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Tom Saunders admitted he felt a few nerves lining up for the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta at the Wakatere Boating Club today, even though he’s competed at multiple world events and been among the world’s best over the past decade.
The 28-year-old swapped his lifejacket and booties for goggles and a bike 14 months ago as he took a break from sailing after missing Olympic selection in the Laser to Sam Meech. Two weeks ago he blitzed his first ever ironman event in Taupo, finishing in under 10 hours.
Today’s races were considerably shorter and Saunders won three of the five in the Laser class to take top honours, which was a satisfying result considering it was his first Laser regatta since last year’s world championships in Melbourne last February.
“The Melbourne worlds is a long time ago now and I took some time off to reassess where I was at,” he said. “I was a bit disappointed after Melbourne [to finish 21st and miss out on Olympic selection]. I channelled all that energy into an ironman and that became my Olympics, I suppose.
“I have to admit there were definitely some butterflies before today. It was good to finally get back into it because it’s been a long time. I feel mentally refreshed and we are only three years away from the Paris Olympics so it’s coming around pretty quickly. Back into it.”
Saunders and the rest of the 132 entrants had expected to race across two days but competition was cancelled yesterday as gusts approaching 45 knots swept across the Hauraki Gulf. It went from one extreme to the next and racing today was delayed due to light winds before enough breeze filled in.
The race committee did well to get through five races for almost all 11 classes, and there was even enough breeze for both the Nacra 17s and windfoilers to get up and foiling most of the time.
Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson proved their class in the Nacra 17, winning seven of their nine races (the foiling catamarans also raced on Friday) to win overall, but the pair have bigger goals in mind.
“It feels like we’re into our final prep for the Tokyo Olympics,” Wilkinson said. “It was just about polishing everything up and it felt like we got there in some small way today.”
Dawson added: “We have made some really good gains in the past year since we last lined up against an international fleet. We’re really happy with our progress and really looking forward to getting overseas and testing ourselves against the rest of the fleet.”
That will come when they head to Spain later this month to train with and race against half of the Nacra 17 fleet who will contest the Olympics.
Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox have also been selected for the Tokyo Games and they won four of their five races to take the men’s 470 title.
Racing on the same course as them were some of this country’s top youth sailors and the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta presents a rare chance for them to race alongside some of the world’s best.
It is something that didn’t escape Amelia Angus and Carrington Brady, who won the girl’s 29er and finished second overall in the 15-strong fleet. The pair have made huge strides since teaming up six months ago, and were also first girls and second overall at the recent 29er North Island championships in Taupo.
“It’s super-inspiring being around everyone, especially since we are literally rigging up next to them, talking to them and sailing alongside them,” Brady said. “It’s a good insight into what we can do in the future and the pathway available to us because we can see it right in front of us.”
