Paper Tiger Regatta
16/11/08 20:20 Filed in: November
Paper Tiger North Island Grand Prix Regatta
15th and 16th November 2008
Sailors from as far as Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth and Napier made Lake Ngaroto their base for the weekend’s Paper Tiger North Island Grand Prix series regatta. Terry Valder (Auckland), Mark Bell (Howick), both regular “A” Grade sailors at this regatta were first and second respectively and a relative newcomer to the class Hayden Percy (Napier, “C” Grade) challenged hard for the lead but was pleased with a third place overall. The first “B” Grader was Las Gallagher (Howick) followed by Scott Pederson (Napier). Erik Kraayenhof was the second “C” Grade sailor and the best performed Ngaroto club sailor. Spot prizes were won by Lynley Manning (Wellington) and Cam Mans (Ngaroto).
Prizes included Start Watches, Sailing Boots, Gloves and an Aquafleece sailing jacket thanks to New Zealand Sailing Ltd, www.nzsailing.net (Auckland). The prizes were well appreciated and will certainly make a difference to sailors performance and comfort on the water.
The wind challenged sailors over the weekend; those who could sail well in lighter conditions, picking the shifts and stay in the puffs for the longest were rewarded with good placings. The wind direction varied from the northeast to the northwest, moving frequently during the racing. The highest puff recorded was 12 knots, some lucky sailors were able to raise a hull above the waters but not for too long. Four races were sailed on Saturday, the remaining two sailed back to back on Sunday. The courses were all trapezoid in nature, Sundays course including a “Gate” to add another dimension for sailors to contemplate.
Favourable comments about the venue and the Club’s hospitality make this regatta one of the best on the sailing calendar for Paper Tiger sailors. The venue might be “homely” but the boats are high tech, many control adjustments possible to match the sailing conditions. Eight “A” Grade sailors were amongst the fleet of 17.
The Ngaroto regatta team did another top job. The “kitchen” team can certainly whip up a great meal for the famished sailors (preparation is combined with a lot of kitchen chatter, some under strict embargo to male ears). The race staff got on with the job of race control, course setting in difficult conditions and results collation. (Claire, Linda, Ragina, Janice, Anne, Danny, John, Owen, Ross, Jamie, Thomas, Shane, Alex, Tom and Philip; maybe a few more, many hands made for an enjoyable weekend regatta).
• Next Saturday, starting at 9.00 am we’ll start to clean and paint the exterior of the Clubhouse and flagpole. The following Saturday should see the job finished and the Clubhouse looking like brand new!
• Sail on Sunday, training from 10.30 am and racing from 1300 hours, the final two races of the Mangapiko Series (Anne Byford OD).
15th and 16th November 2008
Sailors from as far as Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth and Napier made Lake Ngaroto their base for the weekend’s Paper Tiger North Island Grand Prix series regatta. Terry Valder (Auckland), Mark Bell (Howick), both regular “A” Grade sailors at this regatta were first and second respectively and a relative newcomer to the class Hayden Percy (Napier, “C” Grade) challenged hard for the lead but was pleased with a third place overall. The first “B” Grader was Las Gallagher (Howick) followed by Scott Pederson (Napier). Erik Kraayenhof was the second “C” Grade sailor and the best performed Ngaroto club sailor. Spot prizes were won by Lynley Manning (Wellington) and Cam Mans (Ngaroto).
Prizes included Start Watches, Sailing Boots, Gloves and an Aquafleece sailing jacket thanks to New Zealand Sailing Ltd, www.nzsailing.net (Auckland). The prizes were well appreciated and will certainly make a difference to sailors performance and comfort on the water.
The wind challenged sailors over the weekend; those who could sail well in lighter conditions, picking the shifts and stay in the puffs for the longest were rewarded with good placings. The wind direction varied from the northeast to the northwest, moving frequently during the racing. The highest puff recorded was 12 knots, some lucky sailors were able to raise a hull above the waters but not for too long. Four races were sailed on Saturday, the remaining two sailed back to back on Sunday. The courses were all trapezoid in nature, Sundays course including a “Gate” to add another dimension for sailors to contemplate.
Favourable comments about the venue and the Club’s hospitality make this regatta one of the best on the sailing calendar for Paper Tiger sailors. The venue might be “homely” but the boats are high tech, many control adjustments possible to match the sailing conditions. Eight “A” Grade sailors were amongst the fleet of 17.
The Ngaroto regatta team did another top job. The “kitchen” team can certainly whip up a great meal for the famished sailors (preparation is combined with a lot of kitchen chatter, some under strict embargo to male ears). The race staff got on with the job of race control, course setting in difficult conditions and results collation. (Claire, Linda, Ragina, Janice, Anne, Danny, John, Owen, Ross, Jamie, Thomas, Shane, Alex, Tom and Philip; maybe a few more, many hands made for an enjoyable weekend regatta).
• Next Saturday, starting at 9.00 am we’ll start to clean and paint the exterior of the Clubhouse and flagpole. The following Saturday should see the job finished and the Clubhouse looking like brand new!
• Sail on Sunday, training from 10.30 am and racing from 1300 hours, the final two races of the Mangapiko Series (Anne Byford OD).