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Carla Bennett and her crew on Retro will be out to defend the Elliott 5.9 South Island title she won in convincing fashion last year.
The Elliott 5.9 South Island Championship will feature as part of this weekend's racing at the Lake Aviemore Classic run by the Timaru Yacht Club.
There will be plenty of other boats trying to crash Bennett's party, with Eagle (Mark Howard) likely to be on top of the list. Eagle missed last year's South Island championships but has previously campaigned strongly in the Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series.
Shane Smith, sailing Boat 1, will also be hoping to be in the mix and, along with Magpie (Seamus Tredinnick) which also sails out of Naval Point Club Lyttelton.
Other boats to watch out for will be Bob (Jo Patterson), Chop (Glen Hoban-Watson) and Brilliant (Kirsten Disse). While these crews are all new to the class, the competitive one-design nature of the Elliott 5.9 always ensures close and competitive racing.
There will be plenty of Elliott 5.9 racing in the South Island this summer and crews will be working towards the overall Southern Circuit and eventually the South Island-based national championships in March.
