Promise of yacht success

Press, 19 August 1981, Page 46

Promise of yacht success

By

JOHN COFFEY

New Zealand’s chances of fashioning a proud record in the 1984 Olympic Games regatta at Long Beach, California, have been enhanced by the pleasing results achieved in the pre-Games series sailed at the same venue earlier this month.

Eight of the nine New Zealand crews finished within the top 10 in their respective classes. Brian Peet and Chris Timms (Tornadoes) and Chris Dickson and Shaun. Reeves (4705) were both third, and Bryan Treleaven and John Collingwood (Flying Dutchman) and Murray and Brian Jones (4705) returned fifth placings.

“From a team point of view, it was very gratifying to know that we were in the winning bracket, or close to it, in every class,” Treleaven, the only Canterbury skipper in the squad, said yesterday. Treleaven and Collingwood, in their first important international contest, upset some renowned performers in the 15-boat fleet to gain line honours in the sixth race. They were only once out of the first six, coming home seventh in their debut. The youthful 470-class contingent displayed exceptional potential. Dickson and Reeves won the second heat and stayed in third position in spite of a retirement,

while the Jones brothers recovered from some modest placings in mid-series to receive the winner’s gun in race six. Peet and Timms clinched their overll third with victory in their final appearance.

Conditions were generally light in the mornings and early afternoon, before freshening to an extent. Treleaven brought back weather charts to be studied and analysed by Harry Kingham, who was the meteorologist with the 1976 New Zealand Olympic team. Some nations, notably Russia, West Germany, and Australia, have reserved the start of their Games pre-

parations until the next regatta at Long Beach, but the fleets were liberally sprinkled with former Olympic medallists and world champions. Treleaven and Collingwood have a busy programme ahead of them, once their yacht has been shipped back to this country by Farrell Lines, which provided a free container for the New Zealand craft. The high points Will be the national championship at Nelson, the 1982 pre-Olympic trials at Auckland — after which another squad will be named to return to Long Beach — and, in 18 months, the world championship in Melbourne.