Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie, 2012 Olympic Gold medalists & 2013 World 470 Champions
JO ALEH AND OLIVIA POWRIE 2013 ISAF SAILORS OF THE YEAR
News
2014 470 NZ National Champs, Kerikeri - Results click here
Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox
The NZ 470 National Championship was held at Kerikeri Cruising Club over three days, with nine boats taking part in the mixed fleet. Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox of Auckland came away with a win, having picked up the gauntlet laid down by Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie following Oceanbridge Sail Auckland earlier in the season.
Races were held around the point from KCC in Te Puna inlet where the wind was puffy, shifty and unpredictable at times. Conditions on the first day were relatively windy, with a gusty 16 knots and flat water; on the second day racing was delayed for a short time due to lack of wind, and once on the water racing took place in 4-8 knots, conditions were extremely hot and humid; on the third and final day the gusty wind was back and was blowing around 8- 15 knots.
Team Japan
While the fleet was not large, the standard of sailors taking part was of a high calibre - six of the competitors taking part were Olympian sailors, and the fleet featured three international crews. The regatta was held following a week of intensive training for NZL Sailing team members Snow-Hansen/ Willox and Aleh/ Powrie with visiting Japanese men's crew Tetsuya Matsunaga and Yugo Yoshida as well as Japenese women's crew Ai Yoshida and Miho Yoshida, while the Korean men's crew Yoon Cheu and Yoon Sein have also spent the summer in New Zealand training.
Jo Aleh, Nathan Handley and Polly Powrie
The regatta developed into a slugging match between Matsunaga/Yoshida and Snow-Hansen/Willcox with the lead changing daily, and race by race as the regatta neared it's conclusion. The Japanese crew went into the final day at the top of the board and won the first race, but a strong comeback from the New Zealanders gave them the national title with a three point margin. "It was an important regatta for us to win, it's a step towards getting on the podium during our international season" says Snow-Hansen who is campaigning with Willcox for the 2016 Olympics.
Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox
In third place overall, and top women's crew, were Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (Auckland) who had some good races including four second placings. The top youth crew were Sam Barnett and Zak Merton (Tauranga) - YNZ's 2014 ISAF Youth Team double-handed hopefuls; and top masters crew were Derek Snow (Auckland) and Peter Sharp (Bay of Islands) who were relying on their 1984 training to help them through.
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie
The 470 Association are very appreciative of the voluntary work put in by the Kerikeri Cruising Club - for communications from Gary Colebrook organising the regatta, for the efficient turn-around of races by the race management team -NRO Paddy, Tony Dalbeth and Mike Quilter, and the relaxed northland hospitality shown by all those involved.
Sam Barnett and Zak Merton, top youth crew
Peter Sharp and Derek Snow, masters
Richard and John Power, master sailors
James Turner
Racing was delayed on Day 2 due to lack of wind
Nathan Handley and Race Officer Paddy
Upcoming NZ & international events
2014 New Zealand Nationals, 21-23 January, Kerikeri CC
2014 Princess Sofia Regatta, Palma, Spain, 29 March-5 April
2014 Europeans Athens Greece, 8-15 July
2014 Sailing World Champs, Santander, Spain 8-21 September 2014
2015 Worlds Haifa Israel March 7 to 14 (TBC)
2015 Europeans Arhus Denmark June 27 to July 4 (TBC)
2016 Worlds San Isidro Argentina, second half of February
2016 Europeans Arenal, Palma Mallorca, last week March or second week April
Full 470 Internationale calendar click here
2014 ISAF 470 Worlds Selection Criteria Document (linked here)
For the 2014 ISAF 470 Class World Championships – held in Santander, Spain. Please read ALL of this document if you wish to take part in the 2014 Worlds by clicking on "MORE" below.
Background
- This documents the process for the selection of sailors who will be selected to represent New Zealand at:
- There is a limit to the number of entries that are accepted to this World Championship regatta, accordingly the regatta organisers restrict the number of entries allocated to each country....MORE
2014 NZ 470 National Champs, Kerikeri 21,22,23 February
After such a successful and enjoyable Nationals this year (2013) the Class has opted to return to Kerikeri CC for the 2014 Nationals. Many thanks to the Club for agreeing to host us again, everyone will be looking forward to the trip north.
Schedule
4.1 Registration:
Friday 21st February 2014, 0700hrs to 0900 hrs at Kerikeri Cruising Club
4.2 Briefing:
Friday 21st February 0900 hrs.
4.3 Dates of racing:
21st February 2014, four races back to back
22nd February 2014, four races back to back
23rd February 2014, three races back to back
4.2 One additional race may be held each day if the weather prevents the above schedule from being maintained.
4.3 The maximum number of races shall be eleven.
4.4 The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race on 21st February is 1125 hrs.
4.5 Scheduled time of the warning signal on subsequent days is 1025 hrs.
4.6 On 23rd of February no warning signal will be made after 1600 hrs.
2014 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland goes to Powrie and Aleh
In a small but competitive international 470 fleet, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie once again stamped their authority on the mixed competition. Day one went to Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox who enjoyed the stronger breezes, but as the conditions lightened off Jo and Polly came through and finished with a clear margin.
