Lyttelton to Tallinn?

Press, 5 November 1979, Page 3

Lyttelton to Tallinn?

Bret de Thier and Steve Mottatt will be making iieir competitive debut in . new Tornado catamaran, i craft they hope will airy them to the Olympic Games regatta at Tallinn next year, during the South Island championships at Lyttelton next week-end. The winners of the Tornado division of the renowned Kiel Week contesi in Germany during the southern winter, de Thiei and Moffatt have ail but completed adding the fittings to their new huli and intend to launch i: one evening this week. The hulls are of im parted Californian cedar plywood, and the frames of American redwood. De Thier said last night that he was confident the boat “is the equal to, or better, than anything we saw overseas."

De Thier and Moffatt bought the craft from a

i ormer Aucklander, Peter Douglas, an accomplished boat buider. •‘lt was one of five Douglas was preparing tor Californian buyers and we jokingly said that it was too good to send out ol New Zealand," de Thier said “Now it has become the last of its type in this country, for Douglas has since emigrated to the United States."

An intensive programme ies ahead of de Thier and Moffatt before the Olympic trials at Brown’s Bay ~nd, nest March. They are to spend several weeks in Auckland from early January, competing in the national series and staying on for the world championship.

"We are a lot more confident than in the past,” said de Thier. "We should do better in what will be only our third full season. The home venue must he an advantage against the 40-odd overseas entries.”