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2008 World Championship, Cesme in Turkey, 14 - 25 July... NZL Yachting Trust Worlds Team
Click here for the event website. Logan Dunning-Beck, Sam MacKay, Andrew McKenzie, Erica Dawson and Naomi Mannering are taking part in the World Championships on the Aegean Sea on the West Coast of Turkey. Reports from the team will be posted as they come in.

The Teams racing event took place on 21/07/2008 - NZ went into the event as the top qualifyer and made it through to the 4th round. For a full report go to the IODA website, and for the results table click here.

To link to the IODA news pages dedicated to the Worlds click here

REPORT DAY 5 24/07/2008 Click here for REPORT 5 PDF with photo, by Peter Dawson

After two discussions between coaches and jury who did not see eye to eye over last nights decision by the jury to abandon the last 2 flights of the day, the sailors were back on the race course to resail Race 10b and10b. The arguments centred around the jury not policing Rule 42 up the beat in the light air. Then the jury instructing the Race committee after the race had finished that it was unfair. The race was abandoned about 2 hours after it had finished.

Race 10 Flight 2 - Rerun : Andrew and Naomi
The breeze today is from the opposite direction off the land for the first time in 2 weeks that we have been here. It started around 3-5 knots with a flat sea. The race got underway on schedule at midday. Initially the breeze looked steady across the course but after the start of the first race it shifted to the left with more pressure there. Our 2 sailors went up the middle and Andrew rounded about 34th and Naomi 41st at the top. Similar pattern on the last beat. Andrew finished 22nd and Naomi about 44th.

Race 10 Flight 3 – Rerun : Erica
Erica also seemed to work the middle and was in the mid 30s at the top. The 2nd fleet had overlapped the first fleet by this stage and anyone caught out on the right finished well down trying to get back. At the end of the race Erica was 34th.

Race 11 Flight 1: Sam and Naomi
This flight started in 5 knots of southerly wind. Flight 1 2 and 3 were abandoned part way through the race as the breeze swung into the north. As luck would have it Logan was lying 2nd and Erica 6th at the time of the abandonment. They started the rerun at 1510 in 2-3 knots and decreasing. They got the first flight away and finished the race with Sam 8th and Naomi 40th. Meanwhile 2nd and 3rd flights were still waiting for the breeze and they eventually shifted the course.

Race 11 Flight 2: Logan and Erica
They got this one away at 1550 in 5 knots of breeze. We had Logan 16th at the wing and Erica 37th. They both struggled to hold positions and drifted around to finish Logan 49 and Erica 52. Race 11 Flight 3 – Andrew Andrew was 57th at the wing mark and worked his way up the field to about 35th at the finish.

Race 12 Flight 1: Logan and Naomi
This race started in 5 knots of breeze. Logan 7th at the top and 6th at the wing. Naomi had a bad start and was 3rd to last at the wing. At the finish we had 5 knots with a left shifting breeze and Logan finished 4th and Naomi 70th.

Race 12 Flight 2: Andrew and Sam
Andrew went right out of the start which paid well and made it to the top mark in 16th. Sam was in the 50s at the wing but managed to bang the left hard up the last beat and made up ground to finish in 35th. On the second beat the breeze was in the left with a left hand shift and Andrew finished 18th.

Race 12 Flight 3: Erica
Erica had a pretty bad start and worked the right up the first beat because there was more pressure and the breeze had been shifting right. She was 25th at the top. She held her own to the finish and crossed in 25th. Update: Andrew had an OCS in Race 11. There are many protests seeking either redress for Race 10b and 10c or getting 10a thrown out altogether. These will carry on into the night. As the races are now 2 behind schedule the race committee has brought tomorrows start forward to 1030 and will attempt to sail 3 races to complete the full regatta.

REPORT 5 24/07/2008 Click here for REPORT 5 by Peter Dawson

REPORT 4 23/07/2008 Click here for REPORT 4 pdf with photos by Peter Dawson

REPORT 3 20/07/2008 click here for report 3 by Peter Dawson

REPORT 2 19/07/2008 click here for report 2 by Peter Dawson

REPORT 1 18/07/2008 download pdf file of report by clicking here by Peter Dawson

2008 Optimist European Championship, Riva Del Garda, Italy, 28 June - 6 July
Jayvee Buchannan NZL 4204, Vicki Callinicos NZL 4205, Alex Munro NZL 4263, and Henry Wilkinson NZL 4267 are about to take part in the Opti European Championship on Lake Garda - to follow their progess on the event website click here. Reports from the team will be posted here as they come in.

