2010 Ronstan NZ Weta Champioship

December 2010

Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club (TYPBC) and the Weta Sailing Association (WSA) hosted the fourth annual Ronstan New Zealand Weta National Championship over the weekend.
The event attracted an 18 boat fleet from Wellington to Whangarei that were treated to near perfect conditions with warm weather and afternoon sea breezes of 12-14 knots. The event known for its relaxed family atmosphere and top level racing.
There were a range of Weta crews which included young P-class sailors, couples, novices, past and present national champions from various classes and even the Isherwood entry who at one stage had two adults, three children and a Portuguese water retriever aboard!
The event started with a ball scramble on Saturday morning followed by the first four races. The last three races were sailed on Sunday in slightly lighter winds followed by some demo sailing with the TYPBC and the club racing.

Ball Scramble and T-Bones
The kids (all ages!) event did not disappoint the spectators. The idea is to get the young ones involved in something that is fun and different. With full crews aboard the Weta, 100 small plastic balls were thrown from a RIB to be retrieved to claim prizes back on shore. Even after warnings at the briefing there were two fantastic T-bones where the skippers got a little carried away chasing the loot.  Acrobatic act of the day went to six year old Sebastian Price who completed a perfect (involuntary) forward roll off the trampoline and into the water only to surface by the rudder with his prized ball. Luckily, despite some spectacular collisions, all boats were able to sail in the afternoon with the help of a little duck tape.

Multi handed Fleet increases
The double handed fleet this year was hotly contested with a mix of crews. Father and son team; Michael and Peter (7) Eaglen took the title after some close racing with ex-Laser sailors Robbie McMillan and Simon Baker who sailed with their girlfriends. Tauranga was well represented with Trent Rippey and Zak Merton teaming up in a boat supplied by the WSA and Jacob Miller stepping in to crew with RSX sailor Justina Sellers. To qualify for this division the crew must sail together in all races. Some combinations opted to go without their crew (partner!) in some races and were not eligible for the divisional prize. There is still debate on the exact reason for some of the crew swapping....

Title goes down to the last race
This year’s competition was the closest yet with only 4 points separating the top 3 boats. Chris Kitchen defended his title by sailing a consistent regatta. 2007 champion Brent Charlesworth held the overnight lead after stringing together a couple of wins on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately after a start line incident he had to withdraw from race 5, opening the door for Chris Dawson to come through with a couple of wins to finish the regatta in second place overall. Tornado sailor and New Zealand Olympic Committee member Andrew Knowles teamed up with fellow TYPBC member Phil Smith to sail alternate races in the singlehanded division and finished a credible 4th overall, considering it was their first time sailing the Weta.

Great Food and Drink
The BBQ on Saturday was magnificent with perfect weather and a stunning location.  Weta owners and friends gathered together with the backdrop of Mount Maunganui and three Weta crewed by young Tauranga sailors screaming past the club in a nice 12-15 knots of sea breeze.  The prize giving was held on the lawn shortly after racing where sailors were able to view the Weta Trophy carved by Archie Kerr.

WSA Coaching Clinic
The WSA provided a coaching clinic on the Friday afternoon open to all Weta sailors. The participants enjoyed learning tips on tuning and rigging their boat as well as some boat handling drills on the water. After the success of this the WSA will be putting on more clinics during the year to improve the skills of all sailors – whether they are racing for the national title or want to learn the best way to launch on a strong onshore breeze!

Thanks to Ronstan and TYPBC
The WSA would like to thank the event sponsor Ronstan for their continued support for this event and commitment to getting people into sailing. They showed their generous support for the class by providing a great range of prizes.  Ronstan are supporting Weta fleets worldwide.
Thanks must also go to the TYPBC and their team for hosting the Weta nationals. They have the location, access, and culture with depth of support.   With such warmth, friendship and professionalism the event will definitely be returning to Tauranga in the future. The TYBC is one of the most successful yacht clubs in New Zealand generating an endless supply of gifted sailors and after a weekend of sailing, Weta sailors know why.

