Bilger third in Dutchmans

Press, 22 June 1979, Page 20

Bilger third in Dutchmans

NZPA London The New Zealand yachtsman, Jock Bilger, is lying third in the Flying Dutchman section of the big Kiel Week regatta. Bilger, with crew Murray Ross in Wright ’ Machinery has consistently finished in the first 15 of the huge fleet of about 90 yachts. His thirteenth in extremely light conditions yesterday was enough to boost him into the over-all places with three scoring races still to go. But the New Zealanders are still well back on the over-all leader, Am Batzill (W’est Germany) who was placed second yesterday. Batzill has 24.7 points compared with Bilger’s 45. Andy Ball and Bob Eastman in Steelbro could not manage better than fortysixth yesterday and are well down the fleet in the overall placings. The big entries in all classes at the Kiel Week regatta had to wait until late afternoon before getting a five-knot racing breeze. Apart from the Dutchmen, all classes are now two races behind schedule. In the Tornados, New Zealand’s Brett de Thier is leading over all with a sixth yesterday to add to his win in the only other race, or Sunday. Rex Fellars is well

back, finishing twenty-fourth yesterday. Auckland’s Richard Dodson consolidated his lead in the non-Olympic OK class with a second to add to Sunday’s win. But the day brought bad news for Dodson when Tuesday’s race, which he also won, was nullified by the organisers after officials ruled the whole fleet had been guilty of sculling and rocking in the faltering breeze. He was followed home yesterday by Wellington’s Mark Berry in eighth place, and Garry Lock (Auckland) in tenth. The general New Zealand success was not repeated in the 470 class, however. Wellington’s Murray Jones and Andrew Knowles have been unable to capture the form on which they campaigned successfully at Kiel last year and finished well down the fleet yesterday in tenth place. Mark Patterson and Chris Dickson were sixtythird. Time is now running out for the Kiel Week organisers as yachtsmen in the Flying Dutchman and Tornado classes prepare for next week’s world championships at Kiel.

The Flying Dutchman class needs at least one day with good winds to allow two races to be held in a day, but all the other classes need five races in the next ;hree days.