Much hard work ahead for Flying Dutchman crew

Press, 8 November 1978, Page 18

Much hard work ahead for Flying Dutchman crew

By

JOHN COFFEY

Although Bryan Treleaven and his for'ard hand. John Collingwood, were away from the waters of Lyttelton on only three week-ends during the chilly winter months, Treleaven considers that they need another six months of preparation before eroding tacks with the highl y-regarded Flying Dutchman yachting crews in the north Treleaven’s assessment of the situation is based o~ realism. His switch from the monotype classes was made last April and Collingwood returned to active participation in the sport after an extensive rbsence because of business reasons.

But there is already the promise that the skill and experience which assisted them to achieve prominence in other designs will make them a competitive threat to the traditional dominance of the North Islanders in this spectacular Olympic division. Poor weather conditions curtailed most of the racing at the Olympic series held at Lyttelton over Labour Day week-end. bur. Treleaven and Collingwood had the satisfaction of finishing ahead of the former South Island title-holder, Milton Pope (now in Wellington). and the Nelson and other Canterbury entrants. On Saturday and Sunday they will have the chance to add another notation to their list of yachting accomplishments

when they sail in the thr e-heat South Island contest at Lyttelton. Treleaven and Collingwood will then be able to analyse their performances and look ahead to the national championships at Napier and the Air New' Zealand Olympic Regatta at Auckland next April. Ahead of them lie such

formidable figures as the present New Zealand trophy holders, Garry Wiig and Lasse Reeson (Napier), and the powerful Auckland contingent spearheaded by Jock Bilger and Murray Ross, Andy Ball and Bob Eastmond, Geoff Smale and Ralph Roberts, and John Moyes and Barry Thom

Bilger and Ross won five consecutive national titles, represented this country twice at the Olympic Games, and were the runners-up in the 1975 world event before having a spell last summer. Now they are back with a new boat, Ross was recently in Europe taking note of the latest Flying Dutchman developments, and their sights are set on further Olympic representation at Tallinn in 1980.

The vast knowledge that Smale and Roberts have accumulated in a decade of specialising in this

class — their record also includes a second placing at world lewel and Olym-

pic experience — makes them a continuing threat. Wiig and Reeson arid Ball and Eastmond comprised the New Zealand squad at the 1978 world series and, if they did not manage to assure the class of automatic Olympic nomination. will ' have benefited from their trip. Ball and Eastmond bought a new hull while in Europe, and Moyes and Thom —- two young men who have already earned distinction as monotype helmsmen — also have a new craft.

“With the high standard and amount of talent in Flying Dutchman yachting, I do not see that Olympic qualification is a big problem. If we can manage to get two or three crews overseas next year, they should be capable of meeting the requirement of finishing in the top 10 at a major regatta such as those planned for Tallinn and Helsinki,” Treleaven said. If Treleaven and Collingwood need any more encouragement, they could take heart from the successful transition made by another former prominent Canterbury Finn skipper. Bret de Thter, who, with Steve Moffatt, has reached? tenth world ranking in his first Tornado catamaran bid Treleaven was a perennial rival of de Thier as a Finn skipper, and was a reserve to hjs provincial team-mate at the 1972 Olympics at Kiel.

Treleaven, a former South Island champion, was frequently in the top bracket in national Finn contests — he had a best placing of a second to Noel Everett (Auckland) in 1966-67 — and won the New Zealand Laser class title at Lyttelton three years ago before finishing a creditable eighth in the South Pacific series at Brisbane. His combination with Collingwood is particularly well-balanced. Collingwood and Paul France won a New Zealand intermediate J.C. Trophy and Collingwood’s background in two-man yachting has been of great assistance to Treleaven during their familiarisation period since they purchased their Flying Dutchman from the capable Napier competitor, John Workman, last April. Further help has been retrieved on and off the water from John Morrison and Dave Campbell, two other Canterbury skippers who have been prominent, in the revival of the Flying Dutchman design in the south. Morrison and his son, David, are tuning a new boat, Campbell will have another for’ard hand for the South Island event, and all three Canterbury boats have been fitted with new sails.

The mutual respect that

rival yachtsmen have for each other is evident from the advice freely given to Treleaven, Morrison and Campbell by Ball and Smale — clearly there is no attitude in Auckland that the southern threat should be snuffed out — and the Canadian, Hans Fogg. “The bigger Flying Dutchman has so much more nower than what I was used to in the Finns,’’ Treleaven said. “The sail area is extremely large for a two-man boat, especially as we. are sailing rather light at an all-up crew weight, of about 160 kg. Such a weight is acceptable in Europe, but is light for New Zealand conditions.

“The Flying Dutchman is, by nature, very sensative and difficult to tune. It responds well when tuned correctly, and the hardest aspect is to understand all of the minor adjustments, and how. ■when and why we should do certain things. We are calibrating every adjustment' so it can be duplicated when conditions require.” he said. “It was pretty cold training through the winter, although we were

lucky to get a lot of winds of about 10 to lokn. Wc needed them at the time and no doubt the fresh conditions recently have given us a further insight in acquainting ourselves to the F.D.”

As a member of the New Zealand Yachting Federation and one of its representatives to the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association — he wears another yachting hat (or cap?) as the Canterbury agent for Laser and Hobie catamaran craft — Treleaven has taken pleasure from the renewed interest in the Olympic classes in this province. “But I would like to see more yachtsmen in Olympic divisions:. they (the Flying Dutchman, Finn, 470 and Tornado designs) are nice boats and, because they vary' from monotypes to catamarans and are suitable to different physiques, there is one to satisfy all types. “Certainly, there is sufficient depth for anyone to get .started, a number of competitive boats are available, and plenty of assistance offered to newcomers. In the Flying Dutchman class alone, there are several yachts for sale at reasonably chean cost; , “The standard on a national scale is very high and New Zealanders, are invariably, well jtlaced in world company. I think yachting enthusiasts are going to have a pretty exciting time leading up to the Olympics in 1980,” Treleaven said.