Yachting captain warns team of hazards

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 80

Yachting captain warns team of hazards

NZPA staff corresponent London New Zealand’s trio in the world One Ton Cup needs to "keep out of trouble,” says the team captain, Jim Davern. He said Exador — his biggest hope — and Epic Lass and Canterbury Export will have to negotiate water “full of shingle banks, hazards including sunken boats and lots of weed” off Poole, in southern England. “I’ve said to our blokes to keep out of trouble. We don’t want any groundings,” Mr Davern said yesterday. The three boats will compete for individual honours in the One Ton Cup as a warm-up to the Admiral’s Cup team contest in three

weeks. The first in a series of five races will begin late tonight. It will be one of three over an Olympic course of about 27 miles. Medium and long distance races (one of about 27 hours and the other around 54 hours) will also be sailed during a week of competition. Mr Davern picks Exador, skippered by Graeme Woodroffe, to perform best of the New Zealanders. She was “undisputed top boat” and had been “hanging in over the light conditions and going quickly in 10-20 knots,” he said. A breeze of 15 knots sprung up at Poole in late morning during practice sailing last week.

Canterbury, skippered by Roy Dickson — co-helms-man with Chris Bouzaid in New Zealand’s 1969 One Ton Cup triumph — looked good in light conditions. “But she could be suspect in winds over 10 knots,” Mr Davern said. Epic, skippered by Peter Walker, “will be in it in the 20 knot breeze range.” Mr Davern said the Singapore entry, Highland Fling, which the New Zealanders Geoff Stagg and Chris Dickson are helping sail, was a prospect for honours, although the crew had not been together long. Germany’s Rubin, skippered by Hans OttoSchuman and with a welldrilled crew, was singled out by tbje New Zealanders as a favourite.