Sigrid fleet bows out

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 26

Sigrid fleet bows out

Members of the Canterbury Sigrid fleet could have been excused for feeling a little frustrated yesterday during the first day’s sailing for the Canterbury championships. The racing proved to be a battle against time in which the fleet ended up the loser. Ray Frost, who had enjoyed a close tussle around the course with the titleholder, Don Nixon, finished a mere 30s outside the allowed time of222y 2 hours, which meant the race did not count. The wind was never above five or six knots and even though the course was shortened, the competitors were forced to bow to the elements.

The race had started with the wind from the north-east though it swung through various quarters. Some yachts at the top of the Estuary encountered a light southerly, then it moved to easterly. The championship will now be held over four races.

The Estuary provided considerably better conditions on Saturday, however, for the respective opening days of the Christchurch and Mount Pleasant Yacht clubs. About 90 yachts were out in total, enjoying a good northeasterly breeze of between 12 and 15 knots. There were good entries at Mount Pleasant in both the Sunbursts, in which the winning yacht was skippered by Robin Ward, and Zephyrs, which went to Paul Stemmer. The open class of 470 s and Lasers was won by Glen McKenzie and Bevan Stevens in a 470. The Christchurch club’s open racing, in which handicaps applied, went to Peter and Sally Maynard in a Sunburst. The Starlings of Griff Simpson and Daniel Jamieson took the next two placings with two Lasers and a Phase II in next.

Results. — Mt Pleasant YC opening day pennants — P class: M. Bloomfield 1, S. Irvine 2, J. Irvine 3.

Optimists: N. Barker 1, S. Barrow 2, J. Hitchings 3. Sunbursts: R. Ward 1, C. Nordstrom 2, R. Glue 3. Paper Tigers: B. Douglas 1, J. Rule 2, L. Batchelor 3. Open: G. McKenzie and B. Stevens (470) 1, P. Duder and P. Guernsey (470) 2, N. England and J. Egnot (470) 3. Zephyrs: P. Stemmer 1, B. Jesson 2, G. Hore 3. Starling: C. Tomlinson 1, B. Rough 2, M. Stace 3. Christchruch YC — Open class: R. and S. Maynard (Sunburst) 1, G. Simpson (Starling) 2, D. Jamieson (Starling) 3,’ B. Hawkins (Laser) 4, R. Ineson (Laser) and F. Simpson and J. Wearn (Phase II) equal 5. Optimists: S. Lusby 1, L. Proko 2, B. Liddell 3. P class: M. van Enter 1, J. Hanlon 2, G. Sinclair 3.