Buckley will be busy

Press, 21 December 1977, Page 18

Buckley will be busy

The most promising junior yachtsmen in Canterbury will begin a particularly active month of sailing when they attend a three-day coaching course at Pigeon Bay, beginning next Monday.

Ahead of them are the South island championships at Te Anau between January 8 and 11, the national inter-provincial Tanner Cup series at Dunedin (January 16 to 19), and the New Zealand interclub Tauranga Cup contest at the same venue from January 20 to 23. The busiest of the competitors will be Neal Buckley, whose victory in the recent provincial trials qualified him for the select Tanner Cup fleet.

Buckley has been in especially impressive form this ~ summer. having gained line honours in all but three of his appearances on the waters of Lyttelton harbour. Even in

those events, he was still very prominent, finishing second to the respective winners, Andrew Shields, Leslie Egnot and ’Peter Clark.

The six skippers who were behind Buckley on the over-all trials points table will also be starting in the Tauranga Cup. Buckley will be flying the flag of the Mount Pleasant club, and the other Canterbury representatives are Clark (Pigeon Bay), Shields (Canterbury club), Neale Fitzgerald (Stewart’s Gully), Miss Egn o t (Christchurch), Kevin Jamie (Akaroa), and Simon Mander (Charteris Bay).

By the time that the Tauranga Cup programme ends, Buckley will have sailed in 14 races within eight days. His development vindicates the establishment of the Canterbury Yachting Association

coaching courses — now in their second season — under the guidance of the experienced Dave Elder and Ross May.

Coaching is given free to any helmsman who shows * the necessary enthusiasm and dedication and the benefits to be gained were clear in the P class trials. Although Buckley had a winning margin of 14 points and Clark was a comfortable second, only 7.3 points separated the next four place-getters. The keen rivalry should have assisted all of the leading entrants in their preparation for the island and national championships. Another junior class, the Starlings, will also have their New Zealand title series in Dunedin, from January 23 to 26. Trials were not necessary because the rules allow for an open entry.