Stemmer overcomes unscheduled swim

Press, 23 November 1988, Page 39

Stemmer overcomes unscheduled swim

The first round of the Estuary pennants and the Christchurch Yacht Club's Beveridge Trophy competition provided dinghy yachtsmen with plenty of sailing at the weekend. One of the eye-catching performances in the pennants, sailed from the Mount Pleasant club on Sunday, came from the Zephyr skipper, Paul Stemmer. While the result produced the narrowest of wins over Bill Beere, Stemmer had seemed out of the competition at one stage. “I had a swim, you know,” he said afterwards.

"I was one from being last at one point,” he said, and added that he made up "about” 22 places to clinch victory. This is Stemmer’s first season of competition following a serious injury sustained at work. His boat boasts the latest in technology, able to give out details on speed and the like, and he would appear to be an obvious candidate for the Zephyr nationals, which are to be held from the Pleasant Point club in January. However, as yet he is undecided, with the present priority being altering his house.

“I would like to enter the nationals if I could,” he said. Four years ago, when the national contest was last held in Christchurch, Stemmer finished second by less than half a point. Other noteworthy efforts came in the Phoenix class, in which the father and daughter team of Andy and Michelle Holland led a cleansweep of the placings for the Waimakariri Sailing and Power Boat Club; the ever consistent Don Nixon triumphed in a good turnout of Sigrids, while the husband and wife team of Keith and Heather Hay won the largest class, the Sunbursts. The P class skipper, Neil Briggs, who a week ago earned a trip to the Tanner Cup in Napier in the New Year, beat his most consistent rivals, Mathew Stechman and

Alistair Rowlands. The fleet of 134, smaller than usual, encountered south-westerlies of around 1518 knots. Abbreviations used in results:— Canterbury Yacht and Motor Boat Club (CYMBC); Christchurch Yacht Club (CYC); Charteris Bay Yacht Club (CBYC); Mount Pleasant Yacht Club (MPYC); Pleasant Point Yacht Club (PPYC); Stewarts Gully Sailing Club (SGSC); Waimakariri Sailing and Power Boat Club (WSPBC). Canterbury of Riccarton Estuary pennants:— Sunburst: Sunhay (K. and H. Hay, MPYC) 1, Pas de Deux (C. Fitzgerald and D. Pryor, MPYC) 2, Opra (B. Riach and G. Stanton, PPYC) 3. Finn: Some Finn Else (F. Kemkers, CYMBC) 1, No Way (B. Lyons, CYMBC) 2, Doll Finn (M. Duncan, CYMBC) 3. International Moth: Not A Problem (A. Barnett, PPYC) I. Europe Dinghy: KZ 49 (P. Grey, MPYC) 1, D. Taylor (PPYC) 2. Starling: Whata Goer (D. Jamieson, CYC) 1, Striker (A. Davis, CYC) 2, Arrow (C. Tomlinson, PPYC) 3. Zephyr: BIL (P. Stemmer, MPYC) 1, Echo (B. Beere, CYC) 2, Muscatel (M. Hay, PPYC) 3. 4705: Lost Keys (N. Aitken and R. May, WSPBC) 1, Ruth’s Boat (N. England and J. Egnot, MPYC) 2, Agape (G. McKenzie and B. Stevens (CYMBC) 3. Phase II: Hang Fire (B. Hanlon, CYC) 1, Duvette (M. MacDonald, CYC) 2. Phoenix: Holy Smoke (A. and M. Holland, WSPBC) 1, Charisma (R. Mackie and C. Wright, WSPBC) 2, Rainbow (R. Dowdle and G. Treleaven, WSPBC) 3. JC: Jeopardy (D. Pender and J. Irvine, MPYC) 1, Te Kura (H. Pratley and B. Bonner, CYMBC) 2. Fireball: 800 Goo Loo (M. Gibbins and A. Robertson, CYMBC) 1, Lavaball (T. and S. Summerfield, SGSC) 2.

Laser: Fast Eddie (K. O’Brien, PPYC) 1, Strong Brew (G. Forsyth, CYMBC) 2, Palomino (P. Flewelleh, SGSC) 3. Sigrid: Sigrid (D. Nixon, PPYC) 1, Reaction (P. Everest, PPYC) 2, Allegro (W. Purves, PPYC) 3. Paper Tiger: Greased Lightnin (C. Keenan, PPYC) 1, Sneaky Feelings (C. Smitt, PPYC) 2, Sweet Revenge (B. Hastie, MPYC) 3. Hobie Cat: Juxtapose (W. Guy, CYMBC) 1, Bobcat (B. Louden, CYMBC) 2. P class: Tikitaktwo (N. Briggs, CBYC) 1, Echo (M. Stechman, CYMBC) 2, Barnacle (A. Rowlands, CYMBC) 3. Optimist: Mustard (M. Payne, Timaru) 1, Snowy (J. Andrew, CYMBC) 2, Ratbag (J. Julian, CYMBC) 3. The Beveridge Trophy, sailed on Saturday, proved a benefit for the Sunburst fleet, which took the top four placings. The trophy was won by Mount Pleasant’s Clive Fitzgerald and Duncan Pryor from Lindsay Fraser and Stuart Inglis, then Charlie and Marge Ricketts. (Fitzgerald and Pryor were second in their class in the pennants.) The shifting winds and Mark Foy handicap start jointly aided the Sunbursts and left other classes struggling from the start.

The race was started in a northerly, but the wind, which varied from about five to 20 knots, did not blow consistently from that quarter.

Beveridge Trophy (Open), Christchurch Yacht club.— Pas de Deux (C. Fitzgerald and D. Pryor) 1, Gladja (L. Fraser and S. Inglis) 2, Marama (C. and M. Ricketts) 3. All in Sunbursts, and all from MPYC). P class: Clockwork Orange (J. Hanlon, CYC) 1, Plucky (J. Pearson, CYC) 2, Dolphin (B. Bonner, CYC) 3. Optimist: Le Speedie (S. Hesson, MPYC) 1, N. Barker (MPYC) 2, Black Magic (M. Jamieson, CYC) 3.