Classic Yacht Association Journal

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SUPPORTERS

At this issue of Breeze was going to press, the RNZYS Performance Programme KNOTS Racing team was to commence its long-awaited second shot at winning the Congressional Cup at Long Beach, California and earning the coveted Crimson Blazer. However the KNOTS team, made up of World Match Racing number three helm Nick Egnot-Johnson, Sam Barnett, Laurie Jury, Zak Merton, Bradley McLaughlin and Alastair Gifford, had a truly world-class field of seven other eager crews in their way, but felt more than ready for the challenge.

Prior to heading to the US, KNOTS’ preparation was assisted by some of New Zealand’s foremost match-racers, sailing against and working with, former Congressional Cup winning skippers Dean Barker and Rod Davis, as well as ocean racing veteran Tony Rae

“We are grateful for receiving an invite again this year, after the border restrictions meant we couldn’t take up our spot last year”, said Sam Barnett. “Our first Congressional Cup in 2019 was the best match race regatta we have ever done. We performed really well to finish 5th, and we have been waiting for another go ever since”.

“We have really appreciated the opportunity to train with Barker, Rae and Davis – they all know what it takes to win the biggest events in yachting and really helped us by reinforcing what factors to prioritise in the pre-start.”

“We had some great battles with them aboard the Etchells in training, using the Squadron rock wall as an imitation Belmont Pier and tuning up our timing, communication and lay lines with their help.”

With the 2020 edition of the Congressional Cup being cancelled due to COVID-19, and KNOTS being unable to take part in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team was looking to come back stronger than ever and make the most of the extra two years’ experience since their last campaign.

“Missing out last year was a big disappointment – it’s been a very hard two years at this stage of our careers to not be able to leave and return to NZ. However, we return this year fired up to regain our momentum from 2019.”

The last seven Congressional Cups have been dominated by American and World Match Racing number five skipper Taylor Canfield and Englishman, World number two Ian Williams, who have shared the title since 2014.

However, Barnett isn’t daunted by the class of his competitors. “To be honest, the rankings don’t mean anything anymore. They haven’t been relevant for a while and won’t affect our thinking – it is the individual match ups we are excited for”.

“Taylor, Ian and Johnie’s teams were ahead of us in 2019, so we will need to have improved to reach the top. We are confident in our team and our level and won’t be satisfied with anything other than contending for the win overall.”

“Taylor and Ian’s teams both have outstanding records in this event, but they are not unbeatable. We will respect them as opponents, but we are not afraid of them”.

New Zealanders have historically found good fortune in Long Beach before, with Gavin Brady and Chris Dickson having also won the “Grandfather of Match Racing” along with Barker and Davis. However, the KNOTS team is keeping grounded and avoiding any thoughts of glory. “To join that list we have to win first, and that’s all we are focusing on,” says Barnett.

Billy Woodworth

The RNZYS Mastercard Youth Training Programme for the 2021 season has drawn to a close. We extended it through to the first part of 2022 when the programme has traditionally taken a break for the year, but we wanted to ensure the sailors still got plenty of time on the water.

Regattas usually held in February were pushed back to late April and early May, so we now have a number of teams training in preparation for these. These include the New Zealand Youth Match Racing Nationals with four teams heading off down State Highway 1 to the Royal Port Nicolson Yacht Club in Wellington.

These teams are led by Maeve White, Josh Hyde, Robbie Li Bassi and Braedyn Denney. The forecast is looking very breezy thanks to cyclone Fili tracking its way down the east coast of New Zealand so hopefully we will actually be able to get out on the water.

Following the NZ Youth Match Racing Nationals, we have a team heading off to Sydney for the Hardy Cup. This team consists of Josh Hyde, Zach Fong, Robbie Li Bassi, Braedyn Denney and Nick Winter. It will be the first International match racing event in two years for the Southern Hemisphere teams. Plenty of sailors will have aged out from all clubs, so we are all looking forward to meeting the new faces. Following immediately after Hardy Cup, we have the Harken Youth International here and the Centreport event in Wellington to look forward to. Lots of great opportunities for all our sailors to make up for lost time.

The new season of YTP commences on the 1st of May with orientation and with more than 40 students already enrolled, it is shaping up to be a cracker. We have capacity to accept another five applicants, so if you know anyone who might be interested, please encourage them to touch base with me.

Graduation is just around the corner for those who have aged out, or moved on to other opportunities. We will have a celebration for all these sailors and wish them well for their future endeavours, including joining in on what this great club has to offer.

Reuben Corbett Training Manager