N.Z. Crews Eager To Beat World Champion

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32215, 6 February 1970, Page 15

N.Z. Crews Eager To Beat World Champion

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. The top New Zealand Flying Dutchman yachtsmen will have another crack at the remarkable world champion, R. Pattison, of England, in Adelaide later this month—and with higher hopes of success than in the last two years.

Pattison, a brilliant yachtsman, has dominated world F.D. sailing in his yacht Superdocious in recent years, winning the 1968 Olympic title and the 1969 world title at Naples.

The Auckland Olympic yachting committee will be sending two top skippers, R. A. Watson and G. A. Smale, to the world contest. In addition, two Dragons, skippered by D. St C. Browm international Prince Philip > Cup contest, starting at Adelaide on February 26. Smale and his celebrated ! for'ard hand, R. H. Roberts, I will be sailing their new TakI apuna in the F.D. contest; I Watson and J. Scholes will be sailing H. O. L. Pedersen’s I new yacht Delilah, as their i own yacht did not arrive back i from the last world championships in time for Watson and Scholes to tune it properly. The world F.D. contest will be sailed from February 21|2S over seven points races.

Six New Zealand F.D.s will compete in the seven “F.D. Week” races, which will be sailed at the same time as the world contest. The New Zealand skippers are J. V. Bilger, J. Hansen, D. Cox and M. Leary, of Auckland, A. Workman, of Napier, and a Nelson entrant. The New Zealanders will now not compete in the Australian championships, which will start at Adelaide on February 12, but expect to compete in a “warm-up” series near the end of the Australian event. Brown, one of New Zealand’s most experienced Dragon skippers, will have his two sons as crew on Barco Del Oro. One of Green’s crew on Aotearoa will be R. C. Stone, skipper of the Dragon Komutu, and the unsuccessful nominee for the 1968 Olympic yachting team.