NZ duo thrive in chaotic day on the water
Strong winds may have wreaked havoc on the opening day of the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, but Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox would not have it any other way.
The Kiwi duo revelled in the conditions to record two wins in the men’s 470 fleet at Murrays Bay in Auckland.
They started the first race poorly, rounding the top mark in last place but clawed their way back on the downwind leg before dominating the second race to win comfortably.
‘‘It was awesome,’’ said Willcox, who last weekend finished fifth with Snow-Hansen in the World Cup regatta in Miami. ‘‘You can’t ask for better conditions in the 470 – 15-20 knots and onshore with big waves – so it was awesome fun.’’
The majority of the field is unlikely to feel the same way.
The mast of one boat snapped, others were damaged and many boats struggled to get ashore as winds up to 30 knots lashed Auckland’s North Shore. It meant that only one race was possible in some fleets and two in others, with the three-day regatta to go into catchup mode today.
Conditions are not expected to be as rough but Willcox is hopeful it will still play to their strengths.
‘‘Today was a great day to shake off the jetlag,’’ he said. ‘‘It looks like we have a bit lighter tomorrow but still onshore with waves so it’s really about having fun and encouraging a lot of the younger guys in the 470.’’
One of those is 17-year-old twins Courtney and Brianna Reynolds-Smith, who last year won the women’s under-20 world title and are being coached this weekend by two-time Olympic medallist Jo Aleh.
The pair were second and third in yesterday’s races to sit second overall against a handful of internationals and first female crew.
The scene was a lot more sedate in the morning with light winds leading to a lengthy delay.
The wind arrived with heavy rain and continued to rise as the afternoon wore on.
Only one race was possible for the Laser fleet, with Tom Saunders winning ahead of Rio bronze medallist Sam Meech.
‘‘Today the conditions were pretty extreme,’’ Saunders said. ‘‘Big waves, big winds on the upper limits. We managed to get one race away which I won. It’s nice to get one on of the board early but there’s still a lot of racing to go. Hopefully it sets me up for the rest of the weekend.
‘‘Hopefully I get a good sleep tonight because I think it’s going to be a big day tomorrow. We could end up doing four races.’’
The NZL Sailing Team members stood out, with Josh Junior leading in the Finn, Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders and Liv Mackay and Micah Wilkinson the top two crews in the Nacra and Alex Maloney and Molly Meech winning both races in the 49erFX.
You can’t ask for better conditions in the 470 – 15-20 knots and onshore with big waves – so it was awesome fun. Dan Willcox