Issue date
The boat might be known as Rough & Reddy and the crew are certainly effective as they took out their fifth consecutive title at the Elliott 5.9 national championships in Napier recently.
Skipper Craigh Satterwaite and his crew of Richard Bearda and Matt Mitchell won four of the 12 races over the three-day regatta but, crucially, also added five scores in the top three to claim the title by eight points over Slam Dunk / Blur skippered by Stu Clarke.
Four different boats won races in the series to highlight the competitiveness of the 13-boat fleet. The predominantly light to moderate conditions kept the racing tight and, at times on the finish line, the race officer was calling out boat numbers in rapid succession with four to five boats finishing within a couple of seconds of each other.
Three local entries competed and others from Nelson and Marlborough, as well as Opua in Northland, ventured to the Napier Sailing Club for the regatta.
Some recent boat ownership changes keeping the class interest lively with Evolution now the SMAK racing team and long time class supporter Nathan Williams having his last regatta (for now) with John Kensington having purchased Cheeky Darky.
Williams has had 12 years in the class with two competitive boats and four years as class president . He's also been a great supporter of the association through his business Colormania.
With the nationals now completed, the class will focus on the remainder of the Traveller Series with four more regattas remaining this year in the Bay of Plenty at the end of June (a new venue to be confirmed very soon), Marsden Cove in mid-August, Sandspit with a date to be confirmed before Omaha rounding the series out in November.
The Elliott 5.9 has an excellent mix of competitors new and old, with many returning time and again for the close racing and social off-the-water atmosphere. There is always scope for more boats to participate and, if you are interested, please contact Stu Clarke on 021 890 067 or via the class association website www.e59.org.nz
Results and standings from the Elliott 5.9 national championships at the Napier Sailing Club recently:
1st: R & R (6) 1 1 1 5 1 5 2 2 2 3 2 - 25 points
2nd: Slam Dunk / Blur 4 3 2 4 2 2 2 3 4 (6) 2 5 - 33 pts
3rd: Brzo (7) 6 4 2 1 4 6 1 1 1 4 4 - 34 pts
Pic: Richard Bearda, Craig Satterwaite and Matt Mitchell celebrate winning the title.