2013 470 World Championship, La Rochelle, France
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie 2013 Women's 470 World Champions
Click here for a great report of the event on Team Jolly's website
FULL RESULTS WOMEN HERE; FULL RESULTS MEN HERE
Jo and Polly sailed like the champions they are and won their first World Championship in the 470 Class, exactly one year after winning gold at the Olympics. In the men's fleet Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox came in at seventh place which is a creditable performance after pairing up six months ago. Also in the men's fleet were Frankie Lardies and Luke Stevenson who were competing in their first World Championship together, they finished 49th overall; also taking part were brothers Richard and John Powers who stayed on to compete after taking part in the Masters Championship and finished 100th.
The regatta was a classic 'snakes and ladders' affair, with mixed fortunes for all. Jo and Polly finished an impressive 20 points ahead of their nearest competitors by the end of the regatta, but even they found themselves at the wrong end of the fleet at times. Paul and Dan sailed through the first few days of the regatta amongst the podium contenders, but one day of big scores saw them having to fight their way back into the medal race, which they did. Frankie and Luke were let down by equipment at a crucial time and found themselves in the silver fleet, however their result is one to be proud of at such an early stage of their Olympic campaign.
For a overall view of the event go to the YNZ news, , Jo and Polly's Facebook page click here; for Paul and Dan's Facebook page click here; and for Frankie and Luke's Facebook page click here.
2013 470 World Championship Legend's Regatta, La Rochelle, France
As part of the 470 Internationale 50 year celebration, a one day Legend's regatta was held for past world champions at the World Championship venue. New Zealand's Hamish Willcox, Simon Cooke, Peter Nicholas, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie took part. Hamish reports:
...'the legends regatta' ! I sailed with the French 1998 world champ Gildas and we finished 4th out of 36 past and current world champions! 18 boats. We were the first amateurs... CRO was first and ITA (4th at 2012 Olympic Games) 2nd, Jo Polly 3rd by just 1 meter from us, piped on the line! Great day and great fun by all. A few aches and pains for me today...
2013 470 Masters Championship, La Rochelle, France
New Zealand's John and Richard Powers raced in the Masters Championship, another regatta held as part of the 50 year celebration for the Internationale 470 Class. Thirty six boats took part in this division with Richard and John, of Manly, finishing a creditable 36th. Results for the Masters series: All Results for the Masters Series
2013 Princess Sofia Regatta, Palma
Two NZ mens 470 teams, Paul Snow-Hansen with Dan Willcox and Frankie Lardies with Luke Stevenson, are currently taking part in the 2013 Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, Spain. This is a major regatta on the international circuit featuring all Olympic classes, in the 470 men's fleet 68 boats are entered and racing got underway on the first day in very strong winds - sailors relished the 20 - 28 knot winds and did their best to stay upright.
At one of their first international regattas since partnering up ealier this year Snow-Hansen/Willcox finished 11th overall, and Lardies/Stevenson finished 31st. Princess Sofia Regatta results
2013 470 Nationals, Kerikeri Cruising Club, 1 - 3 March
This year the 470 Nationals featured nine crews from Kerikeri, Tauranga, Manly and Auckland. Kerikeri Cruising Club was a wonderful host club with a small core of friendly helpers. Racing was challenging and complimented by kiwi's running around on the lawn, dolphins playing around the boats and having sailing celebrity Torben Grael in our midst.
Day Three - Snow-Hansen and Willcox win the 2013 Nationals
After a short delay racing started in a dying north westerly - in the first race the fleet only managed a windward leeward before the race had to be shortened. Snow-Hansen and Willcox believed they were over the line and came back to restart but they managed a good come back to win the race.
Once the wind stabilised from the west the race committee did a great job getting in another two races. Lardies and Stevenson fought it out with Turner and Carl to finish the series one point apart in second and third respectively. Turner and Evans won the second race of the day, Lardies and Stevenson the third.
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Toben Grael with Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox
Amongst the supporters who attended the event were legendary Torben and Adrea Grael. We were very priviledged to have Torben present the sailors with their awards, and to give a few words of encouragement to the gathered 470 and 420 sailors "enjoy your sailing as there can only be one winner". We would like to thank the organisers of the event, and also Mackay Boats who donated a rudder, boom and spinnaker pole as prizes, and also North Sails NZ who donated tee shirts and gear bags.
First overall - Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox
Second overall - James Turner and Carl Evans
Third overall - Francisco Lardies and Luke Stevenson
Top junior crew and 4th overall
- Gareth Moore and Vicky Francis
Top masters crew and 6th overall - Richard and John Power
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS
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| With Carl Evans and James Turner | With Luke Stevenson and Francisco Lardies |
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| With Vicky Francis and Gareth Moore | With Richard and John Power |
Day Two - Snow-Hansen and Willcox move into the lead
Waiting for wind - Left: Francisco Lardies and Luke Stevenson. Right: James Turner and Carl Evans
On the second day of racing was delayed by several hours as the south westerly fought with the seabreeze. Conditions were light and unstable all day, and the wind kept clocking left with 30 degree shifts at times - very difficult conditions for the race committee. Three of the four scheduled races were sailed.
A sizeable dolphin pod arrived before delayed racing got underway and provided lots of entertainment for the 470 fleet, as well as the 420 sailors who were also sailing on the course... The dolphins made their presence felt during racing as they brushed against rudders and centreboards, and several 420 crews missed their start due to the distraction!
