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Light breezes were a feature of the first round of the Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series at Lake Rotoiti last weekend, which condensed the fleet and made for some incredibly tight racing.
R+R (Craig Satherwaite, Phil Jamieson, Stu Betthany) were deserved winners but they did not have it all their own way.
There were six different race winners across the nine races completed but no one other crew could match R+R’s consistently. R+R picked up three race wins and a run of other top-five placings, with their only real blemish an OCS in race 6.
Slam Dunk (Stu Clarke, Cam Horne, Stu Molloy) found good form through the middle of the regatta to pick up second overall but were left ruing an OCS which potentially cost them the outright win.
Blurr (Simon Manning, Andy Roberston, Carl Syman) made a successful return to the fleet to pick up third overall, including two race wins. Not only will Blurr be pleased with their well-deserved top placing, but they also managed to hold off the youth team led by Simon Manning’s son, Jack, on Voodoo.
Voodoo hit their stride in the middle section of the regatta and seemed to relish the light airs. A couple of startline disqualifications pushed them down the overall results but this youth team proved they are competitive.
Top rookie prize went to Icebreaker (Tom Maidment, Olly Maidment and Stefano), who were seventh overall including a couple of top-five placings.
The race committee from the Bay of Plenty Trailer Yacht Squadron did a great job to get in nine races, especially with a fleet of 15 boats and a forecast that indicated racing might have been unlikely.
There were some great downwind tussles as each boat searched out small gains and mark roundings were incredibly tight with 10 boats often converging on the bottom gate at the same time.
The Elliott 5.9 fleet will hit the road again for the nationals championships in Russell on May 19-22, when up to 20 boats are expected and an amazing location.
Full results from Lake Rotoiti can be found here and images here.
