Etchells World Championships in Auckland New Zealand

Etchells World Championships in Auckland New Zealand - Day 3

by Sail-World.com 7 Nov 2002 09:06 GMT

A great day for Britain, a shocker for Prada

Rain and strong wind was the forecast for Day 3 of the 2002 Waiwera Infinity Water Etchell World’s in Auckland New Zealand. Instead brilliant sunshine and a 16-18 knot breeze, which built to 25 knots by the end of the second race, produced superb racing conditions.

The morning race saw series leader and current World Etchells Champion, Britain’s Stuart Childerley make it tough for his competitors with another win.

After the start in race 4 three quarters of the fleet had taken the left side of the track and during the 40 minute beat the wind edged up to 18 knots.

John Bertrand’s Two Saints and a Magpie was the first boat to hoist a spinnaker. The famous America’s Cup helmsman led fellow Australian Peter McNeill from Stuart Childerley. The 2000 Champion Cameron Miles was 5th and the American warrior Dennis Conner 10th.

The first spinnaker run saw Childerley take the lead. Bertrand was second ahead of McNeil with Miles in 4th. Conner was 11th and Mark Bradford’s Racer X was placed 16th.

The second run saw Childerley win from John Bertrand. Nick Rogers from Hobart was third ahead of Peter McNeil, followed by Cameron Miles. Mark Bradford’s Racer X, second placed in the series, climbed to 11th place.

With strengthening winds expected this afternoon race organisers were keen to start the racing again as soon as possible. Race 5 started in 7-18 knots southwest breeze but within minutes it swung right, initiating a course change from the organisers. It flicked back left as the leaders approached the mark.

Prada’s Kiwi helmsman Gavin Brady, racing as Prada Syndicate, had the jump on the fleet, Dragon Lady skippered by West Australia’s Bill Steele was second and Auckland’s Gray Gibson third.

For the first time in the series Stuart Childerley leading with a dominant 2, 2, 1, 1 record, was back in the fleet.

Gusts of 25 knots hit the leaders as they tacked on the starboard layline on the second beat, with a five-minute average of 21.7.

By the second top mark Australia’s Mark Bradford was 8th ahead of Childerley in 10th position.

Down through the gate in this five-leg race Brady had a 200 metre lead on West Australian Bill Steele’s Dragon Lady with local Kiwi Gray Gibson a boat length back. A 100-metre gap saw Aucklander Brian Jones’ Irish Crystal, followed by Grant Turnbull’s The Old Hag in fourth position.

The leaders remained unchanged up the final beat to the finish with Mark Bradford steering Racer X into 5th (to hold onto second place in the series) behind Childerley who finished in 9th spot.

After getting the winners gun Gavin Brady was not too pleased to hear race organisers felt that he had jumped the start gun. He was adjudged OCS at the start and so subject to protest his race was in vain. His series scores of 49, 59, 3, 13 and OCS are not to his liking.

In the same race Stars and Stripe’s Dennis Conner sailing Kiwi Menace III, naturally nick-named Dennis the Menace, was charging into a mark late in the same race when he drove the bow of his Etchell hard into the stern of third placed boat Irish Crystal steered by Aucklander Brian Jones. The compulsory 720 penalty dropped Dennis back down to 20th place.

Principal Race officer John Parish summed up the days racing, ‘It was very shifty all day. In the second race we started with a course heading of 245, changed the course with a 270 and then re-altered to 250 for the final beat.

With those conditions, it looked to us that it was not a day to hit the lay lines, the boats that did best seemed to stay mid-course.’

Childerley is a tough campaigner and he is beginning to look just too consistent for anyone to catch him. Bradford is fighting hard and has a solid buffer to John Bertrand and Peter McNeil.

If the series goes to six races or beyond the drop comes in. Bradford will throw out 14, while Bertrand and McNeil will toss their 17 and 16 respectively. Four more races can however give anyone the time and opportunity to blow up.

It is a class fleet full of very familiar yachting names. Conner is 7th, Iain Murray 11th, Michael Coxon 14th and back further in the fleet is Grant Wharrington, Gavin Brady, Charles St Clair Brown and Sir James Hardy.