The dolphins spent around an hour by the course putting on acrobatic displays as they hunted for fish
Sam Barnett and Zak Merton of Tauranga sailing with the dolphins
By the end of Day Two Snow-Hansen and Willcox had given themselves a points buffer over their rivals by winning all three races. While the first two races were reasonably straight forward for 2012 Olympic sailor Paul Snow-Hansen and new crew Dan Willcox, they had to battle their way through the fleet in the final race. By this time the wind had dropped considerably and holes were appearing on the course. James Turner and Carl Evans sailed well to lead most of the race but were over taken in the final stages.
Results remain tight at the top with Lardies and Stevenson second on countback from Turner and Evans, each on 13 points. Only one female is taking part in the regatta, Vicky Francis sailing with Gareth Moore is placed fourth overall.
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Short start lines caused congestion but Lardies and Stevenson NZL20 made a good recovery after this race which saw several boats returning to cross the line, and an OCS.
Gareth Moore and Vicky Francis NZL 209 get a jump on the fleet
In fifth place is son and father combination Nathaniel and Neil Deverell. Neil is a very handy 470 sailor from 'back in the day' and was competitively sailing at the time coach Hamish Willcox was winning world championships. Nathaniel won selection to the NZ World Championship Optimist team a few years and is enjoying the competition. Their boat is also from 'back in the day' and was originally sailed by Phil McNeil. Three 4th placings have put been their top results.
In sixth place are our master sailors Richard and John Power who have Hamish Willcox's old boat - Legend - NZL 112, two 5th placings are their best for this regatta. John and Richard have travelled overseas to compete in the masters division of 470 regattas several times over the last few years.
Alex Bryning and Harris Bindon are placed seventh and are the top placed of the two Kerikeri crews; eighth is a young 420 crew from Tauranga, Sam Barnett and Zak Merton have stepped into the boat for the first time and while they've found the dolphins a distraction they have also had a regatta best of 5th in race 5; and ninth is the second Kerikeri crew Nik Black and Ned Dalbeth-Hudson who have had a regatta best of 7th.
Day One - Frankie Lardies and Luke Stevenson have the lead
Racing was held beyond the Te Puna inlet entrance with the top mark by The Brothers islands. The south westerly wind was shifting 20 degrees back and forth as the breeze came and went. The start of racing was delayed due to lack of wind, but the breeze built through the day and got up to around 15 knots. It was a long day on the water, but all four scheduled races were sailed.
Racing was close with the whole fleet mixing it up, sailors came ashore with grins on their faces and were describing the wind as 'crazy' and 'random'. Local race committee member Tony Dalbeth commented that the sailors had some good kite reaches and it was All On at times. Lardies and Stevenson read the conditions best of all winning two races and were placed first on countback from Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox; not far behind were James Turner and 2008 Olympic crew Carl Evans who won the last race of the day.
Kerikeri Cruising Club is surrounded by native bush
James Turner and Carl Evans
After sailing the AGM was well attended by a record 20 sailors and supporters, we will post the minutes from the meeting in the near future.
NOR - click here for word doc download
Course diagramm - click here for doc download
Sailing Instructions - available at registration
Please note, that if you haven't already done so, you can become a registered member of the NZ 470 Assn at registration - see Christine Hansen. $60 per boat.
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland - extreme test on day four
Jo and Polly sailed through the regatta winning six out of the 11 race series and taking the top position. Today was a struggle in the extreme conditions for everyone, and in the final race the Olympian Gold medalists were forced to retire.
Day four of Sail Auckland was "truly an outrageous day - it was an extreme test of all sailors' ability to keep their boats upright. Survival conditions would be another way of describing it. The regatta was very well run and, as a sailor, the convenience of having easy parking and ready access to a ramp which was able to accommodate a large number of sailors was really appreciated. The fantastic sailing conditions over four days made it a regatta to remember, these are the ones you remember - the ones when conditions are extreme" commented Paul Snow-Hansen.
The wind had clocked around from the easterly direction of the last 3 days, to a stiff south westerly which was averaging 28 knots. The sea state featured a small chop which, thankfully, was being blown flat by the strong wind. Two races were sailed in the strong winds off Kohimarama beach with many of the classes on the same course so that the race management team could concentrate resources. Race one was won by Jo and Polly after a tight battle between the fleet putting them a safe 12 points ahead of the next crew overall. Race two was won by Paul and Chris who sailed a fast and conservative race to put them second overall on countback from James Turner and Carl Evans; just four points behind were Francesco Lardies and Luke Stevenson; and well behind were the Korean crew Kyoung Duk Kim and Ji Won Kang who found the going just too tough - we hope they enjoyed the regatta despite this. Full results on our RESULTS page.
Oceanbridge Sail Auckland - Aleh and Powrie lead the fleet
Above: Day two, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie
Royal Akarana Yacht Club is hosting the 2013 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland regatta, New Zealand's major ISAF Grade One event. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie are leading the 470 fleet with one day to go, but racing is close and conditions are testing all sailors. While only five boats make up the fleet, competition is intense with many changes in the lead during some races. This is Jo and Polly's first regatta since the Olympics and while they may have been feeling a little rusty, they have quickly returned to form.
For the first two days a moderate easterly wind blew, the rough and choppy sea state was increased when wind opposed tide - and a constant flow of commercial ferry traffic, as well as weekend boaties, made things even more interesting. During the day the cloud burnt off and conditions were great.
On the third day the wind moved around further to the north and increased in strength with gusts nearing 30 knots being recorded, and capsizes were a feature of the day. The day began with rain and poor visibility, and the stormy conditions lasted throughout racing.
