Issue date
With 16 entries from the Far North to the South Island confirmed, this week's Elliott 5.9 National Championships in Whitianga represent the biggest turnout since 2014.
Hosted by the Mercury Bay Boating Club from May 20-22, the event features a mix of sailors new and well-seasoned, all pushing to knock the six-time national champions on board Rough & Reddy off the top spot.
A number of highly-regarded crews have recently entered the class with clear intentions of trying to wrestle the trophy from Craig Satterthwaite and his crew (Rough & Reddy) who have been gatekeepers of the best in New Zealand title since 2015.
North Sails have assembled some of their best one-design sailors including Derek Scott, Ben Costello and Richard Bicknell to sail Retro, and former OK Dinghy world champion Matt Stechman has joined forces with Sam Edwards and Keith Hogan to sail SMAK.
Last year, with a different crew on board, SMAK finished on equal points with the eventual winners, losing only on countback.
Slam Dunk, sailed by class president Stu Clarke with Stu Molloy and Cam Horne, are also expected to be near the front of the fleet based on their continued improvement in recent seasons and the experience of the crew.
With a number of new owners attending their first Elliott 5.9 nationals, the rookie title is clearly up for grabs between Ewok, Icebreaker and the recently-renamed Reverlly (formally Wai Kat a Moo Cow).
Also relatively new to the fleet is the young crew on Tekno who will fancy their chances in the 40 stone trophy, awarded to the best-placed boat with the total crew weight under 40 stone (255kg).
With a growing number of females now competing among the fleet, the class welcome back previous owner Carla Bennett, who will be sailing on the Wellington-based Bob.
As proven by Zoot Allures' third place finish at the recent Rotoiti Traveller Series regatta, consistency through the regatta will be the most important element to work up the leaderboard.
The Napier, Nelson and Northland boats will have been watching class stalwart Dave Cochrane’s approach to sailing smart in this one-design fleet, proving that any one of the 16 entrants are in with a title shot for this tightly-contested event.
The Mercury Bay Boating Club have organised a great onshore programme and with a number of supporters also travelling to Whitianga joining the crews.
Follow results and pictures online on the class Facebook page and see here for more information on the Elliott 5.9 Class Association.
A full list of previous national champions can be found online here.
