Record breaking 2024 NZ O'pen Skiff National Championships attract 88 boat fleet
by Joel Brazle President, NZ O'pen Skiff Association 22 Apr 23:00 UTC
23 April 2024
O'pen Skiff NZ Nationals - Manly SC - April 2024 © Jacob Frewtell Media
A record-breaking 88 O’pen Skiff sailors from across the country converged on the Manly Sailing Club this past week for a two-day Russell Coutts Sailing Foundation (RCSF) training clinic and three days of points racing for the O’pen Skiff National Championships.
Sailors hailed from across the North and South Islands and as far away as India, the most ever for an O’pen Skiff Nationals in New Zealand.
Sailors made the most of the clinic, taking advantage of good wind and sunny skies to learn more about sailing the O’pen Skiff fast and smart and making new friends. They even got their shot at the beloved Bridge of Doom.
Day 1 was a mix of conditions kicking off with race one in a very light 6-7 knot Westerly followed by three more races in a building westerly of 12-15 knots.
A panel discussion followed racing led by former RCSF head coach Saffron Nixon, featuring Olympians Jenny Armstrong and Kylie Jameson and O’pen Skiff Alums Aimee Bright, IQFOIL and WingFoil sensation, and Maddie Rist, former top NZ ILCA 6 sailor. The discussion covered key topics for our young sailors ranging from pathways to building confidence and how parents can support their kids by creating a culture that promotes sailing as a ‘sport for life.’
Families then gathered for a feast and quiz night prepared by Manly Sailing Club’s resident Asado master and smoke and grill enthusiasts. Headliner and five-time Olympian, Barbara Kendall, shared her journey to Olympic glory, inspiring the next generation of sailors to have fun, persevere and believe in the impossible.
Day 2 brought wet and wooly conditions with a 15-18 knot Northerly and big waves for surfing those O’pen Skiffs. Nationals Race Officer Steve Pyatt and team were able to battle conditions under the cover of the PredictWind 8.2 Meter Catamaran start boat, to facilitate three races on an exciting slalom course. Sailors drank gourmet hot chocolates to warm up while Manly volunteers fired up the grill for burgers under clearing skies.
Racing wrapped up on Day 3 in a 18-20+ knot Southwest breeze, offering perfect planing conditions for the “SailGP” course reach start. You wouldn’t know that this was the first regatta for many of the silver fleet sailors, as the skill progression over this five-day event was immense, preparing them for success on this final day in full-on conditions. Sailors earned their post-regatta hot pies by tackling the Bridge of Doom on their way back to shore.
Prizegiving was a celebratory finish to a great five days! Spot prizes provided by SailGP, Emirates Team New Zealand, O’pen Skiff Supplier Glide Industries, Cadbury, to name a few, were a highlight.
Reigning U15 O’pen Skiff World Champion, Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club), won his third consecutive National title. A true sportsman, this young sailor could be found in the boat park throughout the regatta helping other sailors with technique, sail settings and advice on how to improve.
Elena Keall-Neches, (Paremata Boating Club), showing off fantastic skills and determination, notched her second Nationals top finish in the girls division, adding another title to her 2022 victory. Along with Elena, the top girl finishers received custom necklaces from 58 Facets Ltd, just one of the special touches added to this event to recognize our strong female fleet.
Principal Race Officer and sailing legend, Harold Bennett, closed the regatta by encouraging our fleet of sailors to persevere in their sailing journey, continue to raise the bar on sportsmanship, and not to forget rule #1, Have Fun!!!
Results Recap
Gold Fleet
Overall
1st Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Hugo Smith (Kohimarama / Wakatere / Akarana)
3rd Harry Jameson (Napier Sailing Club)
Girls
1st Elena Keall-Neches (Paremata Boating Club)
2nd Anandi Chandavarkar (Royal Bombay Yacht Club)
3rd Valentina Gladiadis (Manly Sailing Club)
U17
1st Elena Keall-Neches (Paremata Boating Club)
2nd Anandi Chandavarkar (Royal Bombay Yacht Club)
3rd Amber Hughes (Glendowie Boating Club)
U15
1st Ewan Brazle (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Hugo Smith (Kohimarama / Wakatere / Akarana)
3rd Harry Jameson (Napier Sailing Club)
U12
1st Oliver Tiedemann (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Sam Richardson (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club)
3rd Eric Yao (Manly Sailing Club)
Sportsmanship Award
Zoe Wilson (Manly Sailing Club)
Silver Fleet
Overall
1st Austin Kell (Bay of Islands Yacht Club)
2nd Finn Dickie (Manly Sailing Club)
3rd Toby Clark (Plimmerton Boating Club)
Girls
1st Summer Torbet (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Honor Fyfe (Manly Sailing Club)
3rd Kyla Murphy (Manly Sailing Club)
U15
1st Finn Dickie (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Matthew McCarthy (Paremata Boating Club)
3rd Sean Poon (Royal Akarana Yacht Club)
U12
1st Austin Kell (Bay of Islands Yacht Club)
2nd Toby Clark (Plimmerton Boating Club)
3rd Summer Torbet (Manly Sailing Club)
Perseverance Award
Ben Stimson (Manly Sailing Club)
Attitude Award
Honor Fyfe (Manly Sailing Club)
Development Fleet
Overall
1st Max Bould (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Jackson Rumbold (Royal Akarana Yacht Club)
3rd Stanley Briggs (Sandspit Yacht Club)
Girls
1st Anna Evans (Manly Sailing Club)
2nd Martina Harper (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club)
3rd Joy Ingram (Sandspit Yacht Club)
Most Improved Female
Alora Van Den Bos (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
Most Improved Male
Henry Burgess (Kerikeri Cruising Club)
Attitude Award
James Thorn (Evans Bay Yacht and Motor Boat Club)
Perseverance Award
Ruby Littler (Whangarei Cruising Club)
Full Results
Gold and Silver Fleets - www.manlysailingclub.org.nz/uploads/9/7/2/3/97232850/gold_silver_all_races.pdf
Development Fleet - www.manlysailingclub.org.nz/uploads/9/7/2/3/97232850/development_up_to_race_nine.pdf
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