Shady yachting instruction alleged

Press, 26 March 1981, Page 30

Shady yachting instruction alleged

By

JOHN COFFEY

A strong suggestion that the national youth yachting coach, Harold Bennett, of Auckland, has taught illegal methods to some of New Zealand’s most promising competitors has been made by 1 a Canterbury administrator, Mr M. Holland. Canterbury’s, representatives at this season’s New Zealand Starling championships at Worser Bay, Wellington, had been disadvantaged by their rivals’ skills at breaching the laws concerning sculling and body movement, Mr Holland said. When Mr Holland asked how the youthful skippers had honed such tactics, he said that he was told by them that “Harold Bennett was teaching classes in Auckland — we have weeklong . training sessions in this.”'

Mr Holland’s comments

were made at the March monthly meeting of the Canterbury Yachting Association, and have been recorded at length in the minutes of the meeting. In his report of the Starling contest, Mr Holland said that the Canterbury contingent' might not have lacked aggression, but “possibly did not-have the right attitude to do-well.” He said that they, started as. quickly as - their opponents,. only to lose but in the early stages of races. .; ■■ ■' ; . “In the few minute?:'after the start, they were buried by skippers who were using what according to the rule book are illegal .methods,” Mr Holland said. ; ~ Mr Holland was critical that. many of the; leading contenders for the title were “ooching” — using body movement- ; and, scullingto increase their boat speed and that, in spite of a warn-

ing from the officer of the day half-way through the series, no penalties were applied. “There is no shadow of doubt that the top skippers were all doing Jt and doing it to perfection,” he said: Mr; Holland said that he was told that Mr Bennett had given instruction on the methods used.

- “When Mr Bennett comes to Christchurch I suggest that all he is having is a holiday. He goes out and watches some of the boys on the water and maybe makes a few comments. Coaching is, virtually nil when you boil it all down, and I feel- that our boys have got to have some proper ; coaching,”. Mr Holland said.- ;

“We-have coaches doing their best and probably doing reasonably well, but -they are only coaching boys in how to sail a boat. They

are not really teaching'them how to race?a boat. ?. “This Is where we are really.■.■'lacking, .• coaching all the methods: that are used today.' If , everybody else is doing it we : have to join them. I am -sure 'that 'if ’dll of our boys had .collectively protested at the- end-of the first race'the whole business could have been stopped,” he said? .v ■■■

Mr Holland said that? if opposing helmsmen had been prevented from- “ooching,” the Canterbury representatives could have improved their over-all positions by “six or seven places.” Mr Holland said -that Canterbury competitors and coaches had two options; either to protest and attempt to stop the illegalities, or to teach similar methods in this province. He said that youngsters should be taught how to lodge protests, and that classes should tighten

rules to prevent sculling... “If skippers cannot use these; illegal methods they might as well stay away, as they are not in. the race. They were using all -the illegal.' methods ■— rocking, ooching, pumping, sculling, and body motion,”;Mr, Holland said. ...... The 1981-82 Starling series has been, allocated to Canterbury, and Mr Holland recommended the appointment of a strong officer of the day to “lay it on the line right from the start.” He should be backed by a committee prepared to observe tactics used soon after the starts of heats to take numbers of offending yachtsmen, and prevent prolonged debates at protest meetings. But he despairs that the illegal methods would resume 12 months later when the national championship returns to a North Island venue/ -