Issue date
It was One Way traffic at the North Sails Young 88 Southern Championships recently, with Harry Thurston and his crew on One Way winning all five races to take the title.
Thurston, who previously sailed with Team New Zealand, showed great boat speed and crew work to dominate racing in Lyttelton harbour. One Way has good pedigree, having won the first two Young 88 national titles in 1986 and 1987 with another Harry - Harry Dodson - at the helm.
Flying Machine (Craig Edwards) was second in the 15-boat fleet, with First Class (Rick Halifax) third. Full Circle (Phil Folter) was the winner of the Gold Card Trophy for helms / owners over 65 and fourth overall.
There were 11 local crews with one each from Auckland and Wellington and two from Akaroa.
The first day of racing was blown out due to strong winds but the second day was a cracker, with racing starting on time and five races completed in quick fashion.
There was a big build up to this year's event, with a strategy of fleet evolution not revolution and a focus on sail measurement being encouraged by the national body. This proved interesting, and the unveiling of under-sized sails might bring about some new purchases in the near future.
Safety and basic rule checks were also completed. The new South Island deputy measurer Aaron Duncan was happy with what he saw. In saying that, he needs a big thanks as this was his first involvement with the class and he is happy to come back.
Results and standings from the North Sails Young 88 Southern Championships at the Naval Point Club Lyttelton:
1st: One Way (Harry Thurston) (1) 1 1 1 1 - 4 points 2nd: Flying Machine (Craig Edwards) 3 3 2 (4) 2 - 10 pts 3rd: First Class (Rick Halifax) 2 2 5 (6) 3 - 12 pts