Day One - close racing in the small fleet
James Turner with Carl Evans are placed second having notched up a couple of wins and with a three point lead over third placed Paul Snow-Hansen with Chris Dawson who were forced to retire with a broken spreader during the second race of day three; in fourth place, and only one point behind after a win, are Frankie Lardies with Luke Stevenson; the visiting Korean crew are in fifth place after struggling in the conditions on day three. Full results on our RESULTS page.
Above: Day one, Frankie Lardies and crew Luke Stevenson, a new combination this season
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Above: Day one, Paul Snow-Hansen and Chris Dawson check out Prada
Gold for Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie
NZ 470 Women and make history at 2012 Olympic Games
Polly Powrie and Jo Aleh at the medal ceremony in Weymouth after winning the 470 Women's Class
An Olympic report from Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie
"So I am guessing by now most of you have either seen or heard about how our London 2012 Olympic regatta went… but if not… You might like to know that we have managed to come away with the Gold Medal…
And if you know, then we can give you a little of the back-story behind it!
After a greatly needed two-week break at home (staying well away from any boats) we headed back over to Weymouth two weeks before our regatta was due to begin. We started out with a three-day coach run regatta, which was a great last chance to tidy up some of our racing tactics, and get used to the venue again. From there we had a little hick-up, as Jo got a bit sick and spent a few days coughing and spluttering while Polly made the most of the break from sailing and went up to London to march in the Opening ceremony.
Jo soon recovered, and we were back on the water in time to sort out a few last things (by this stage wondering when on earth the regatta was actually going to start – as most classes had already been racing for a few days). So by the time we finally got measured. . ." more
Full results: http://www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012/results_centre.php
NZ 470 teams shine at Sail for Gold, Weymouth, UK
Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie take Gold / Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders take Bronze
At the conclusion of the 2012 Sail for Gold regatta, held at the Olympic venue in Weymouth, United Kingdom, both New Zealand 470 teams have come away with a medal and a glimpse of what may be possible at the final event.
OVERALL ROUNDUP: For Jo and Olivia a Gold medal is a repeat performance of the 2011 event - an outstanding achievement for the girls who have over and over again shown their ability on the international stage since joining the 470 Class just four years ago. For Paul and Jason a Bronze medal in the Olympic strength fleet is a personal best, and also an outstanding performance for the two twenty one year olds who are relatively young in the experienced fleet, they also began campaigning four years ago.
The event began on a fairly light note but as it progressed the wind built in strength, to the point where a day of racing was lost during the final series. Conditions were shifty, with a rough chop some of the time, but during the medal race on the final day the sea flattened out though it was still fairly windy. It's best to hear it from the sailors.....
From Jo and Polly: For the last week, we have been racing in the Sail for Gold Regatta - the last World Cup event for us of the year, and pretty much the last big regatta we will do until the games. Nicely for us, it went rather well....
The 470 course for the regatta was out in the back paddock, a good 25-45 minute tow from the launching ramp (the tow being the coldest part of the day we made sure we were kitted out well with big jackets, beanies and I must admit I even wore mittens on day one). At least once we got out there, we were treated to some great sailing conditions, with the waves growing as the regatta went on...For full report from Jo and Polly 'from the horses mouth' click here
From Paul and Jason: Alright day today in 17-22knots, we placed 3rd and 10th. We had an early start at 10.00am to avoid the worst of the weather.
Our first race was good but we could have been faster. We learnt from this and had the boat nicely balanced for the last race. The race closed up on the final loop giving us the chance to fight it out for second with about 4 other boats. We got the inside line downwind getting into second but got rolled on the last reach which was very avoidable. Our day was very encouraging in the big picture, but puts us back to third overall.
We lost sight of the top mark in the last race and unfortunately it was a significantly beat putting us and a few other boats around 100m overlayed! This put us at the very back of the fleet, but we fought back well getting through the fleet up to 10th place. Hopefully we get some more races in tomorrow! No more races were sailed for the final series and the boys went into the medal race in third overall, achieved a fourth placing and came out with a bronze.
For Paul and Jason's Facebook page click here, or here for Jo and Polly's blog website click here.
DAY 1: After one day of racing both New Zealand teams have made a solid start with the women's crew 8th in a 32 boat fleet, and the men in 12th in a 45 boat fleet. Paul reports: "Day one sail for gold, 9th and a 4th. We got one race in a dying northerly breeze. It was pretty crazy and our race could have been better after a glamour start but it could have also been a lot worse with a big pack finishing behind us. Our second race was held after being sent ashore in the new wind direction from the sw. We sailed very well upwind, especially the second beat getting up to second place. Some average positioning let two boats get us on the last run. Still a good day and lots of breeze to come. Lets hope the wetsuit drys overnight..."
Tomorrow the conditions are expected to be fairly windy so we'll see what a new day brings for the New Zealand team - good luck to all of the sailors.
Live tracking, radio and video reports feature on the event website: http://www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk/
2012 World Champs, Barcelona - Jo and Olivia finish in 4th
"We arrived in Barcelona a week before racing started, as we wanted to make the most of our time at home (something that is becoming ever scarcer), so we had a short but sweet build-up, which included a bit of sightseeing and a bus tour around the city.
