Up to spelling, backwards, “Island” (4

SAILING AC40 quickly up, up and away

It was up up and away on a very successful maiden sail for Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC40 on the familiar waters of the ‘back paddock’ between Auckland’s Waiheke Island and Howick and Beachlands.

After a long tow out behind the team’s hydrogen-powered chase boat Chase Zero, the sails hoisted and sheeted on, it took just a handful of minutes for helmsman Nathan Outteridge to go from a cautious displacement mode to popping the AC40 up onto its foils and off on starboard tack at over 20+ knots in the light 8-10 knots of breeze.

It was Outteridge’s fi rst day sailing a foiling monohull and it didn’t disappoint.

“It was obviously a very successful day, it was an impressive boat to sail for my fi rst time sailing

Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC40 and the team’s hydrogen-powered chase boat Chase Zero. Photo ETNZ this type of boat. A little unnerving when trying to build speed, but once you get a bit of speed and the foil engages it goes from about 10 knots to 20 knots in about 5 seconds. So both pretty impressive, the acceleration and the reliability.”

Outteridge, Ray Davies, Nick Burridge and Sam Meech were onboard throughout the highly productive full day on the water and initially went through a selection of straight line runs before throwing down their fi rst tack successfully staying up on the foils and carrying on upwind.

“Day one was pretty epic and exciting,” said Davies.

“An amazing team effort to go out there and pull off the fi rst tack as a foiling tack, the fi rst gybe a foiling gybe.

“The boat is going really well, we have a few tweaks for sure, but awesome to sail with Nath, Sam and Nick. All of the support guys have done an incredible job, out of the box and we were ripping around foiling.”

The speeds of the AC40 were impressive in a relatively light breeze reaching a top speed of over 34 knots downwind and 27 knots upwind in the steady NW breeze.

The auto pilot is a key component for the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup regattas and was impressive to the team from the outset explains ETNZ technical director Dan Bernasconi.

“The auto pilot on day one has been fantastic, so with a smaller crew and less experienced crew on these boats for the women’s and youth racing, the auto pilot will be a really important feature.” ETNZ

MULTISPORT

IRONMAN STAR TO HEAD TRIATHLON AT SAINT KENTIGERN

Kiwi Ironman legend Cameron Brown, from Dannemora, has accepted a role as head of triathlon at Saint Kentigern College.

Brown has more than 30 years of racing in the sport, winning 15 Ironman races, podiums at Ironman World Championships and hundreds of wins throughout his years and he continues to do so.

This year in March Brown had an historic 10th victory at the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand.

“I’ve had a passion for the sport of triathlon ever since I did my fi rst race back in the summer of 1987. Some 30 years later I’m still competing and loving it,” said Brown.

“As I get older I seem to appreciate the sport more and more. It’s great to reminisce about the past but the future of triathlon continues to grow.

“I was lucky to start the sport back in the late ‘80s as we had the likes of Rick Wells and Erin Baker as our Kiwi heroes. Both won the fi rst ever Triathlon World Championships back in 1987 so it was always great to be standing next to them on the start line.

“As a junior I raced pretty well winning the New Zealand Secondary School Triathlon Championships in 1988 and then made the move to being a professional triathlete as soon as I left school in 1990.”

In 1992, he fi nished second in the ITU World Championships as a junior and then tried his luck competing on the ITU World Cup season for many years in the hope of one day qualifying for the Olympic games in Sydney in 2000.

“My best ever race on the world cup circuit was a third behind Australian great Brad Bevan and 2004 Olympic champion Hamish Carter. I never had the speed on the run like these guys so decided to try my luck in the Ironman,” said Brown.

“I had always watched the New Zealand Ironman in March each year,

one day hoping to race. That day happened in 1997 when I competed in my fi rst ever Ironman in St Heliers. I had a shocker but I had caught the bug of Ironman and found my true distance in triathlon.

“My fi rst victory at Ironman New Zealand came in 2001 when I ran down the ITU World Champion Peter Sandvang from Denmark who held a 12 minute lead off the bike.”

He has had countless victories since.

“We welcome Cameron and his expertise to mould the next generation of multisport athletes at Saint Kentigern College,” Saint Kentigern College said. Two Macleans College students travelled to Cambridge to compete in the third series of the North Island Inter-Schools Dressage Championships, with both achieving strong results.

Sam Keane received her best marks across the series on her mount Xena WP, placing eighth in both tests for the day.

Her combined scores and placings across the series led to her achieving the ultimate title of Champion North Island Level 2 Horse and Rider.

Hayley Newington, riding Mendoza, produced two strong tests, placing fi rst in her Level 1B test and third in her 1A test on the day.

These top scores led her to an overall third placing in Level 1 across the North Island series.

Ironman Cameron Brown recorded his first victory at Ironman New Zealand in 2001. Photo supplied Hayley Newington, left, and Sam Keane rode a strong finish at the North Island Inter-Schools Dressage Championships. Photo supplied

EQUESTRIAN Students ride to top results

COMMUNITY Want to join a marching team?

If ladies are interested in joining a fun way keeping fi t then try leisure marching.

Fancy Footsteps is looking for new members who are keen to have fun, keep fi t and form new friendships. Reasons for joining are keeping fi t by marching to brass band music. The display lasts fi ve minutes and changes every year. There is fun and lots of laughs learning the new display. Leisure marching is for ladies of any age especially for those over the age of 55. The team consists of ladies aged between 68 and 84. Some of the team have marched competivitely back in the past, while others had never marched before until they joined the team. “We are a blended team enjoying each other’s company,” a club member said.

“During the year we usually have four weekends away. February – Mt Maunganui, May — Taupo, June – Tokoroa, August – Tauranga. We also travel away for the North Island Day – Sept / Oct and National Display in March. Each year it alternates – North / South Islands.”

The team practises every Sunday morning from 10am to 11.30am/12am at Farm Cove Intermediate on Butley Drive. Once the session is fi nished, the team usually goes for coffee and a chat. Contact Kim on 027 270 6661.