Fathers and daughters feature in yachting

Press, 5 March 1988, Page 14

Fathers and daughters feature in yachting

By BRYCE SIMS Close racing is expected this week-end when the Phoenix class yachts contest their Pacifica Shipping Canterbury championships, at Lyttelton. A large fleet of boats has entered the four race series, with the leading contenders for the title coming from the Waimakariri Sailing and Power Boat Club. For many of the crews the championship is being used as a build-up for the New Zealand contest at Murrays Bay, Auckland, at Easter. The combination expected to take out the title is the father and daughter team of Andy and Michelle Holland, who have won five national titles and are the title-holders in the class.

Their main opposition should come from Russell Dowdle with Glen Treleavan, the South Island champions who convincingly beat the fleet in the Show week-end regatta at Timaru, with three wins from four races.

They also won the Pigeon Bay regatta last Christmas, and are consistently finishing in the top three places in races.

Another! threat from the Waimakariri club is Wayne Mawson, who won the title with Andy Holland last season. :

He has (recruited Neil Aitkin who has been racing 470 s

to crew with him for the event, and the pair should prove to be a strong combination.

Aitkin won the Canterbury contest last year with his father, Alex, at Lake Brunner. A more recent addition to the fleet and other strong contenders for the title are Robert and Rachael Norris, another father and daughter team in their second season in the Phoenixs.

Robert Norris has recently been in Javelins and has been crewing on an Elder 680 yacht. |

Sailing on his home waters Norris's long experience in yachting is showing through with the tuning of his yacht, Hot Gossip, which is going extremely fast up-wind.!

(Three other crews which could perform if given the right conditions are Lindsay Fraser, and Stuart Inglis in Growly Bear, Ron Mackie, and Russell Thomas in Charisma, and Charles Dickey with his daughter, Rosaland, in Cat Nip. , Also sailing at the regatta week-end are the Canterbury 470 s which will continue their four race series for the Canterbury Laser title, the last two races of the Canterbury Catamaran championships, and' the start of the! South Island Trailer yacht contest. In the Kolorcraft .470 con-

test! the teen-age pairing of Glen McKenzie, and i Bevan Stevens, will be hoping to continue their unbeaten form of the last five races.

The j pair won the South Island; title last week-end at Charteris Bay, and recently won the opening race for the Canterbury championships at Pleasant Point. , In the catamaran event a close | battle should continue in the A class, with two races still to sail. Ross Allen leads the contest with three points, but is closely followed by Dave Deavoll on six points. Both skippers won races at the Catamaran week-end at Pigeon Bay two weeks ago. Also returning to top competition in the class is Gavin Walter who has been out some time with an injury. In the Paper Tigers, Craig Keenan will be hoping to continue his top form, and leads the series with a perfect score from his closest rival and clubmate Craig Smith, on nine points.

The Laser title should be another benefit for the Timaru skipper Aaron Young who convincingly won the South Island title at Charteris Bay. last week-end. The South Island Trailer yacht championships are expecting a large turnout and will be sailing five races in each of the six classes.