2008 North American Championship, Curaçao, 28 June - 6 July
Click here for the event website which has live tracking of races, replays of races, news, sailors profiles, results and general information. Keith Inglis NZL4312, Olivia McKay NZL 4223, Nicholas Gunn NZL4186 and Alex Dyett NZL4119 are at the North Americans held off Jan Thiel Beach, Curacao, Netherland Antilles in the Caribbean.

2009 Opti Clinic, 13 - 16 January
The Opti Clinic has been held each year since 2002. The clinic has proven to be very valuable for sailors already racing to move to the next level in all areas of competitive sailing. The clinic is to be held 13,14,15,16 January 2009 At Eastern Beach Willow Park Camp. The entry forms and criteria will be available from the web site in October. Any enquiries, direct to Nigel Rippey. Email Rippey@xtra.co.nz.

2008 NZ Optimist Nationals, Naval Point
Nicolas Poree of New Caledonia has won the NZ Optimist championship sailed at Naval Point YC, Lyttelton. Nicolas and fellow New Caledonian Maxime Masard, who was only one point behind in second, have been attending NZ champs since 2005 when it was held in Taipa. They are part of an ongoing exchange between the two nations which was originally fostered by Glendowie BC many years ago, this year they have entered a particularly strong team with four sailors in the top 15.

Logan Dunning-Beck of Wakatere BC in Auckland was third overall, and as the first New Zealander is the National Optimist Champion. Logan makes up part of the New Zealand Worlds team, along with Sam Mackay of Napier SC, Andrew McKenzie of Kohimarama YC, Erica Dawson of Murrays Bay SC and Naomi Mannering of Napier SC.

1 Nicolas Poree SRC M 14 FRA 48
2 Maxime Masard SRC M 15 FRA Yellow 49
3 Logan Dunning-Beck Wakatere BC M 15 NZL Yellow 53
4 Sam Mackay Napier SC M 15 NZL Yellow 61
5 Andrew McKenzie Kohimarama YC M 13 NZL White 63
6 Erica Dawson Murrays Bay SC F 14 NZL Blue 75
7 Naomi Mannering Napier SC F 14 NZL Red 75
8 Mark Wong Vinn Howe Singapore SC M 13 SIN White 103
9 Keith Inglis Taupo YC M 14 NZL White 108
10 Lloyd Collings Sorrento SCBC M 14 AUS Red 116
11 Olivia Mackay Napier SC F 12 NZL Red 122
12 Nicholas Gunn Tauranga YPBC M 15 NZL Blue 126
13 Shelley White Keppel Bay SC F 15 AUS Red 127
14 Clement Muller SRC M 14 FRA White 135
15 Laszlo Horvath SRC M 15 FRA Blue 137
16 Alex Dyet Torbay SC M 15 NZL Blue 138
17 Sam Schofield Wakatere BC M 14 NZL White 140

The Nationals are in their final day and positions at the top are very tight. Erica Dawson of Murrays Bay SC has had a wonderful regatta, leading the New Zealand fleet for much of the time; Logan Dunning-Beck of Wakatere BC has shown his experience by putting together a series of good races after suffering a confusing finishing result in one of the first races; Sam Mackay of Napier Club, Andrew McKenzie of Kohimarama YC and Naomi Mannering of Napier SC have also sailed well and are in contention for the coveted top five NZ Worlds team positions. Close behind are Keith Inglis of Taupo YC and Olivia Mackay also of Napier SC.

Of the 178 sailors in the Open fleet, 34 internationals are attending the event, with Nicolas Poree of New Caledonia, representing France, currently leading the regatta. Other nations represented are Singapore, Australia, USA, Norway, Tahiti, Hong Kong, and United Arab Emirates. 41 sailors are taking part in the Green fleet division of the regatta - this is currently being led by Evie Baxter of Queen Charlotte YC.

A variety of conditions have been experienced, but the majority has been sailed in light weather.

Auckland Champs 2008, Howick
The Auckland Champs attracted 107 Open fleet, and 41 Green fleet sailors from all over New Zealand - a massive 148 boats! Conditions were generally light and flukey earlier in the day but races held later enjoyed a more steady, and fairly brisk breeze at times. Andrew McKenzie of Kohimarama came out on top with first girl Naomi Mannering from Napier 2nd and Alex Dyet of Torbay 3rd. In the Green fleet Charlotte de L'Isle, Torbay, came 1st, Nick Egnot Johnson, MBSC, 2nd and Justin McDonald of Tauranga 3rd. For full results go to the RESULTS page.