The Worlds was always going to be long - seven days racing and thirteen races in total (one more day than a normal World Cup event). But we made it even harder on ourselves... Day one and two went well, the regatta started... to read the full report from Jo and Olivia click here
Twitter: @joaleh
www.teamjollyracing.com
In the men's fleet New Zealand was represented by Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders. The regatta was hard going for the men's team who found themselves see sawing throughout the regatta - after a black flag in the first race they made a good recovery and climbed to 9th in the qualification round, but once in Gold fleet struggled in the changeable conditions and placed 21st overall... this is a great incentive to up their game in the next round which comes up with the annual Sail for Gold regatta beginning early in June.
2012 World Champs, Barcelona - Jo and Olivia in 2nd at the half way point
The World Champs are being held in Barcelona, Spain, from 13 - 19 May. New Zealand Olympic representatives Jo Aleh sailing with Olivia Powrie, and Paul Snow-Hansen sailing with Jason Saunders are competing as part of their lead up to the games, and to see how they fare on the world stage.
After an extremely consistent and low scoring round for the qualifications, Jo and Olivia have made the gold fleet in third place. One day of racing in the gold fleet has been completed and, on a course which must have been very difficult, they've come out better than unscathed despite a 10th and 16th, they're in second! Results were very mixed across the board - and points are close between the top five positions.
Paul and Jason have been on a roller coaster from the beginning - a Black Flag Penalty on the first day saw them at the bottom of the heap of 98 boats, but two consistent days of racing with good results rocketed them up to 9th; however two poor races on day four have been tough, as commented by Paul "Well today was one of our hardest ever, it was a day of snakes and ladders, and we found most of the snakes. We got a 22th and a 30th. Bad starts (a 720 off the last start wasn't ideal) and generally missing out on the patch pressure unwind and downwind was what cost us most today. Looking forward to a new day, and a chance to get our mojo back."
Press Release from the Internationale 470 Assn after day 4:
The Race Committee held the fleets ashore waiting for the wind to stabilize, but the sailors were still faced with very unsettled conditions on the first day of the final series. Described as “washing machine” conditions, the day definitely didn’t suit everybody.
Two races were completed for all fleets, except the 470 Men bronze fleet, who completed only race 7. The breeze was around 9 knots from 170 degrees across the two races courses, very shifty and with a confused sea....more click here
Press Release from the Internationale 470 Assn after day 3:
Race day 3 at the 2012 470 World Championships was a tense and enthralling day. Seven nations secured their right to be at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 470 Men, whilst six nations in the 470 Women continue to fight their way for the remaining five nation places.
Another blue sky day in Barcelona, with all fleets completing two more races and ...more click here
470 Olympic teams in Europe
New Zealand Olympic representatives Jo Aleh sailing with Olivia Powrie; and Paul Snow-Hansen sailing with Jason Saunders have recently returned from a month long trip to Europe.
Princess Sofia Regatta
The 470 sailors competed in the annual Princess Sofia regatta in Palma, Mallorca, which is one of the popular events on the Olympic class circuit. The event was up to expectations with a good attendance from all over the world. Conditions were light this year and both New Zealand 470 teams struggled a little with getting back into the swing of things. Paul and Jason recovered from 23rd position going into the Gold fleet to come out 11th and one place off the medal race; Jo and Polly finished the regatta with strong results - 7,1 & 1 - however this wasn't enough to recover from high scoring results during the qualification round and they finished 14th. For full results click here.
Snow-Hansen/Saunders and Aleh/Powrie: Winners at the International 470 Spring Cup
From Spain the 470 team set off on a road-trip to The International 470 Spring Cup held at Les Sablettes at La- Seyne-sur- Mer near Toulon, France. Conditions were generally light, with a little more wind arriving at the close of the regatta. The fleet combines the men's and women's divisions, much to the delight of Aleh and Powrie who relish the opportunity to pit their skills against the men, and featured a reasonble number of Olympic representatives.
"A win in the final race 10 for Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie and a second place finish giving series victory to Paul Snow-Hansen/ Jason Saunders made it a Kiwi day to remember at the 470 Spring Cup which concluded on Monday in France. Major disappointment for Italy's Gabrio Zandona/Pietro Zucchetti who went into the final race with a chance at the gold and silver medals, but equipment failure put them out of the final race and out of contention. Top women's team were Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie who finished eleventh overall on the leaderboard." International 470 Assn report.
For Sale page
We have now added a "For Sale" page to the website - you can advertise 470 boats, equipment and sails etc by contacting us. Please go to the FOR SALE page on the menu to your left for more details.
Sunday racing available at Takapuna Sundays
We look forward to the 470’s racing out of Takapuna – regular Sunday racing from 26th Feb., warning gun 1300hrs, so check the TBC website for the sailing programme. - Evelyn Johnson, Commodore TBC
Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie win the 2012 Nationals, Tauranga, 17-19 February
The New Zealand 470 Nationals were hosted by Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club over three days. Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (below) rose to the occasion on the third day and took out the Open title as well as the Women's title, and in doing so are the first women crew to win the New Zealand 470 Nationals.
Sailing took place inside the harbour which has a clockwise tidal flow around the sandbanks on an incoming tide, at low tide this restricts the waters available for setting a course and is constantly a factor sailors need to take into consideration. A small but mostly experienced fleet took part consisting of four men's crews and three women's crews. It was good to see a new pairing between experienced junior sailor Vicky Francis and Brittany Wornall, of Christchurch, who had her first taste of helming a 470.
