44 Breeze Magazine
imported a container-load of nine Cherubs from Australia to provide restoration stock. As CEO of Doyle Sails, Sanderson offered loft support while Southern Spars and Ronstan also came to the party – as did an ice-cream sponsor! Ray Davies set about building one of the Leech kitset boats in his garage with his son, Hugo. Davies has history in the class and campaigned Cherubs in the 1980s. Back then, his first boat was built in the family garage with his father’s help. “In fact, four different pairs built boats out of the same moulds in our garage, one of which won the nationals,” Davies recalled. “It was great to repeat that father-son involvement with the next generation and fantastic that my dad was around while Hugo and I were building ours.” While this revival of an historic New Zealand class and particularly its wholesome focus on family participation has been welcomed, it is not without its tensions. Inevitably, rapid growth and a high degree of publicity around prominent figures in the class brings with it different perspectives and agendas. This emerged in the wake of the Northland championships in January (also won by the Davies father-son combination) , when Allan Roper, a longtime Spencer disciple and Cherub
Photo courtesy of Ray Davies.
Abover: Tight competition between the Davies pair (left) and the Sanderson combination. Below: Ray and Hugo Davies building their new Cherub together at home.
