‘RIGS, CREW TOO SMALL’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32232, 26 February 1970, Page 13

‘RIGS, CREW TOO SMALL’

N.Z. Yachting Entrants <NZ. Preu t,«ortalton> AUCKLAND. The New Zealand boats which competed in the world 18-foeter contest in Sydney were drastically undercanvassed, said the manager of the team of four boats (Mr R. Kean) yesterday. Mr Kean said that all the .ether contestants carried bigger rigs than the New Zealanders, enabling them to handle the varying conditions during the five-race series. One yachtsman had told Mr Kean that it was no use bringing 18-footers to a world championship with 12ft gear en them. Apart from two others, only the New Zealand boats carried a crew of three instead of four. The exceptions were the New South Wales entrant, Corrigans Express and Peters Gift (Queensland), both of which bad carried bigger rigs than the New Zealand boats. New Zealand's poor showing was the result of having three-man crews, he said. What was needed was a crew of four, with three rigs, big, medium and small, to handle the varying conditions. The next world 18-footer contest would be sailed at Auckland in February or March next year. Interest in Sydney in the 1971 championships had been high and a large field could be expected.