Day 1:
The day began with unseasonally cold rain, sailors took to the course in a north easterly but the breeze clocked around to the south and finally died out. Racing was called off for the day, the sun came out and so at least the competitors were able to enjoy a barbeque instead.
Day 2:
Summer returned and sailors were treated to a very warm day, and after a short postponement racing got underway inside the harbour with a seabreeze that built steadily. Five races were held on a windward-leeward course, the short duration was not dissimilar to a medal race and was complimented by coaches at the event for the experience this afforded all sailors. The first races were held in five to eight knots with flat water, by the end of the day the wind was peaking at around 13 knots. Sailing conditions were challenging with a big conflict between tide and wind.
Junior sailors Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock (above) won the day on their home sailing ground with two bullets and 11 points; New Zealand women's Olympic representatives Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie also had two bullets and 13 points; and in third were Australian Elise Rechichi and Belinda Stowell on 14 points.
Day 3:
Tauranga turned on another hot day and while all expected the sea breeze to come in around midday, as it had on Saturday, an unstable south westerly breeze prevailed. Three races completed the series and new National Champions, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie truly cemented their position with three wins. Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock couldn't quite repeat their form of the previous day, but their score was good enough to take second place on countback from Elise Rechichi and Belinda Stowell who hope to become the Australian double-handed women's Olympic representatives. Stevenson and Bullock also received the trophy for top junior sailors. Full results below. NOR
Sail Auckland won by Snow-Hansen and Saunders
Turner and Drummond win Silver at the 2012 470 Junior Worlds
Above: James Turner helming with crew Finn Drummond achieved a great results after only 3 weeks of training. Photo Will Calver
The Mixed/Men's division of the 2012 470 Junior Worlds was won by Simon Sivitz and Jas Farneti of Italy, who partly attributed having sailed at the 420 Worlds in Takapuna four years ago to their command of the conditions.
In second place overall was New Zealand's James Turner and Finn Drummond who got together specifically for this regatta. The boys trained together for three weeks, James said"our expectations were to do well, but after the Pre-Worlds we had work to do!" When asked what he attributed their good results to, James considered that "we were more consistent that our rivals, all of our placings were good enough to keep". Of the Italian winners clear dominance of the regatta, Turner responded "they had a significant edge on everyone in every condition, they were also consistent rather than taking risks." Following this James jumps back in with his permanent crew Matthew Jones, while Finn is looking at a multi hull path.
Also in the top ten for the NZ men's team were Gareth Moore/Ben Goodwin who won the medal race, and three points behind Luke Stevenson/Sam Bullock.
For full news on the event click here
Below: Top 10 Mixed/Men's fleet results. For full results click here
Below: 10 women crews entered the Junior Worlds, with Erica Dawson and Vicki Francis achieveing the top results for NZL. This was Erica and Vicki's first experience of a Junior Worlds and they sailed consistently throughout, in a wide variety of conditions.
Aleh/Powrie and Snow-Hansen/Saunders 470 Olympic Selection 2012
Yachting New Zealand has announced the selection of skipper Jo Aleh and crew Olivia Powrie to represent New Zealand in the 470 Women's dinghy; along with skipper Paul Snow-Hansen and crew Jason Saunders in the 470 Men's dinghy to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in Weymouth, Great Britain.
470 Women's Perth World Champs:
Jo and Olivia (aka Polly) win bronze
Date: 18 December 2011
In one of the final races of the epic Perth 2011 World Championships, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie have come away with a bronze medal after placing third in the medal race. Well done, Jo and Polly we're very proud of you! Conditions were windy and tricky as they sailed so close to shore, with a good audience perched on rocks along the shore and breakwater.
The race began with high drama as they girls were over the line at the start (OCS) and had to do a 720 degree turn, and then ran foul of a mark rounding to be punished with another 360 degree turn - but they managed to recover their composure and position to finish the medal race in third place, which moved them up a position on the leader board to take third overall.
Aleh and Powrie in with a chance to medal
Date: 17 December 2011: An excerpt from Kristine Lederis- YNZ
It was Deja-vu on Saturday for Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie in the Womens’ 470 fleet. They again had two races and the first one was very strong- they won the first race- and the second involved a boat on boat penalty with the same team as the day before! Again after their 720 degree penalty turn, they were unable to catch up and finished the second race in thirteenth.
Jo and Olivia, have finished the fleet racing series in fourth place overall. They will enter the medal race on Sunday also only one point behind the third placed team and within seven points of the second placed team.
For Erica and Vicki racing has come to a close as only the top ten boats go through to the medal race. For this very young crew, still in their mid teens, the regatta has been about gaining experience in a large fleet, and preparing for the 470 Junior Worlds which take place in Takapuna in late January and we wish them all the best.
470 Women
4th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (7, 4, 14, 25, 7, 1, 3, 17, 1, 13)
43rd Vicki Francis and Erica Dawson (32, 43, 43, 44, 44, 40, 43, 41, 37, 42)
Above: Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie. Photo credit: Karen Goldwater
Aleh and Powrie climb two rungs of the ladder into 4th overall
Date: 15 December 2011: An excerpt from Kristine Lederis- YNZ
The NZL Sailing Team sailors are knocking on the doors of the podium as they head toward the final day of fleet racing Saturday at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships. On Friday, only the Women’s 470 and Men’s 49er classes sailed off the shores of Fremantle, striving to stay in the top ten as Sunday’s medal races rapidly approach.
