Elliott 5.9 - Burnsco Traveller Series #3 - Whitianga Preview - July 27-28

Big Tasman swells at New Plymouth for Traveller Series 2 - June 2024 © Elliott 5.9 Assoc

After an eventful and challenging Burnsco Traveller Series #2 at New Plymouth, the Elliott 5.9 fleet will this week be hosted by Mercury Bay Boating Club at Whitianga over the weekend 27th and 28th July for Burnsco Traveller Series #3.

Burnsco Traveller Series #2 at New Plymouth was a great event for the class. Very large swells with strong breeze were conditions that tested boat handling and skills to a high level. It was a good test but the boats handled the conditions well.

Despite the challenging conditions, racing was again tight. Rounding marks two or three boats wide in these conditions were not for the faint hearted.

Revelry had another good regatta. After the first day of four races, Revelry were only one peony behind R+R and were consistently challenging R+R in some tight boat on boat racing. A real credit to both crews in the given conditions. Slam Dunk and Bloodline were also in the mix but lacked the consistency to truly challenge the lead two boats.

A big thank you must go to the team at New Plymouth Yacht Club. The conditions on the committee and mark boats must have been challenging and uncomfortable but they still managed to set good fair courses and got the starts away in quick succession.

Traveller Series #3 at Whitianga sees the return of a number of boats.. Shapeshifter and Reggae Shark both had great seasons last year, coming out in first and second place overall in the 2023 Traveller Series.They will no doubt be challenging R+R, Revelry and Slam Dunk for the top placings at Whitianga.

Usain Boat has also had some very useful recent results and will be making the journey from the Far North. They will also be expected to challenge the leaders

Nevis and Dirty Circus complete the set of returning boats. With Bloodline and Zoot Allures currently sitting in fourth and fifth overall, these returning boats will also mix up the results.

Overall, Whitianga is likely to prove to be a decisive regatta. Coming midway through the overall five regatta series, a good result will leave boats in the hunt for the overall podium. A poor result in a large competitive fleet will have a damaging impact on any boat's overall points.

The racing will be extremely tight. Any poor decisions will shuffle a boat out of the top ten very quickly. With this quality fleet, it will be challenging to work your way back through the fleet. As always, consistency will be key.

Youth Development

Lydia Boyd and team have now taken over the Youth Development boat, Class Act. It's great to see another young female skipper getting involved in the class.Lydia joins a number of female crew who currently compete in the class. As well, she follows in the footsteps of a number of well performed female skippers who have previously honed their skills within the class.

Potentially, Class Act will be crewed by an all female youth crew in the upcoming regatta. The Elliott 5.9 class continues to be proud to support upcoming sailors and also provide a progression for female skippers and crew. The class provides a great stepping stone in competitive one design racing and crewed boats that opens up many doors to further sailing opportunities.

The class is always thankful to the Elliott 5.9 class members whose generosity and time means that Class Act is available to youth crew free of charge. The sole purpose of the boat is supporting youth development sailing. Full details of the Elliott 5.9 Youth Development boat opportunity are available on the website under the Development Crew Boat tab.

Again, the class would like to thank the Mercury Bay Yacht Club for hosting the fleet. The Elliott 5.9 class has built a good relationship with the club. The class always looks forward to this regatta. Despite the club's loss of clubrooms, they continue to provide great hospitality, launching facilities etc.

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.