Narrow lead in yacht titles

Press, 21 January 1982, Page 28

Narrow lead in yacht titles

By

JOHN COFFEY

A young Auckland helmsman, Murray Armstrong, will carry a narrow corrected points advantage into the final day of the New Zealand Starling class yachting championship at Lyttelton this morning. Armstrong’s impressive victory in the fifth heat, yesterday afternoon — actually the fourth completed race, for the third is still to be resailed — gave him the distinction of being the only double winner. In his four appearances Armstrong has had two firsts, a fifth and a ninth. By discarding the latter placing he has conceded 10 penalty

points under the Olympic low-scoring system. However, Michael Murray (Auckland), Craig Rosevear (Canterbury), Robert Naismith (Northland) and Greg Flynn (Wellington) are still well within range of Armstrong with two heats remaining. The resail of the third race has been set down, for 10 a.m. this morning, with the last event at 2 p.m. Murray has been the most consistent of the 47 competitors, finishing in the top four each time. His corrected points total is 11.7, and he is closely followed by Rosevear (14.4), Naismith (18) and Flynn (18). But Rosevear, in particular, cannot afford a modest

performance today. He was disqualified yesterday morning for not reporting before the start. There is some doubt if the disqualification will stand, but he still came home in seventeenth position in that race.

Hopes of fitting in three heats yesterday were extinguished when the fleet was becalmed between the light southerly breeze of the morning and the fresh northeasterly which provided the momentum for an exciting afternoon contest.

Armstrong relished the stronger wind, having familiarised himself with such conditions during the early part of the national Laser

series last week. Only for a brief period near the wing mark was he overtaken — by Rosevear — and he shook off the challenges of Rosevear, Murray and Naismith on the last beat.

The reliable Murray made up ground throughout the course and slipped into third ahead of Naismith. Perry Mardon improved what was an otherwise disappointing day for Canterbury entrants by retaining sixth behind Flynn. Naismith, only sixth at the top mark, and still trailing Neil Edmond (Otago) around the last two buoys, emerged best from a tacking duel to gain line honours in the morning race.

Simon Greenwood (Auckland) kept Murray, Armstrong and Flynn at bay to hold third, and Jo-ann Nesbit (Canterbury) with her thirteenth provided the most prominent result by any of the nine female skippers. Results.—

Race three: to be resailed this morning. Race four: Robert Naismith (Northland) 1, Neil Edmond (Otago) 2, Simon Greenwood (Auckland) 3, Michael Murray (Auckland) 4, Murray Armstrong (Auckland) 5, Greg Flynn (Wellington) 6, Chris Petch (Auckland) 7, Tim Willets (Auckland) 8.

Race five: Armstrong 1, Craig Rosevear (Canterbury) 2, Murray 3, Naismith 4, Flynn 5, Perry Mardon (Canterbury) 6, Petch 7, Edmond 8.