'Team Jolly'- Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie, did well in the sea breeze today. The standard local afternoon onshore breeze, known as the Fremantle Doctor, greeted the 470 women under clear skies and brought a wind range from 12- 18knots.
Their first race saw a big comeback from a deep first bottom mark rounding; they managed to pick their way back through the fleet on the third and fourth legs and finished the race in third. The second race saw a port-starboard altercation shortly after the start and after doing their 720 degree penalty turn they never quite recovered, finishing that race in seventeenth.
Still, Team Jolly has climbed two rungs up the ladder and now sit in fourth overall. They are only five points behind third placed team and not much further behind second. The women’s 470 fleet have their final two races tomorrow, and then the top ten will progress to the medal race.
470 Women
4th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (7, 4, 14, 25, 7, 1, 3, 17)
43rd Vicki Francis and Erica Dawson (32, 43, 43, 44, 44, 40, 43, 41)
Aleh and Powrie stepping it up and 6th overall
Date: 14 December 2011 By: Kristine Lederis- YNZ
After a couple of difficult races yesterday, the Jo Aleh and Olivia Powire have picked up the slack on the 470 race course, and had two fantastic races today. They won the last race of the day, and are the first of the NZL Sailing Team to win a race in this second wave of the World Championships. As the Women's 470 fleet are on schedule with their races they will enjoy the programmed layday tomorrow.
470 Women- 48 Teams
6th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (7, 4, 14, 25, 7, 1)
43rd Vicki Francis and Erica Dawson (32, 43, 43, 44, 44, 40)
Strong start for Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie
Date: 12 December 2011 By: Kristine Lederis- YNZ
The second wave of NZ sailors started their World Championship crusade today in stormy conditions off Fremantle, Western Australia. The Men’s RS:X, 49er, Laser and Women’s 470 had their first races of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships today.
The wind today relatively stable but unusual for this venue, Peter Burling explained. “There were a few storms and systems going through, even thunder before our last race and it built quite quickly after that.”
“It was not the normal south west sea breeze today; it was more south or south east” said Peter. “It was a new breeze for everyone, one we hadn’t sailed in before”
The NZL Sailing Team Women’s 470 crew of Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie had a strong start. This crew, also known as Team Jolly, finished their first two races in seventh and fourth place which leaves them in fourth overall. Jo and Polly have their own blog site with comments updated as they're able - go to http://www.teamjollyracing.com/
470 Women- 48 Teams
4th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (7, 4)
39th Vicki Francis and Erica Dawson (32, 43)
470 Men's Perth World Champs:
Snow-Hansen and Saunders boxing outside their weight category, 8th overall
Above: Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders. Photo credit: Karen Goldwater
Date: 11 December 2011 By: Kristine Lederis- YNZ
After two close medal races today at the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships for men’s 470 and women’s Laser Radial, New Zealand has come out with an eighth and tenth respectively.
For Sara Winther and Paul Snow-Hansen with Jason Saunders, these results are personal bests.
“All of the team is not only delighted with their results today but their progress over the last two years and the amount of work they put into preparing for this.” Jez Fanstone, Olympic Programme Manager for Yachting New Zealand reflected on the recent achievements of these two campaigns.
“They both bounced back from less than ideal Olympic test event results earlier this year. The 470 men and Sara have had career best results at this regatta, these are their highlights.” Jez Continued “Both campaigns know they have areas to be worked on and room for improvement and even better results are yet to come.”
To achieve these overall places here off the shores of Fremantle is no small feat at all, especially when considering the calibre of competitors. The boats that were on the start line this week are the same ones that will be winning the medals at the 2012 Olympic Games.
“Paul and Jason were the youngest and least experienced 470 team in the gold fleet, the top 40 in the world, and so they were boxing outside their weight category.” Hamish Willcox, coach of Paul and Jason is pleased with their outcome at this regatta.
Today the men’s 470 pair of Paul and Jason started well and sailed fast upwind, but one wrong decision on the final downwind leg pushed them back to a seventh. Until that point, they had been in the lead five for the whole race.
“They have come a long way in a very short time, they’ve only really been in the 470 for two and a half years and the exciting thing is we don’t know how far they can raise the bar. The result of this performance is that they can realistically aim for a medal in 2012.” Hamish concluded.
In the Silver fleet a number of sailors who are preparing for the Junior Worlds, to be held in Takapuna this coming January, have gained valuable experience sailing in an international event . Sam and Luke suffered bit of a blow in the final race when their gib halyard broke and caused problems with the mast. For full results click here: http://www.perth2011.com/competition/PERTH2011/SAM005000/results
470 Men - 80 teams
8 - Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders (1,9,16,3,7,13, 10, 11, (18) 14 )
55 - James Turner and Matthew Jones ((37), 31,29, 31, 18,9, 20, 11,17,7)
56 - Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock (33,24,21,28,29,4, 11,17,8 (41DNF)
69- Gareth Moore and Ben Goodwin (35,35,36,32,(41DNF), 22, 31, 21,29,24)
70- Mike Snow-Hansen and Derek Snow23,34,38,37,30, 31, (41DNF), 34,26,26)
Snow-Hansen and Saunders through to the medal race in eighth
Date: 10 December 2011 By: Kristine Lederis- YNZ
Two NZL Sailing Team boats will be progressing to the ISAF World Championship medal races tomorrow; the men’s 470 duo Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders, and Sara Winther in the Laser Radial.
