Bid for cup by Canty yacht

Press, 1 November 1985, Page 36

Bid for cup by Canty yacht

On the eve of sailing trials for a place in the New Zealand team at this year’s Southern Cross Cup, the coskipper of Canterbury’s sole entry, lan Franklin, is confident of success. Franklin and the crew of The Syndicate are in Auckland today to compete in two races this week-end, with more races over the next two week-ends, for a place in New Zealand’s three-yacht team. Although The Syndicate has not been able to spend much time preparing for the trials, Franklin believes their yacht has a 50 per cent chance of getting in the team.

“The boat’s got the goods,” he said, “and we’ll find out this week-end if we’re up to the competition.” Competition is expected to be tough for the 10 boats entered in the trials, however.

The line-up includes five new yachts, as well as the Admiral’s Cup yacht, Exador, and the Farr 42, Swuzzlebubble, which just missed out on the Admiral’s Cup team this year. Franklin said the standard of these yachts was high and the New Zealand Yachting Federation could select two teams after the trials. However, the trials are still officially for only one team. The Syndicate is a new Bruce Farr design, built in Christchurch especially for the Southern Cross Cup, and financed by a group of six Canterbury businessmen. Franklin will co-skipper the yacht with another local yachtsman, Rowan Wills, and the remaining eight crewmen are also local sailors.

The Southern Cross Cup series is held in Sydney every two years for some of the world’s top ocean-racing yachts. The series begins on December 13, and ends with the Sydney-Hobart classic, won last year by Lion New Zealand.