SI Opti Champs, Lyttelton 23/24 February 2008
Logan Dunning-Beck added the South Island Opti Champs to the North Island title he already holds. Andrew Mckenzie placed second with Alex Munro in third.

1st         Logan Dunning Beck    Wakatere    1.0    1.0    2.0    2.0    (3.0)    9.0    6.0
2nd        Andrew Mckenzie    Kohimarama    7.0    (22.0)    1.0    1.0    1.0    32.0    10.0
3rd         Alex Munro    Wakatere    2.5    2.0    (5.0)    3.0    4.0    16.5    11.5
Full results are available at http://www.navalpoint.co.nz/results/optisouth.htm/

Junior Sail Auckland, Auckland February 2008
There were good results in the Opti Open class for Logan Dunning-Beck, Sam MackKay and Sam Schofield who finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a 96 boat fleet sailed in moderate winds on Saturday and blustery wet conditions on Sunday. Jnr Sail Auckland Results

Wakatere Junior Regatta, December 15, 2007
Reasonable sized fleets turned out for the annual Junior Regatta in Devonport this year. Conditions were cloudy with moderate but shirfty northerlies and choppy waves. The young sailors dealt well with sightly challeging launching conditions as the receeding tide fought the wind and created dumping waves along the shoreline. Results will be posted when they come to hand.

Sir Peter Blake Memorial Regatta, Torbay Sailing Club, December 8 - 9 2007
One hundred and twenty seven optimist sailors turned up for the Sir Peter Blake Memorial Regatta this year sailed out of Torbay Sailing Club. In the Open fleet eighty five competitors sailed four races and enjoyed sunny conditions on Saturday with a breeze that began lightly from the south and moved into the north and increased to a moderate sea breeze in the afternoon. Sam MacKay of Napier was at the top of the board at the end of the day on 26 points, ahead of Andrew McKenzie of Kohimarama with 37 and Jayvee Buchanan of Murrays Bay/Charteris Bay with 40.

The forty two boat Green fleet also enjoyed conditions well suited to young sailors learning the ropes - Jarrod McDonald of Murrays Bay came in a clear first with 7 points; Charlotte Moss of Murrays Bay second with 25 points; and Markus Somerville of Wakatere third with 28 points.

Unfortunately Sunday brought strong winds of 30+ knots so sailing was called off after a number of boats in the large Starling fleet suffered gear breakages - fortunately the series was complete with four races and the previous days results stood. Thank you to the many volunteer helpers from Torbay SC and supporting clubs. For full results go the Torbay SC website by clicking here.

Light winds were the order of the day for Opti sailors attending the North Island Champs held on Lake Rotorua. Up and coming sailors came to the fore in the light breezes which stayed under 10 knots over the weekend. The Open fleet was dominated by Napier sailors - Sam Mackay 1st and Naomi Mannering 2nd, with Murrays Bay sailor Erica Dawson snapping at their heels - putting two girls on the podium for the first time at a major NZ Opti regatta in recent years. A good fleet of 108 boats took part, with about one third girls - and a visitor from Noumea.

Interclub teams racing at Murrays Bay 10 November '07
A beautiful sunny day with light northerly winds set the scene for some early season teams racing. The courses were set just off Mairangi Bay and Murrays Bay, giving spectators a good view from the popular walkway over the cliffs, and along the foreshore walkway when the tide was low. The sailors had a great time and I believe there are plans to hold another competition later this summer - not sure where and when but we'll keep you posted.

Judge Jim Maloney agreed that it was a great day - "the kids had a blast". Kohimarama YC, Tauranga BC, Howick SC, Bucklands Beach YC, Wakatere BC and Murrays Bay SC entered teams with a total of 12 taking part. Official results aren't available at this stage, but 1st place went to a Murrays Bay team, 2nd to Tauranga, 3rd to Wakatere and 4th to Kohimarama. Click here for more photos

Andrew McKenzie reports on his Bermuda Junior Gold Cup trip
On Monday Dad came home from work saying he had received a phone call from Kevin Brown President of NZIODA asking if I wanted to go to Bermuda to compete in the King Edward VIIth Junior Gold Cup next week. Did I What!! We also received an email from Peter Montgomery saying we had hit the jackpot and were sure to have a great time. He said that Dad should watch out for the 'Dark and Stormies', On Sunday we were on the plane.

Bermuda is a small series of islands, 22 square miles in total, approximately 600 nautical miles off the east coast of North America, and 800 miles North East of the Bahamas, and 32 degrees north of the equator. Actually it is way out in the Atlantic, seemingly a million miles from anywhere. The islands form part of the ring of a volcanic crater atop a 13,000 foot underwater mountain. Wow!