Elliott 5.9 Youth Crew to trial four up option at Napier

Slam Dunk squeezes the fleet approaching the top mark © Elliott 5.0 Association

Napier Sailing Club will be hosting the third round of the Elliott 5.9 Travelers Series this coming weekend 3 - 4 June. With 12 boats currently entered, another close and competitive regatta is expected. With a strong Napier presence and some notable developments, there are a few boats to look out for.

Of particular note will be the Napier based youth crew who will be sailing with a crew of four. Brothers Beau (15) and Carl (14) Marshall will team up with William Muir (15) and be supported by their club coach as the fourth member of the crew. While new to the Elliott 5.9, they have recently been competing as a team in the Elliott 7’s as part of National Secondary School keelboat champs.

While the Elliott 5.9 is normally sailed by a crew of three, the class has introduced a crew weight trial this season. The aim is to provide younger and lighter crews the confidence and opportunity to compete in this highly competitive one design class. Retaining the ethos of one design, the trial allows for a crew of four as long as the total combined weight does not exceed 320 kg. Click here for full details.

Providing a further opportunity for youth crews is another exciting development for the current E 5.9 class. Many of our top sailors, with America’s Cup and Around the World Race success, took their early steps in crewed boats via the Elliott 5.9 when it was the boat of choice for the NZ Youth Squad Development program. The Elliott 5.9 holds true to its roots and continues to be one of the few true one design classes outside of the dinghy or olympic programs. With a wealth of talented sailors, close racing and supportive development, the Elliott 5.9 continues to be an ideal platform for development of top sailors. The class is excited to see this option being taken up and expects it may well be a precursor to future youth involvement in the class.

Icebreaker, Bloodline and R&R - photo © Elliott 5.0 Association

Another boat to watch closely will be Retro. Carla Bennet, who is returning to the class after a short absence, has purchased this well performed boat. For the Napier regatta, Carla will be teaming up with Napier based sailor Kylie Jamieson. While Kylie will obviously bring local knowledge, she can also call on her National Keel Boat title and Olympic pedigree to complement Carla’s Elliott 5.9 experience. Retro could prove to be a very competitive female led crew and must surely be in with a chance of mixing up the leaderboard results.

While the perennial front runners, R+R and Slam Dunk will be hard to dislodge, Napier boat, Boat 1, will be looking to home water advantage to continue to assert their presence at the front of the fleet. Boat 1 is a family affair with Marty Weeks joining his two sons, Jacob and Kagan. This is the Weeks team’s first full Traveller Series season and they have quickly shown good form. With a little bit of local knowledge, they could well see themselves toward the top of the table by regattas end.

Boat 1 - Kagan, Jacob and Marty Weeks - photo © Elliott 5.0 Association

Boats are again travelling from as far as Whangarei and Nelson but the fleet will also welcome another new crew, Crocodile Rock (formerly KZ Marine) from Taupo. Combined with the great hospitality and facilities of the Napier Sailing Club, another highly competitive and fun Elliott 5.9 Traveller Series event is in the cards.

Full results will be available online and pictures online

For more information on the Elliott 5.9 Class Association visit www.e59.org.nz

A full list of previous Champions can be found online here.