N.Z. yacht crews beaten back

Press, 9 April 1977, Page 6

N.Z. yacht crews beaten back

PA Auckland New Zealand crews face an uphill battle if they ate to gel back into contention to win the world 18-footer \achting championship. New South Wales crews contesting the championship showed Jon Thursday the> aic fast learning the moods of the Auckland Harbour when 7 Color. K B and Ansett Airlines took the first three places of the third heat • lain Murray, at the helm of [7 Color, made sure the race was in safe keeping when he elected •to go out with a medium rig As the wind puffed up to a good 18 knots, and \ achts uith [ full rigs were overpowered. 7 {Color was nicely balanced and won by 55sec from K.B. While K.B. and Ansett Airlines were also must capably [ handled the leading New Zea{land crew could only blame its (own indiscretions for a poor [showing. Travelodge Terry ( McDell) tied her spinnaker in ‘ such a knot that 11 could not again be used and the yacht [finished in fourth place. On over-al points 7 Color, with 9? points, now leads the contest. Travelodge (N.Z.) is second with 11 points and is followed bv K IS. (13), Ansett Airlines (14), and | Benson and Hedges (143). Cotton Blossom, sailed by I Helmar Pedersen, will ha\e to beat Newspaper Taxi (Murray Ross and Paul Whiting) bv n ; x I platings in the long offshore :f she is to win the Srhwepneg South Pacific half-ton championship Pedersen managed to narrow the points deficit a little when Cotton Blossom handed Newspaper Taxi her first beating of ; the series in the fourth race |of the series sailed over an ' Olympic course yesterday.