Results and standings from the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta held at the Wakatere Boating Club:
Boy's 29er
1st: George Lee Rush / Josh Schon (Wakatere Boating Club) 1 2 1 (5) 5 - 9 points
2nd: Sean Kensington / Elliot Bacon (Kohimarama Yacht Club / Worser Bay Boating Club) 2 5 5 (8) 1 - 13 pts
3rd: Jasper Camenzind / Blake Hinsley (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) 9 1 (15) 1 8 - 19 pts
Girl's 29er
1st: Amelia Angus / Carrington Brady (WBC) 3 3 (11) 2 3 - 11 pts
2nd: Lucy Leith / Lizzie Shapland (MBSC) 6 4 (7) 3 2 - 15 pts
3rd: Naiomi Ferrissey / Mia Barker (MBSC) (10) 8 8 4 4 - 24 pts
Women's Laser Radial
1st: Olivia Christie (WBBC/RAYC) 7 3 1 3 (8) - 14 pts
2nd: Emily Overend (Queen Charlotte Yacht Club) 5 (10) 9 1 5 - 20 pts
Girl's Youth Laser Radial
1st: Greta Pilkington (RNZYS) 12 (13) 4 2 3 - 21 pts
2nd: Sophia Morgan (KYC) 10 6 8 11 (17) - 35 pts
3rd: Teaghan Denney (Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club) 13 9 19 8 (15) - 40 pts
Boy's Youth Laser Radial
1st: Caleb Armit (MBSC) 1 1 3 (5) 1 - 7 pts
2nd: Harry Edwards (QCYC) 3 7 2 (10) 4 - 16 pts
3rd: Ethan Fong (WBC) 2 5 6 6 (12) - 19 pts
Laser
1st: Tom Saunders (TYPBC) 1 1 2 (7 OCS) 1 - 5 pts
2nd: Luke Cashmore (WBC) (2) 2 1 1 2 - 6 pts
3rd: Luke Deegan (Pupuke Boating Club) 3 3 (6) 3 3 - 12 pts
49er
1st: Isaac McHardie / William McKenzie (RAYC) (1) 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts
2nd: Logan Dunning Beck / Oscar Gunn (WBC/MBSC) (3) 2 2 2 3 - 9 pts
3rd: Sam Morgan / Pat Morgan (RAYC) (4) 3 3 4 4 - 14 pts
Men's 49erFX
1st: Seb Menzies / Brayden Hamilton (MBSC/WBC) (2) 1 2 1 1 - 5 pts
2nd: Mason Mulcahy / Thomas Mulcahy (MBSC) 4 (5) 4 3 2 - 13 pts
Women's 49erFX
1st: Crystal Sun / Olivia Hobbs (RAYC/KYC) (3) 3 1 2 3 - 9 pts
2nd: Courtney Reynolds-Smith / Brianna Reynolds-Smith (Torbay Sailing Club / RAYC) 1 4 (5) 5 4 - 14 pts
3rd: Helena Sanderson / Alice Haslett (BOIYC/WBC) (5) 2 3 4 5 - 14 pts
Girl's 420
1st: Vivien Webster Chung / Leah Sinton (WBC/MBSC) 1 (2) 2 1 2 - 6 pts
2nd: Amelia Peel / Briana Mitchell (PBC/EBYMBC) (3) 3 3 2 3 - 11 pts
Boy's 420
1st: Josh Ferrissey / Alex Hebberd (MBSC) 2 1 1 (4 DNC) 1 - 5 pts
Men's 470
1st: Paul Snow-Hansen / Daniel Willcox (WBC/MBSC) (2) 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts
2nd: Simon Cooke / Andre Van Dam (RAYC/EBYMBC/MBSC) 1 (3) 2 3 3 - 9 pts
3rd: Richard Power / John Power (Kerikeri Cruising Club) (4) 4 4 2 4 - 14 pts
Women's 470
1st: Kerensa Jennings / Rebecca Hume (MBSC) 3 2 3 (4) 2 - 10 pts
Nacra 17
1st: Micah Wilkinson / Erica Dawson (Ngaroto Sailing Club/MBSC) (2) 1 1 1 (2) 1 1 1 1 - 7 pts
2nd: Olivia Mackay / Jack Honey (Napier Sailing Club/BOIYC) 1 2 (4 DNF) (4 DNF) 1 2 3 3 3 - 15 pts
3rd: Henry Haslett / Blake McGlashan (WBC/MBSC) (3) (3) 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 - 16 pts
Nacra 15
1st: Hamish McLaren / Sofia Higgott (RAYC) (1) 1 1 1 1 - 4 pts
2nd: Cleo Boyd / Ziz Bently (BOIYC) (2) 2 2 2 2 - 8 pts
Men's Windfoiling
1st; Josh Armit (MBSC) 2 2 3 3 - 10 pts
2nd: Eli Liefting (RAYC) 1 1 5 4 - 11 pts
3rd: Thomas Crook (WBC) 5 4 1 2 - 12 pts
Women's Windfoiling
1st: Veerle ten Have (TYPBC) 10 8 8 6 - 32 pts
2nd: Brianna Orams (TSC) 12 11 9 9 - 41 pts
Youth Boy's Windfoiling
1st: Olly Maidment (TYPBC) 4 5 6 8 - 23 pts
2nd: Andrew Stretton (Lake Taupo Yacht Club) 8 9 4 7 - 28 pts
3rd: Charles Solly (WBC) 9 12 11 13 - 45 pts
Full results here
