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The Pleasant Point Yacht Club showed off their new facilities when hosting the recent Burnsco Sunburst national championships and it is also believed to be the first nationals on the Christchurch estuary since the Zephyrs raced there in 1989.
As many as 27 crews from Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Dunedin assembled to compete in four days of racing, including the invitation race held on the Friday.
The father and son combination of Andrew and Cameron Brown collected their seventh consecutive national title - they won their first when Cameron was six - but this time the son helmed Vagrant (the boat, not the sailors) for all eight races. It was Andrew's ninth Sunburst national title overall.
The pair won five of those races to finish two points ahead of fellow Wakatere Boating Club members Liam and Andy Richards, another father/son combination. Harvey Linton and Hannah Clark (Worser Bay Boating Club) were a further 10 points behind in third. The Browns scored a 28th in the second race after being over the start line so had a few nervy moments for the rest of the regatta, especially with the Richards scoring no worse than third in every race.
The top two crews were level on points heading into the final race, meaning whoever finished ahead would take the title.
"It was a great regatta held on the Christchurch estuary, which meant shallow but really nice sailing conditions and a great club atmosphere," Andrew Brown said.
"There was some really close racing with a big last day and Cam did a great job helming, and called some great tactics, to pull through for the win from the Richards team who had Liam helming as well. They had a really good regatta as well."
The handicap trophy was taken out by Dominic Pulley and Alex Humphrey (Waimakariri Sailing Club), with Matt and Holly Neale (Naval Point Club Lyttleton) and Ross Dawson and Kate Matson (Waimakariri Sailing Club) third.
The regatta was the first major one since the Pleasant Point Yacht Club opened their new facilities following the destruction of their previous clubrooms due to the Christchurch earthquakes.
The new clubrooms were opened last year. Photos: Ron Finch.
The success of the Sunburst national championships means they're now keen to host future regional, South Island and national events.
It took over a year of planning and lobbying from key club personnel Craig Tomlinson and Dan O’Sullivan to get the Sunburst nationals to Pleasant Point and then considerable effort from a team of volunteers both on and off the water to make it a such a success.
The club also had assistance from the Waimakariri Sailing Club with their patrol boat and crew and assistance in the club’s kitchen.
The Saturday evening meal hosted by the club was a hit, as was the horse race night, which is a favourite at Pleasant Point.
Results and standings from the 2021 Sunburst national championships at the Pleasant Point Yacht Club:
(27 boats)
1st: Cameron Brown / Andrew Brown (Wakatere Boating Club) 2 (28) 1 1 1 3 1 1 - 10 points
2nd: Liam Richards / Andy Richards (WBC) 1 1 2 2 2 1 3 3 - 12 pts
3rd: Harvey Linton / Hannah Clark (Worser Bay Boating Club) (7) 7 3 3 3 2 2 2 - 22 pts