New Zealand Etchell’s President Doug Read from Team New Zealand, is confident the weather will co-operate for a full nine race series.

He commented, ‘So far the forecasts we’ve been getting have been boringly accurate. ‘Clouds’ Badham Team New Zealand forecast for the race course indicates 14-22’s Friday and 10-16’s Saturday.’

Report courtesy of www.sail-world.com

Results after 5 races:

Pos	Sail No	Bow No	Helm	Nat	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts
1	987	56	Stuart Childerley	GBR	2	2	1	1	9	15
2	874	31	Mark Bradford	AUS	1	1	14	11	5	32
3	947	49	John Bertrand	AUS	17	7	12	2	16	54
4	915	41	Peter McNeill	AUS	8	17	16	4	13	58
5	650	11	Cameron Miles	AUS	26	8	4	5	30	73
6	346	45	Nick Rogers	AUS	21	4	8	3	38	74
7	1215	98	Dennis Conner	NZL	10	9	41	8	20	88
8	814	26	Lindsay Kennedy	NZL	23	6	35	6	41	111
9	1219	99	Julian Plante	AUS	16	30	21	39	10	116
10	1213	97	Lucas Down	AUS	18	31	34	12	21	116
11	758	18	Iain Murray	AUS	40	3	11	31	33	118
12	1103	76	John Ulbrich	USA	27	11	28	34	18	118
13	991	57	Cameron Thorpe	NZL	4	13	7	59	37	120
14	1136	83	Michael Coxon	AUS	3	19	50	37	35	144
15	892	34	Grant Turnbull	NZL	42	32	23	43	4	144
16	1118	77	Gavin Gerrard	AUS	15	55	51	22	6	149
17	724	14	Barry Fairley	AUS	20	15	27	17	72	151
18	950	51	Gray Gibson	NZL	41	16	55	41	2	155
19	809	24	Brian Jones	NZL	37	14	26	75	3	155
20	945	48	Michael Manford	AUS	7	OCS	10	26	15	157
21	695	12	Gavin McPherson	NZL	51	41	19	9	40	160
22	1121	78	Ian Johnson	AUS	24	44	6	38	56	168
23	1091	73	Jeff Moseley	USA	73	20	62	14	7	176
24	996	59	Martin Payne	GBR	33	33	33	33	46	178
25	1073	68	Peter Duncan	USA	11	23	44	52	50	180
26	906	37	Bruce Kendall	NZL	22	38	20	57	43	180
27	288	5	Erik Bentzen	USA	61	47	31	16	29	184
28	1175	91	Edward Fort	GBR	9	65	22	45	47	188
29	1068	67	Tim Law	GBR	34	24	24	29	80	191
30	295	6	Nathan Williams	NZL	30	29	53	27	55	194
31	1148	85	Ante Razmilovic	GBR	19	22	75	30	51	197
32	782	22	Sven Hansen	SUI	31	5	30	76	57	199
33	1011	61	Chris Jackson	AUS	DNS	10	45	23	24	201
34	1131	80	David Clark	AUS	38	OCS	15	35	17	204
35	1237	X1	Grant Wharrington	AUS	14	OCS	17	50	25	205
36	1150	86	Bill Steele	AUS	47	21	71	68	1	208
37	1161	89	Jake Gunther	AUS	39	OCS	25	42	8	213
38	865	30	Bruce McBriar	AUS	50	35	9	20	OCS	213
39	1152	87	David Champion	USA	12	45	29	62	65	213
40	1088	72	Mark Richards	AUS	36	OCS	13	25	42	215
41	878	32	Russell Steiner	USA	28	RDGa	48	65	32	216.3
42	925	43	Ben Noble	AUS	32	49	56	19	62	218
43	599	10	Marvin Beckmann	USA	68	27	5	40	82	222
44	914	40	Gavin Brady	NZL	49	59	3	13	OCS	223
45	882	33	Adam Hawkins	AUS	13	OCS	38	15	58	223
