result, and crewed for .him in the Cherub on several occasions. He is extremely fit Experienced Ralph Roberts, who will represent New Zealand in the Finn class at Rome, is also a very experienced yachtsman. He had no easy task at the trials to beat Peter Mander, the Melbourne Olympic gold medallist, and Helmar Pedersen, a former Danish Olympic Finn-class reserve to the famous Elvstrom.

Roberts, aged 24, is regarded by most New Zealand yachting enthusiasts as an ideal representative for Rome. He is strong and fit—as one needs to be in a Finn—-

and his long career of racing must stand him in good stead. H.e won the Cornwell Cup in 1954, the national Z-class in 1957, and the Sitional J-class freshwater title at otorua in 1957. He has been the Auckland Finn champion for four years, the national champion in 1958 and represented New Zealand at the world championships the same year. He sailed in Finn regattas all over Europe for pearly 50 races. He was second in the Spanish Finn title and second in the Dutch championship —in borrowed boats to boot. These performances speak for themselves.

Pedersen is the reserve for the team, and even if he is not called upon to race, his observations will be extremely useful.

The conditions at Naples should not differ greatly from those experienced at the Olympic trials in Auckland. Conditions are almost invariably light, although sudden storms do occur from time to time. The Finn course will be over seven miles, and the Flying) Dutchmen will race over 10.8 miles.