New German boat big threat to N.Z. hopes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33095, 9 December 1972, Page 46

New German boat big threat to N.Z. hopes

(From

PAUL CAVANAGH,

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

SYDNEY. The West German yachtsman, H. Beilken, in his sparkling new aluminium yacht Ydra will be the man New Zealand and the other nations will have to beat in the 1972 One-Ton Cup series, which begins off Sydney Heads today.

Ydra is the latest craft in a long and successful combination between Beilken and the boat designer, Mr R. Carter.

Sailing the Carter-designed Optimist, Beilken won the One-Ton Cup in Le Havre in 1967 and again the next year at Heligoland. After the win by the New Zealand skipper, C. Bouzaid, at Heligoland in 1969, Beilken travelled to New Zealand for last year’s series, when he finished runner-up to Stormy Petrel, sailed by S. Fischer (Australia). Now Beilken is back for another tilt at the cup in the sleek 37-footer which has been the talk of Sydney yachtsmen since its arrival here two weeks ago. Ydra was launched only in July of this year, but already it has performed impressively in international events. In her first series, Cowes Week, she scored six firsts in her class against strong opposition. Racing machine Mr Carter has made no concessions to pleasure or cruising in his latest design and Ydra is an all-out racing machine. From the 39ft sin of his • Wai-Aniwa design, Carter has trimmed Ydra down to 37ft. There is far less freeboard than normal and Ydra features a raking trailing edge to the keel. The New Zealand skipper, P. Mulgrew, who will sail Young Nick in the series, is

one who has a high respect for Ydra.

“We have been hearing fearsome stories about Ydra’s speed and don’t want to believe them any more,” he said yesterday. Many contenders “She certainly looks magnificent and apparently goes well. But there are several other yachts in this series who have excellent chances and it would be foolish to count them out.”

Being a new yacht, Ydra is largely untried in heavy seas; her Cowes wins were all scored in relatively light conditions.

The fresh winds and lumpy seas expected to be the prevailing conditions for this year’s series might test her

and give the inside running to Bouzaid’s Wai-Aniwa and Stormy Petrel, which has C. Curran and G. Newland in charge this time.

The New Zealanders yesterday reported themselves “all set” for the series, although Bouzaid is not entirely happy after having to shave seven-eights of an inch off Wai-Aniwa’s mast to meet cup conditions. Today’s event will be a 27mile Olympic-style race. There will be a 130-mile event on Monday, another short race on Thursday, the big 270-miler next Saturday, and the series will finish with a short race on Wednesday week.

The cup will go to the yacht scoring most points after dropping its worst performance.