The recently completed Burnso Elliott 5.9 Traveller series regatta at Whitianga lived up to the hype as one of the most closely contested Elliott 5.9 regattas yet.
The conditions on the Saturday were light, leading to a delay in racing. However, once the breeze settled in, while remaining light, it was consistent. The committee did a great job by getting six good fair races to make the most of the day.
Over recent seasons, it has been clear that the performance of all the boats is becoming closer and more consistent. In these light breezes, nearly all boats are very similar in performance. Course placement and crew work were really important and the ability to recover from any errors proved difficult.
The tightness of the racing was well demonstrated with five different winners across the six races. The only boat to pick up two wins was the current Traveller Series champions, Shapeshifter. However, the close racing meant Shapeshifter also had two ninths to only sit in fifth overall after the first day.
The difficulty in piecing together consistent results was reflected right throughout the fleet. Slam Dunk was the only boat to remain in the top four in each race and ended the first day as the overall leaders.
Day two also dawned with light to no breeze and there was again a delay in racing. The breeze did again fill in to allow more racing, but the Sunday breeze was changeable and patchy. The race committee did well to get two races away before abandoning for the day.
R+R were at their mercurial best. After sitting in third place after day one and looking to be unlikely regatta winners, they pulled off two wins on day two to sneak past the consistent Slam Dunk for the regatta win by one point. R+R’s wins on day two made them the sixth race winners across the eight race series
Reggae Shark, who have only recently returned to the series, took out a well deserved third. A couple of second placings and a win, bookended fifth and sixth placings, was the consistency required for their podium finish.
Whitianga was also a great event for our Elliott 5.9 female crew and skippers with five ladies across the fleet. Between the youth program and the steadily building female sailors, the class continues its role as a great development class. The close racing and one design aspect continues to develop everyone's skills to a high level.
Mercury Bay Boating Club again proved to be great hosts and the race team did a great job getting in eight races given the marginal forecast. Again the social aspect was great and it was good to see family and friends also enjoying the awesome Whitianga location.
The class is off to another iconic spot for the Burnsco Traveller Series #4, Russell. This has proved to be a great location for the Elliott 5.9s and the class is looking forward to going back again.
The class is continuing to grow as the series progresses with 15 boats expected on the start line over the weekend of 24 - 25 August.
All the top contenders will again be on the start line but it is proving more and more difficult to pick who may fill the podium. Consistently and the odd win are likely to be the winning combinations but achieving that in what is becoming quite a hot fleet is easier said than done.
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 https://elliott59.weebly.com/results.html
The conditions on the Saturday were light, leading to a delay in racing. However, once the breeze settled in, while remaining light, it was consistent. The committee did a great job by getting six good fair races to make the most of the day.
Over recent seasons, it has been clear that the performance of all the boats is becoming closer and more consistent. In these light breezes, nearly all boats are very similar in performance. Course placement and crew work were really important and the ability to recover from any errors proved difficult.
The tightness of the racing was well demonstrated with five different winners across the six races. The only boat to pick up two wins was the current Traveller Series champions, Shapeshifter. However, the close racing meant Shapeshifter also had two ninths to only sit in fifth overall after the first day.
The difficulty in piecing together consistent results was reflected right throughout the fleet. Slam Dunk was the only boat to remain in the top four in each race and ended the first day as the overall leaders.
Day two also dawned with light to no breeze and there was again a delay in racing. The breeze did again fill in to allow more racing, but the Sunday breeze was changeable and patchy. The race committee did well to get two races away before abandoning for the day.
R+R were at their mercurial best. After sitting in third place after day one and looking to be unlikely regatta winners, they pulled off two wins on day two to sneak past the consistent Slam Dunk for the regatta win by one point. R+R’s wins on day two made them the sixth race winners across the eight race series
Reggae Shark, who have only recently returned to the series, took out a well deserved third. A couple of second placings and a win, bookended fifth and sixth placings, was the consistency required for their podium finish.
Whitianga was also a great event for our Elliott 5.9 female crew and skippers with five ladies across the fleet. Between the youth program and the steadily building female sailors, the class continues its role as a great development class. The close racing and one design aspect continues to develop everyone's skills to a high level.
Mercury Bay Boating Club again proved to be great hosts and the race team did a great job getting in eight races given the marginal forecast. Again the social aspect was great and it was good to see family and friends also enjoying the awesome Whitianga location.
The class is off to another iconic spot for the Burnsco Traveller Series #4, Russell. This has proved to be a great location for the Elliott 5.9s and the class is looking forward to going back again.
The class is continuing to grow as the series progresses with 15 boats expected on the start line over the weekend of 24 - 25 August.
All the top contenders will again be on the start line but it is proving more and more difficult to pick who may fill the podium. Consistently and the odd win are likely to be the winning combinations but achieving that in what is becoming quite a hot fleet is easier said than done.
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 https://elliott59.weebly.com/results.html
