Flying 15s
The 2012 Flying Fifteen Nationals Championship regatta will be held as part of Sail Auckland from the 4th to 6th of February.
The event will see the overall national title, as well as the silver and classic fleet titles, contested by teams travelling from Lyttleton, Nelson, Wellington and Napier to compete with the Auckland fleet.
Other titles that will be decided during the competition include the first mixed crew, best fleet on points, first on handicap, best placed helm over 55 years and improvers trophies.
This championship event comes six months after the 18th Flying Fifteen World Championship that was held in Hayling Island, England where Ben Lowe and Kate Gilbert extended their experience as a team to narrowly place better than Murray Gilbert and Jonathan Burgess. These two teams from Auckland could be the ones to watch to challenge seven time national champions and current defending champions, Aaron Goodmanson and Alister Rowlands from Charteris Bay Yacht Club.
Other mixed crews include Craig Coulam & Adrienne Rekke from Auckland, the Nelson/Mangonui combination Sandra Williams & Roger Hall and Sally Garret & Neil Easton also from Auckland who are also defending the Silver Fleet trophy.
Racing is expected to be competitive among the fleet where last year first places in the 22 strong fleet were shared among 5 boats in the 8 races completed with as little as 15 seconds between 2nd and 7th place in some races.
Results and Entry List will be found at Sailauckland.org.nz. Sail Auckland is an ISAF Grade 1 Olympic Classes Regatta to be held 3-7 February 2012 at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Auckland. Competing classes include RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 420, 470, 29er, 49er, Flying Fifteen, F18, Skud 18, Access Liberty, Access 303 & 2.4R. The Venue and shore base Sail Auckland is Royal Akarana Yacht Club.
The Flying Fifteen was designed by the legendary Uffa Fox, the one-design 6m (20ft) Flying Fifteen is an exciting and competitive two-person racing yacht which is now the most popular one design keel-boat class in the world with around 4000 boats. (The “fifteen” refers to its waterline length.). It is capable of some 14 knots on a reach without the problems arising from capsize or trapeze and is easily transportable and stored. It is arguably the safest, most exciting small yacht available. Mixed crews are common and have twice won the world championship.
For further information please contact FFNZ Secretary F15, Sandra Williams Sandraff15@gmail.com or website flying15.org.nz.
