Strong Overseas Entry For Pacific Cup

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30677, 17 February 1965, Page 18

Strong Overseas Entry For Pacific Cup

“The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND, February 16. Three Australians, two Japanese and an American are listed amongst the 50 yachtsmen who willsailw. the inaugural Finn Pacific Cup yachting contest at Auckland next month. Efforts to bring the 1963 world and 1964 Olympic champion Willi Kuhweide, of Germany, to Auckland for the contest fel through when Kuhweide left the airline Lufthansa and joined the Army.

Other efforts to invite Paul Elvstroem, the winner of a gold medal for Denmark at four successive Olympic Games, were also to no avail.

Elvstroem, it is understood, broke a leg when ski-ing in Switzerland.

The six overseas Finn skippers coming to the contest are: R. Gale, W. Wright and C. Ryrie (Australia), K. Matsuyama and M. Ozawa (Japan), and S. Schoonmaker (United States).

Ryrie if the Australian Olympic representative who came sixth in the Finn class at Tokyo, two places behind P. G. Mander. Gale and Wright are big men who are best in heavy weather. Matsuyama, while not an Olympian, is regarded as Japan's best skipper in light airs. Schoonmaker was the United States reserve at Tokyo in the Finn and Flying Dutchman classes.

The 53 New Zealand entrants —who will be competing for the annual New Zealand championship as well as for the Pacific Cup—are made up as follows: Auckland 24, Canterbury 9, Nelson 6, Gisborne 4, Tauranga 3, Wellington 2, Thames, Northland, Rotorua and Taranaki, one each. The Auckland entrants include the Tokyo gold medallist, H. O. L. Pedersen, who

sailed his Finn regularly and i successfully before Christ- i mas while his Flying Dutchman crew, E. L. Wells, was < being married. N. R. Everett, T. J. Speed, < R. H. and C. A. Roberts, R. < J. Watson. D. J. Newell and < P. H. Letcher are other pro- I minent Aucklanders entered, i The Canterbury contingent i will be without Mander but includes the Olympic Games 1 reserve, B. G. de Thier, B. E. i Treleaven and F. B. G. Simp- < son. ' The top seven in the 1964 I Olympic trials were Mander, de Thier, Treleaven, Simpson, i Speed, Everett and R. H. Rob- I erts. The contest will be of seven I races, one a day over a 10- I day period, with some days as i

rest days. It will be sailed in the Rangitoto channel off Takapuna beach, beginning on March 20. Local businessmen in the city of Takapuna—which is only six miles from Auckland city—are sponsoring the contest by promoting a local gala week in conjunction with the yacht races. A cup for the contest has been donated by Albert C. Capotosto, of Manila, president of the Far East Yacht Racing Federation, which is based in the Philippines. In organising this first Pacific contest, the New Zealand Finn Association hopes to create an event that eventually will be staged in turn by ail Finn-sailing countries that border the Pacific.