Seiwood dominates Moth series at Lyttelton

Press, 12 November 1977, Page 56

Seiwood dominates Moth series at Lyttelton

By

JOHN COFFEY

Melv Seiwood, of the Waimakariri club, took two giant steps towards retaining his New Zealand International Moth class yachting title for a fourth consecutive season when he won the second and third heats at Lyttelton yesterday.

Such was Seiwood’s mastery of his opposition and the moderate-to-fresh easterly winds that he is the logical helmsman to lead this country’s contingent to the world championship in Brisbane in January. Only one serious challenger — the 20-year-old Napier university student, Kevin Whitehead, who missed the third race because of examination commitments — threatens to prevent Seiwood from continuing to dominate the International Moth scene. But in yesterday morning’s event Seiwood proved that he was capable of catching and comfortably beating Whitehead, and the young northern skipper will have to shake off the psychological effects of that result when the contest resumes today. Seiwood, by discarding his second place in the opening heat on Thursday, still retains a perfect score. With a first and a second in his two appearances, Whitehead has conceded only three points, but his university exam-

ination allows him no leeway to suffer gear damage or return even one modest placing. The rigorous weather has taken its toll on many of the competitors and fluctuating fortunes have caused quite a gap to be opened between the two front-runners and the remainder of the fleet. Twenty-two boats started yesterday morning, and 16 completed the course; there were another six withdrawals in the afternoon, from 17 starters.

Terry Doherty (Wellington) and Bob Willis (Auckland) have best placings of a third and a fifth for the loss of 15.7 points; Robert Capon (Canterbury) has returned two fourths, one of which is subject to protest, for 16 points; Ross Baverstock, of Wellington, has dropped 18 points from a fourth and a fifth; and another Wellington representative, David Cook, counts a second and a tenth for 19 points. Apart from Seiwood and Whitehead, Doherty has been the most consistent of the entrants. Capon’s sound record was marred by a tenth in the third race, Baverstock has improved from a first-up ninth, Peter Meo (Wellington) had two sixths to follow a thirteenth, and Cook made dramatic improvement from nineteenth and tenth for his second behind Seiwood yesterday afternoon.

However, there was more

than 4min between Seiwood and Cook, stamping the authority which the titledefender exerted. He was already Imin clear of Willis at the top mark, nearly doubled the margin off the wind, and added another Imin to his advantage on the second windward leg. Willis and Cook had no option but to be content with tussling for second place points over the second half of the heat, Cook slipping through after the completion of the triangle. Baverstock, Doherty and Meo were in the next three positions all the way. Although Seiwood trailed Whitehead around the first buoy in the morning event, he more than off-set the deficit on the way to the wing mark. From that point it was a matter of the Canterbury helmsman shrugging off nis pursuer, and he did so — by Imin 10s after the next windward beat and by almost 2min at the finish.

A capsize could not prevent Capon from gaining another fourth, behind Doherty, and Baver. -ck and Meo were always in the leading groupi Terry Waterhouse, who was seventh, filled the most prominent placing by an Otago skipper so far.

It was not a happy day for the other more experienced Canterbury yachtsmen. Andy Holland broke

the port wing on his craft in the morning and, having made hurried repairs, was seventh a few hours later. Tony Blanchard was not able to make use of conditions which he prefers when he broke a spreader before the start of the morning race and was thirteenth after a belated beginning; worse still, he was among the non-finishers in the afternoon.

If Seiwood deservedly earned top honours for sheer performance in exhausting conditions, then the diminutive Canterbury skipper, Colin Sykes, drew praise for his grit. A mere 9st, he has battled his way around the course in all three races: a fine achievement, even if he does not figure among the higher place-getters. Results.—

Race 2: M. E. Seiwood (Canterbury), Ihr 9min 325, 1; K. Whitehead (Napier), 1:11.31, 2; T. Doherty (Wellington), 1:14.45, 3; R. Capon (Canterbury), 1:15.0, 4; R. Baverstock (Wellington), 1:16.5, 5; P. Meo (Wellington) 1:17.7, 6; T Waterhouse (Otago), 1:18.45, 7; R. Bryant (Wellington), 1:19.6,

Race 3: Seiwood, Ihr 16min 365, 1; D. Cook (Wellington), 1:20.50, 2; R. Willis (Auckland), 1:20.55, 3; Baverstock, 1:21.55, 4; Doherty, 1:22.17, 5; Meo, 1:25.50, 6; A. M. Holland (Canterbury), 1:28.31, 7; T. Dahl (Auckland), 1:35.35, 8.