Wellington maintains unbeaten run

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 42

Wellington maintains unbeaten run

Wellington maintained its unblemished record in the current series for the country’s most prestigious yachting event, the Steinlager Sanders Cup, by winning its fourth consecutive race on Lyttelton harbour yesterday. The Wellington pair of Garth Cheyne and Barry Clement had to come from well back in the field after having early difficulties on the first windward beat. But Cheyne capitalised on a I .

costly Canterbury mistake on the second-last beat to win by 38s from the Canterbury combination of Ross and Keith May. The race, which was shortened and sailed in cold conditions — with the wind gusting to 25 knots at the top mark, and 22 knots at the bottom — was delayed at the start by a windshift. Southland capitalised on this at the boat end of the line to be first across in front of Wellington and Canterbury. < u

The Wellington crew had problems with its boat halfway to the top mark and allowed the Canterbury crew and the Auckland pair of Peter and Bob Vernon to pass and lead around the mark 15s in front of Canterbury, with Wellington 50s further back. Canterbury pulled back Auckland to five boat lengths on the run to the wing mark, after Auckland was slow hoisting a spinnaker, and moved

ahead two-thirds of the way to the mark to round 17s in front of Auckland. On the run to the bottom mark Canterbury sailed a tighter course to be at the leeward buoy 43s in front of Auckland and Wellington, and went further ahead halfway up to the windward. Wellington passed Auckland to move through to second place and were fast closing on Canterbury to be 10s behind at the mark. ■«

However, on the run to the leeward mark Canterbury had difficulties and dropped the spinnaker, allowing the Wellington crew to take the lead. Halfway down the beat a quick rehoist by Canterbury picked up the lost ground and at the leeward buoy it was a boat length behind Wellington with Auckland Imin 30s further back in third place. On the last beat to the finish Wellington’s superior boat speed on , A.

the wind allowed it to go further ahead of Canterbury and apply a loose cover to win by 38s. A fast finishing Auckland, was 58s behind Canterbury. Results. — (Race four): Wellington (G. Cheyne, B. Clement) 1, Canterbury (R. and K. May) 2, Auckland (B. and P. Vernon) 3, Hawke’s Bay (P. Christie, G. Earle) 4. Points after race four: Wellington 0,1; Canterbury 12, 2; Auckland and Hawke’s Bay 27.4, equal 3.