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| Announcements |
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| Coming Events |
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September Major Events Committee Meeting
September 08 (18:00) Winter Match Racing Series Two
September 11 (08:00) College Sport Wellington Match Racing Championship
September 18 (08:00) 128th Season Opening Day
September 18 (All Day) New Zealand Youth Match Racing Nationals
September 25 (08:00) October New Zealand Business Games
October 11 (15:30) February Centreport International Youth Match Racing Championships
February 15 (08:00) VIEW CALENDAR |
| RPNYC 3rd at Harken International Youth Match Racing |
 It was an all New Zealand affair on the podium at the 2009 Harken International Youth Match Racing Championships.
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron teams skippered by William Tiller and Harry Thurston along with Matt Steven’s RPNYC filled the top three places whilst 18 year old Jordan Reece from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron finished the regatta in fourth place.
Reece looked confident early, winning the start comfortably and taking the first race. Thurston found form again taking control in the prestart and beating Reece in the next two races, therefore advancing to the finals.
Tiller and Steven were inseparable in their first semi race, engaging in a tacking dual up the first beat. On the first downwind, Tiller maintained an overlap and forced Stevens past the bottom mark. Tiller held this advantage to the finish.
In the second flight Tiller had better boat speed off the line than Steven, extending his lead to take a comfortable win for a place against his Club mate in the Finals, thus leaving Stevens and Reece to battle it out in the best of 5 petit final.
Steven and Reece had a close first race with a couple of lead changes throughout. Reece actually rounded the final mark in front of Steven, but Steven sailed a great downwind leg pipping Reece at the finishing line by less than a metre.
Reece came into the next match firing and won the start, but as the wind built the lads from “Windy Wellington” were in their element and on the right side of the wind shift to take the lead from Reece again and beat him to the finish.
For their third flight, Reece received an early penalty for not staying clear of the boat ahead. Steven gained an early advantage and kept a tight cover on Reece to take a third win and a bronze for his RPNYC team.
A pleased Matt Steven said “The breeze came in for the petit finals, and the heat came with it, 39 degrees on the water! We managed to fend of Jorden Reece and take third place with 3 straight wins and third place for the third time at the Harken International Regatta. Its pretty cool to be on the podium again!” The first Flight of the finals started in a 5-10knot northerly with Tiller looking more comfortable in the lighter winds, taking first blood by 5 boat lengths.
Tiller dominated the start in the second match leaving Thurston stalled on the line with a 4 boat length deficit, but Thurston chipped away at Tiller's lead which shrank to one boat length on the last downwind. Thurston surged towards the line, but Tiller held on to take the gun by half a boat length.
Thurston got off the line in better shape for the third flight rounding ahead at the top mark. Tiller closed the gap forcing a foul from Thurston as gybing boat. Thurston responded with a strong beat taking his penalty turn and holding the lead to keep his team’s chances alive.
For flight four, the race was won on the first beat as Tiller pushed Thurston off the course into lighter winds, Tiller tacked for the mark and Thurston was forced take gas all the way in. Thurston tried to get back into the match but Tiller could smell victory and sailed a tactically sound race to take the finals three-one and emerge as the HARKEN International Youth Match Race Champion for 2009. This is the fourth time the RNZYS have won the HARKEN Youth International Match Racing Championships in the 17 year history of the event, the most recent James Williamson in 2007. |
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