Fiercely competive sailors

Posted by Marlborough Express on 18 December 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: Sailing Regatta, Marlborough Boys College, Queen Charlotte College, Team Racing

Last updated 11:30 17/12/2011SharePrint Text Size 0 comments Home stretch: Contending with the rain, Marlborough Boys' College sailors Kain Greenbank, left, and Oliver Clark prepare to round the last mark during MBC's second round match-up against Queen Charlotte College on the third and final day of the Top of the South Secondary Schools sailing regatta in Picton Harbour yesterday. The annual three-day regatta started on Tuesday and included sailors from all three Marlborough secondary schools, plus several schools from Nelson. Relevant offersSchool's out and a "good breeze" blowing across Picton Harbour gets a team-sailing coaching regatta off to a good start.

The three-day regatta is an annual event, says Queen Charlotte Yachting Club member Carolyn Burn, whose son Taylor is in one of two Marlborough Boys' College teams. They are joined by a team each from Marlborough Girls' and Queen Charlotte colleges and two teams from Nelson.

That city is hosting next year's first regional regatta, Carolyn says, so on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week coaches and umpires were helping young yachties hone their racing skills.

Team-sailing races aren't about individual boats being the first across the line. Rather, each boat has to look out for the other two vessels in their team so everyone can cross the finishing line with the least possible points. Those are allocated according to placements: one point for the first to finish, two points for the second, and so on.

No points are allotted on the first day of the regatta this week. "The idea is for kids to get out in the water and have some fun and get more experience in the boats," Carolyn says.

To help them, ex-college sailing students Jason Anderson, Josh Edmonds, Chloe Vining and Carolyn's son Declan Burn have turned up as coaches and umpires. They are travelling in motorised boats behind the 420-class yachts, studying each team's sailing techniques, and blowing the whistle and waving the penalty flag at errors. Better, alternative, moves are outlined at the end of each race.

Team-racing rules include automatic rights of way for boats at starboard and furthest from the wind. Crews are expected to interrupt their race with a 360-degree boat turn after any transgression. If they don't and an umpire has seen the infringement, the offending boat will be ordered to do two complete turns.

It encourages self-policing, Carolyn says. The young sailors are fiercely competitive with one another, she says.

The two Nelson teams haven't brought boats over to Picton so the Marlborough colleges aresharing theirs. With races just five minutes long, the time on shore isn't long for any crew.

The Marlborough Girls' College students have relinquished their boats to a Nelson team after their first race and helmswoman Evie Baxter says it didn't go well.

"I was set up for a perfect start, then Taylor Burn, he's a bad word, he came up behind – he was going to take me on. Then we both went over the line ... so we had to go back to the start.

"His boat has a better speed than mine," Evie claims, allowing Taylor to beat her over the start line the second time.