46	842	29	Barry Dunning	GBR	69	48	65	10	34	226
47	1134	81	Robert Weir	AUS	5	18	OCS	69	36	227
48	971	54	Kjeld Hestehave	USA	67	36	43	53	31	230
49	918	42	Mark Doyle	AUS	29	DNF	46	47	12	233
50	944	47	Gordon Hinds	AUS	65	39	OCS	7	28	238
51	1084	71	Grant McKellar	AUS	35	40	32	79	54	240
52	1083	70	John St Clair Brown	NZL	44	34	64	48	53	243
53	182	1	Tim Patton	BER	6	OCS	68	70	11	254
54	751	17	Steve Gunther	AUS	57	51	52	28	67	255
55	1024	64	David Morrell	AUS	62	54	61	54	27	258
56	908	38	Geoff Smith	AUS	75	62	18	44	63	262
57	813	25	Ian Crisp	AUS	55	69	39	55	45	263
58	1102	75	Steve O'Rourke	AUS	60	25	36	63	83	267
59	940	46	Phil Dash	AUS	46	42	60	61	59	268
60	1135	82	Richard Hammond	AUS	53	63	40	36	78	270
61	1165	90	Richard Lott	GBR	DNF	OCS	42	21	14	275
62	992	58	Andrew Cooper	GBR	59	26	67	24	DNF	275
63	748	16	Rod Jones	AUS	45	52	49	71	74	291
64	1058	66	Jon Andrews	NZL	43	OCS	73	58	19	292
65	1021	63	Jervis Tilly	GBR	64	61	54	64	49	292
66	903	36	Nick Burns	HKG	52	50	58	90	48	298
67	970	53	John McDougall	AUS	70	53	63	87	26	299
68	776	21	James Gregory	USA	25	OCS	83	60	44	311
69	1199	96	Ganson Evans	USA	79	60	74	32	75	320
70	1128	79	David Jones	AUS	71	43	57	51	DNF	321
71	546	9	Simon Minoprio	NZL	58	66	OCS	77	22	322
72	832	28	Damien King	AUS	DNC	DNC	37	49	39	323
73	1187	94	Harald Orneberg	GBR	72	56	59	56	81	324
74	246	3	Roger Crabtree	NZL	78	73	69	85	23	328
75	1156	88	Tom Michilis	AUS	87	64	77	46	61	335
76	1077	69	Charles St Clair Brown	NZL	56	58	78	73	71	336
77	895	35	Chris Morton	NZL	77	46	47	82	88	340
78	1181	92	Jason Owen	GBR	RDGa	RDGa	70	72	68	350
79	713	13	David Yourieff	HKG	66	28	RDGa	DNC	DNC	365
80	765	20	James Hardy	AUS	54	OCS	82	67	64	366
81	763	19	Bryan Treleaven	NZL	48	DNS	66	78	77	368
82	816	27	Andrew Colliver	AUS	DNS	67	72	66	66	370
83	460	8	Marco Cimarosti	ALG	RAF	12	93	DNC	73	376
84	1145	84	Jeff Nehms	AUS	76	74	79	88	60	377
85	241	2	Rob Coutts	NZL	DNF	DNS	86	18	87	389
86	948	50	Ken Vaughan	AUS	84	68	80	86	90	408
87	1013	62	Tony Hirst	AUS	DSQ	57	81	74	DNF	410
88	1092	74	Sherwood Kelley	USA	82	71	89	DNF	69	410
89	961	52	Neil Forrester	NZL	85	70	91	81	84	411
90	977	55	Kers Clausen	USA	81	72	92	84	85	414
91	1192	95	Andrew McGill	AUS	DSQ	DNC	88	83	52	421
92	913	39	Wayne Mercer	AUS	63	DNF	87	93	79	421
93	408	7	Masato Fujimaki	NZL	83	OCS	DNF	80	70	431
94	1186	93	David Ritchard	AUS	74	DNF	90	89	89	441
95	927	44	Tim Herbert-Smith	GBR	80	DNF	85	94	91	449
96	793	23	Gary Philbrick	USA	DNS	DNS	76	91	86	451
97	284	4	Ken Womack	USA	86	OCS	84	92	92	453
98	746	15	Nigel Brown	NZL	DNF	DNS	94	95	76	463