2010 Ronstan NZ Weta Nationals Overall Results

Rank	Fleet	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Total	Nett
1st	Weta	495	Chris Kitchen			1.0	1.0	(3.0)	3.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	13.0	10.0
2nd	Weta	8	Chris Dawson			(11.0)	3.0	2.0	2.0	3.0	1.0	1.0	23.0	12.0
3rd	Weta	5	Brent Charlesworth			3.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	(19.0 RAF)	3.0	4.0	33.0	14.0
4th	Weta	213	Andy Knowles /	Phil Smith		4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	(6.0)	6.0	5.0	33.0	27.0
5th	Weta	6	Michael Eaglen	Peter Eaglen		2.0	6.0	5.0	(19.0 OCS)	10.0	7.0	6.0	55.0	36.0
6th	Weta	518	Simon Baker	Jo Guy		10.0	11.0	(12.0)	8.0	2.0	5.0	3.0	51.0	39.0
7th	Weta	303	Phil Scherer	Lawerence Scherer		8.0	(10.0)	9.0	5.0	4.0	4.0	9.0	49.0	39.0
8th	Weta	491	Justina Sellers	Jacob Miller		7.0	7.0	6.0	11.0	5.0	(12.0)	8.0	56.0	44.0
9th	Weta	23	Michael Kerr			9.0	5.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	9.0	(11.0)	55.0	44.0
10th	Weta	237	Trent Rippey	Zak Merton		(12.0)	8.0	8.0	6.0	11.0	8.0	7.0	60.0	48.0
11th	Weta	496	Robbie McMillan	Sara Howarth		6.0	9.0	10.0	10.0	8.0	11.0	(12.0)	66.0	54.0
12th	Weta	145	Alex Price	Sebastian Price		5.0	13.0	11.0	9.0	(14.0)	10.0	10.0	72.0	58.0
13th	Weta	226	David Spiers			(16.0)	14.0	13.0	13.0	9.0	13.0	13.0	91.0	75.0
14th	Weta	22	Lyall Evans	Natalya Evans		13.0	15.0	15.0	12.0	12.0	14.0	(16.0)	97.0	81.0
15th	Weta	14	Peter Richards			15.0	12.0	14.0	14.0	(16.0)	15.0	14.0	100.0	84.0
16th	Weta	144	Gary Napier	Helen Napier		17.0	17.0	16.0	15.0	15.0	17.0	(18.0)	115.0	97.0
17th	Weta	238	The Isherwoods			(19.0 DNC)	19.0 DNC	19.0 DNC	19.0 DNC	13.0	16.0	15.0	120.0	101.0
18th	Weta	192	The Oxenhams			14.0	16.0	(19.0 DNC)	19.0 DNC	17.0	19.0 DNS	17.0	121.0	102.0

 

2010 Ronstan NZ Weta Nationals Multihanded Results
Note: All races must be sailed with at least 2 crew to qualify for this division

Rank	Fleet	SailNo	HelmName	CrewName	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Total	Nett
1st	Weta	6	Michael Eaglen	Peter Eaglen		2.0	6.0	5.0	(19.0 OCS)	10.0	7.0	6.0	55.0	36.0
2nd	Weta	491	Justina Sellers	Jacob Miller		7.0	7.0	6.0	11.0	5.0	(12.0)	8.0	56.0	44.0
3rd	Weta	237	Trent Rippey	Zak Merton		(12.0)	8.0	8.0	6.0	11.0	8.0	7.0	60.0	48.0
4th	Weta	496	Robbie McMillan	Sara Howarth		6.0	9.0	10.0	10.0	8.0	11.0	(12.0)	66.0	54.0
5th	Weta	145	Alex Price	Sebastian Price		5.0	13.0	11.0	9.0	(14.0)	10.0	10.0	72.0	58.0
6th	Weta	22	Lyall Evans	Natalya Evans		13.0	15.0	15.0	12.0	12.0	14.0	(16.0)	97.0	81.0
7th	Weta	144	Gary Napier	Helen Napier		17.0	17.0	16.0	15.0	15.0	17.0	(18.0)	115.0	97.0
8th	Weta	238	The Isherwoods			(19.0 DNC)	19.0 DNC	19.0 DNC	19.0 DNC	13.0	16.0	15.0	120.0	101.0
9th	Weta	192	The Oxenhams			14.0	16.0	(19.0 DNC)	19.0 DNC	17.0	19.0 DNS	17.0	121.0	102.0