RS Feva Nationals off to a fresh start at Maraetai
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz 13 Apr 08:33 UTC
13 April 2024
New Zealand RS Feva Nationals - Day 1 - April 13, 2024 © RS Feva Assoc
Only one race of the 2024 RS Feva NZ Championship was able to be sailed from the Maraetai Sailing Club, as the Hauraki Gulf was hit by fresh winds gusting to 25kts.
Like Emirates Team New Zealand, who sailed their AC75 for the first time yesterday in the same "Back Paddock", organisers found a gap between squalls, and managed to get one race away for the 47 boat fleet from three nations. The results were well scattered around the clubs, divisions and genders.
Bay of Islands crew Andrew Child/Sol Downes led the fleet home, with Youth crew Riley Hunter/Rori English (Northcote and Birkenhead YC) in second place. A second Youth crew Luke Shaw/Ben Keoghan (Torbay SC) finished third.
Next was the father and son crew of Andrew and Leo Wills (Howick SC). They headed off the next two crews skippered by the two top sailors from the NZ Optimist Championships, sailed over Easter. Junior division crew of Nathan Sopher/Lauchy Wills (Murrays Bay SC/Howick SC) turned the tables on Matteo Barker/Blake Batten (Murrays Bay SC/Murrays BaySC/Waiuku YC). The two crews were fourth and fifth respectively.
Gemma Hebberd/Gretel Satterwaite (Murrays Bay SC) were the top female crew in eighth place. Mattisse Bretegnier/Oscar Taleb (Cercle Nautique Caledonien) were the top overseas crew in tenth.
The Regatta continues until Monday, with lighter winds predicted.
For full results www.sailwave.com/results/RSFeva_Nationals_2024.htm