There was a gloomy outlook for day 1 of the CentrePort International Youth Match Racing Championship with Wellington harbour covered in a thick blanket of fog that showed few signs of moving. Luckily, just before midday, the fog made way for a beautifully steady 10-15 knot southerly which allowed Race Officer Ken Burt to fire through 10 flights of round robin 1.
The steady breeze meant that racing remained extremely close right around the track and making a pass came down to slick crew work and boat speed. A number of matches went right down to the wire with only a mere second separating RPNYC’s Sam Mackay and Nick Thyne who had gone blow for blow down the final run in flight 10 with Mackay just scraping home for the win.
Two competitors finished the day unbeaten with CYCA’s Murray Jones on 5 wins from 5 races and RPNYC’s Adam Middleton sitting on 3 wins from his 3 races. Both Jones and Middleton looked sharp out on the water and their match up tomorrow will be one to watch. With 4 flights remaining in round robin 1 there is still lots to play for and still a lot to be done to grab the top spot in this early stage of the regatta.
Day two’s forecast is looking like more traditional Wellington weather with fresh northerly’s set to rise late morning which will test how strong the teams really are! Stay tuned for more updates.