Sail-World New Zealand: 18 July 2009

Sail-World New Zealand: 18 July 2009

Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper Torben Grael presents his daughter Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze the Gold medal At the Volvo ISAF Youth Worlds  Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race ©
Welcome Sail-World.Com's NZ newsletter for 18 July 2009

New Zealand's Sam Meech won a Gold medal, in the Boys singlehanded event, at the Volvo ISAF Youth Worlds in Buzios, Brazil, which concluded today. A second New Zealand crew finished in fourth place overall in the 420 Girls event, missing the bronze medal by just three points, in an event which finished three races short of the full schedule.

The other New Zealand crews all finished in the top ten overall, and the team placed fifth on points in the Volvo Trophy, behind France, Great Britain, Italy and host Brazil, but ahead of Australia (6th) and USA (16th).

Meech joins a long line of New Zealand Gold medalists at the Youth World Championships in the Boy's single-handed class which include Russell Coutts in 1981, John Irvine in 1983, Stuart Bannatyne in 1989, Dean Barker in 1990, Dan Slater in 1994 and Simon Small in 1996.

Sam Meech wins the Gold medal for New Zealand in the Boys Laser Radial class at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 2009  Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race ©

For Yachting NZ Youth Team Head Coach, Marty Watson, this is the third successive NZ Youth team he has led, which have finished in the top five countries out of a total entry that usually numbers around 45 national teams.

In this issue we feature the first two days of racing from the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup being sailed off Cowes, Isle of Wight. Several young New Zealand sailors are competing in the event, along with some well known names in New Zealand's sailing history including 45 (Degrees) South, which won the 1975 World Quarter Ton Championship in France, and was the first New Zealand designed keelboat to win a world championship.

Battle stations aboard Peter Morton's Anchor Challenge on Day 1 of the 2009 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup being sailed at Cowes, Isle of Wight  Paul Wyeth Marine Photography © - pwpictures.com

Anchor Challenge is another competitor in the series, who will be familiar to New Zealand readers. The Quarter Ton class, was very strong in New Zealand, being the class in which many up and coming designers made their name including Bruce Farr, Ron Holland and Paul Whiting. In England the class fell by the wayside with the 'advances' in rating rules, but now the boats are being pulled out of gardens, refitted and providing their owners with some great racing and good times.

The Challenger of Record is not happy with the stance adopted by ISAF in regard to the 33rd America's Cup  BMW Oracle Racing © Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

The International Sailing Federation would appear to have been caught out by BMW Oracle Racing, ahead of the New York Supreme Court Hearing next week. The world sailing body have admitted they have come to arrangements with Societe Nautique de Geneve for the 33rd America's Cup. The US team are very unhappy that they have not been consulted in these arrangements for the Match, and even more so that ISAF will not release the agreement.

BMW ORACLE Racing - First sea trials of the newly modified BOR 90 trimaran  BMW Oracle Racing © Photo Gilles Martin-Raget

Quite where this one is headed is anyone's guess. However in the America's Cup, ISAF need to be even handed with all involved parties, and be seen to do so. The balance of power in America's cup organisation can very quickly change if the Challenger wins the trophy, placing the world sailing body in the invidious position of having to start a relationship with a team that it has previously cold-shouldered. The America's Cup is the richest property in Sailing and one in which ISAF involvement, and their reputation for fair play, would greatly enhance the image of the game. Against this backdrop, ISAF's apparent favouring of one team over another is rather curious. We examine this issue in more depth in this edition.

Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes (GBR) - 49 Worlds, Riva Del Garda, Italy  Richard Langdon ©

In the 49er Worlds in Garda
Enjoy!

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor

ends

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