Harken E5.9 Travellers Series - Opua

Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series - Opua - September 2023 © Elliott 5.9

The Harken Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series in Opua attracted a very competitive fleet of twelve Elliott 5.9s.

Both days provided sunny and fine conditions with a moderate breeze. The offshore nature of the breeze created some big shifts up by the top mark. Good course management and heads out of the boat sailing were well rewarded.

Shapeshifter revelled in the moderate conditions, consistently showing good boatspeed. After Day 1, Shapeshifter had built a substantial lead by winning four of the five races on the opening day. Slam Dunk were also in the hunt, with three second places, and looked likely to put pressure on Revelry and Reggae Shark in the overall standings.

Reggae Shark were languishing back in seventh overall while Revelry had fared a bit better in third. However, a sixth and an eight meant Revelry had some pressure on for the second day to avoid losing too many points in the overall standings.

Further back, Bloodline showed some good early form, picking up the race win in Race 1 but also counting a ten in the last race to sit fourth overall. Usain Boat led the local boats and while starting slowly, finished with a good second in the last race to set up a tight battle with Bloodline.

Class Act, the youth development boat continued to show improved form and speed and held a good lead over Nyx to take command of this close family rivalry.

However, the racing right through day one was always close and day two proved just how small the margins were and the turnarounds that could be achieved.

While Shapeshifter remained in control with more wins on Day 2, the stand out performance came from Reggae Shark. Opening with a win in Race 6, they continued the day with a series of seconds and thirds to only be shaded by Shapeshifter on day two by 1 point. This solid performance propelled them into third overall.

Not to be out done, Revelry also found consistency with a series of seconds and fourths, which was enough to move into second place and hold off the hard charging Reggae Shark.

In contrast, Slam Dunk had an uncharacteristically poor day to slip from second overall to fifth, based on a count back with Zoot Allures, who had remained very consistent. The count back allowed Zoot Allures to slip into fourth overall, after sitting in sixth on Day 1, including a race win in Race 8.

Local boats Icebreaker and Frivolous Fish also had good results with Frivolous Fish taking a third in Race 8 and Icebreaker coming home in sound overall out of the local boats. Icebreaker also took out the ranking points award.

The highlight of this regatta was the very tight racing that this one design class provides. Very small margins and errors meant places changed regularly. This was the tightest racing of the series so far. This is a good indicator of the steady overall improvement within the class and the future looks bright for ongoing tight racing.

With this tight racing, the class were lucky to have the racing well managed by Megan Kensington and her team. A big thank you also goes out to the Opua Cruising Club and the group of volunteers that ensured the racing and social activities, including catching the rugby on Saturday morning, ran smoothly.

Follow results and pictures online www.facebook.com/elliott5.9 and for more information on the Elliott 5.9 Class Association visit www.e59.org.nz Previous results can be found here elliott59.weebly.com/results.html

About The Elliott 5.9

The Elliott 5.9 emerged in the early 1980’s as a high performing trailer yacht and continues to deliver competitive one design racing in a welcoming fleet of world-class sailors and novices alike. The boats started a revolution with their well-balanced and cost effective design, and quickly become the boat of choice for top club training schemes and a breeding ground for NZ’s America’s Cup, Ocean Race and Olympic champions.

Sailed by a crew of three, the Elliott 5.9 remains a low maintenance sailboat with an efficient single spreader fractional rig, a well-balanced sail plan and practical deck layout. Whether sailing among mixed trailer yachts, sport boat fleets or in a one design setting, the 5.9 is celebrated for its responsiveness and outstanding value.