Issue date
The Auckland Grammar team helmed by Sam Morgan win the 2015 Harken Schools Regatta. Sam and his team of Tommy Hayes, Alex Wotton and Alejo Redriera were the successful winners of the Gold Fleet with a total of two race wins and 16 points overall. In a nail bitter finish that saw the top 3 teams only separated by 1 point each, Auckland Grammar were the victors with a total of 16 points, Hutt International Boys School next on 17 points and third overall was St. Kentigern College on 18 points.
Click on the pdf file below for the results sheet.
The Hutt International Boys School team helmed by 2013 winner George Gautrey narrowly missed out on the win by just 1 point. George and his team of Will Martel, Jackson Rich and his younger brother Henry Gautrey showed a promising start with a win in the first race of the day, and were consistently in the top half of the fleet.
Third place overall was the St. Kentigern College team helmed by 15 year old George Kirkman and his crew of Thomas Morton, James Delegat and his older sister Stephanie Kirkman. Both James and Stephanie are current members of the Youth Training Programme and showed their experience on board today with a win in the last race and three thirds, but an 8th place in the first race of the day was their undoing.
The Race Committee persevered in the light and tricky conditions today and was able to complete two races for the Silver Fleet and five races for the Gold Fleet. The Silver Fleet were the first to head out onto the water this morning as the Race Committee set up in the Big Shoal Bay area. Two races were completed mid-morning before the rain came, then all the teams swapped over and the Gold Fleet headed out onto the water.
Two races were completed for the Gold Fleet before the sea breeze shut down and the Race Committee then relocated to Mechanics Bay. The Race Committee set up their course and was able to complete the final 3 races for the Gold Fleet by 3.30pm.
Fourth place overall on 22 points was last year’s winner Leonard Takahashi-Fry and his Kristin School team with Ellie Lane from Albany Senior High School in fifth place overall.
Youth Training Programme Coach Guy Pilkington thanked the schools for their continued support and commented “We were really pleased to have 19 teams competing this year and the level was of a very high standard. We hope to have the full 20 teams competing next year.”
In this morning’s Silver Fleet racing, two races were completed with KeriKeri High School and Mount Albert Grammar ending up tied for first place overall. Both KeriKeri’s Patrick Harris and Mount Albert’s Chelsea Rees took one win and one second place each. Harris won the final race and therefore is the overall winner of the Silver Fleet.
The Harken Schools Regatta was an initiative established by the Youth Training Committee to promote the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme and to give school aged teenagers an opportunity to race in a high performance keelboat. Since it’s beginnings in 2007 when the event was sailed in Elliott 6’s and only four schools entered it has grown not only in size but is now attracting schools from all over New Zealand. The event has been sailed in the Youth Training Programme Elliott 7’s since 2011.
For further information on the Harken Schools Regatta or the RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme please contact Sara Tucker stucker@rnzys.org.nz 021 271 9286 or Coach Guy Pilkington gpilkington@rnzys.org.nz 0274 918 962.
