Hutt International Boys School Wins in Auckland

Day One began in a shifty 8 knots of breeze for the first two races and then a more consistent 15 knots northerly filled in. The shifty winds proved testing for the crews but Training Manager Guy Pilkington noticed a big improvement throughout the day; 'We always expect a gentle start to this regatta, given that most crews have not sailed these boats before, but these guys are all great sailors and improve really quickly'.

All teams sailed the first three races of the regatta with coaches on board from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme. The coaches sit on the stern of each boat and assist the teams with general coaching and set up of the Elliott 7’s, as many of the competitors have never sailed them before. The HIBS team had Jackson McFarlane on board, McFarlane was previously a member of the Port Nicholson Youth Scheme before moving to Auckland for university.

The HIBS boys had a fantastic first day of the regatta with an impressive 4 wins and 2 second places after a fantastic day on the water. Gautrey commented 'It was a very good day; we started off well but had a few problems, then brought it together for the rest of the day.'

Day Two saw the final three races completed in a light nor-easterly breeze with an unbelievable perfect flat water champagne sailing conditions. These conditions were perfect for the number of parents and supporters watching from the Members Bar and Westhaven Seawall. 15 year old Gautrey commented, 'We had a good day on the water, with hard shifty conditions; the team did really well. We have never sailed in the Elliott 7s but sail the Elliott 6s at the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club; they are quite a different layout which obviously we adapted quite well too. Thanks to Harken New Zealand and the Squadron, we are stoked with the win.' Given the success of this weekend a number of the schools have already registered their interest to compete next year’s event.

Final Results School Skipper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pts Drop Total Place
HUTT INTERNATIONAL BOYS SCHOOL George Gautrey 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 5 4 2 22 5 17 1
KERIKERI HGH SCHOOL Harris Bindon 3 1 6 3 6 2 11 1 1 7 41 11 30 2
KINGS COLLEGE Rahul Makam 2 5 2 7 2 6 8 2 6 3 43 8 35 3
AUCKLAND GRAMMAR Sam Simpson 7 4 4 1 7 9 3 3 5 4 47 9 38 4
MAHURANGI COLLEGE Angus Adamson 9 6 5 4 1 5 5 4 3 5 47 9 38 5
ST KENTIGERN COLLEGE Tom Morton 6 3 3 8 4 3 6 11 8 6 58 11 47 6
LONG BAY COLLEGE Joe Buckley 5 8 7 9 5 7 2 11 7 1 62 11 51 7
CANTERBURY COMBINED SCHOOLS Jess Sullivan 4 7 8 5 8 8 9 6 2 8 65 9 56 8
WESTLAKE BOYS HIGH SCHOOL Sam Wallis 10 9 9 10 9 4 4 11 10 10 86 11 75 9
RANGITOTO COLLEGE Cameron Moss 8 10 11 6 10 10 7 7 9 9 87 11 76 10