On a very windy day off the shores of Fremantle, Western Australia, New Zealand was also qualified for the London 2012 Olympics in all four fleet racing disciplines that were on the water this week.
“It’s very close racing, so we just have to race the best we can and see what happens” Paul Snow-Hansen said about their upcoming race tomorrow. The men’s 470 fleet is well known for its depth of talent, and for this young kiwi crew to make it this far is quite significant. This is the first time that New Zealand has had a men’s 470 crew in the top ten at a World Championships since Simon Cooke and Peter Nicholas in 2003, where they won the worlds. Today’s sea breezes were amongst the strongest of the week. “It was pretty hard work, not our finest day on the water”, Paul said.
The NZL Sailing Team 470 men finished their races a bit further back in the fleet than they have all week, ending with a 16th and 18th. Paul modestly went into more detail about their racing today. “We made a really good recovery in the first race; we were nearly last to the first mark. It was frustrating; it felt like we had lots of opportunities but didn’t capitalize.” Paul and Jason will have one more chance tomorrow to climb even higher up the leader board during the medal race.
Snow-Hansen and Saunders in seventh with 3 races to go
Day 5: 9 December 2011 By Kristine Lederis - YNZ / Paul & Jason Facebook
Paul/Jason 470 racing: Todays racing was very close to shore on center course, making very close racing. We came out ok with a 10th and a 12th keeping us in 8th overall. Big catchups after being mid 20's in both races around the top mark. Last day of Gold fleet tomorrow. Bring it on!
Friday was a relatively quiet day for the NZL Sailing team at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships; only two classes were on the water. The Fremantle Doctor made a late and lazy entrance today, but the NZL Sailing Team men in the 470 and Finn classes did well with the breeze.
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders recovered well from a slow first upwind in the race one of the day, and reeled fifteen places back up on the downwind legs for a tenth place finish. “We could have had a lot better day but we’re still happy with how we’ve been sailing” Jason said after racing. “We’re confident we can catch a couple more places heading into the last day.”
Racing in the centre course of Bathers Bay, onlookers from the grandstands had spectacular viewing of the 470 fleet starts, bottom mark gates, and plenty of mark rounding action. “It was definitely a change to be on the centre course” Jason continued on about their day on Friday. “There was a lot more chop from coach boats and other random boats” Today, they were also racing on a different course format. “Doing windward leeward’s was also a change, we usually do trapezoid. It created more passing lanes because there were more laps and the racing was really close.” Paul and Jason have remained in eighth place overall, and if they can keep up with these results, they could be set for a slot in the medal race. Overnight the disqualification of the Israel entry saw Paul and Jason climb to 7th place overall.
470 Men
8th Gold Fleet - Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders (13, 10, 12)
13th Silver Fleet - Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock (4, 11,17)
18th Silver Fleet- James Turner and Matthew Jones (9, 20, 11)
30th Silver Fleet- Gareth Moore and Ben Goodwin (22, 31, 21)
34th Silver Fleet- Mike Snow-Hansen and Derek Snow (31, 41DNF, 34)
New Zealand qualifies for the Olympics in Men's 470
Day 4: 8 December 2011 By Kristine Lederis - YNZ/Paul & Jason Facebook
Two more days of finals racing remain at the ISAF Sailing World Championships for the first four fleets, and it is looking promising that NZL will qualify the nation in the Men’s 470 and Finn classes for the 2012 Olympics. Now that the fleets have been split into Gold and Silver, racing on each course tends to be tighter. Today the Finn and 470 had only one race each in fantastic conditions of 14-18 knots.
Paul and Jason in the 470 placed 13th in their only race today, and maintain an overall ranking within the top ten. The Race Committee here in Fremantle have done a great job of bringing racing back to schedule after the abandonment of Tuesday’s racing.
Paul/Jason 470 racing "Tough race today, we didn't have any speed edge upwind making it very had to keep a good lane. We made some nice gains on the downwinds but stayed in about 13th all the way around the track. A keeper but hopefully we can step it up tomorrow in the center course!".
In the silver fleet the remaining members of the team are also enjoying close, and very tough racing. Luke and Sam lead the pack with James and Matthew right at their stern!
Snow-Hansen and Saunders hold onto fifth
Day 3: 7 December 2011 By Kristine Lederis - YNZ/Paul & Jason Facebook
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders had the top kiwi performance of the day, finishing their second race in the 470 class at the front of the pack in third place. They have consistently been in the top ten for this whole regatta, except for one race today where they got caught on the wrong side of a shifting breeze and lost approximately ten places on the last leg. Fortunately, the one bad race for Paul and Jason has been dropped from the score board because five races have been completed, and the boys have held their overall standing of fifth place.
Paul/Jason 470 racing 3 races today, 17th, 3rd and a 7th. Not bad, keeps us in 5th overall. But only 10 points back to 17th overall. We are having one race tomorrow, Gold fleet time!
470 Men
5th - Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders (1, 9, 17, 3, 8)
61st - Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock (34, 25, 22, 30, 33)
64th - James Turner and Matthew Jones (37, 31, 30, 33, 21)
71st - Mike Snow-Hansen and Derek Snow (24, 35, 39, 39, 34)
74th - Gareth Moore and Ben Goodwin (35, 35, 37, 34, 41DNF)
Day 2: 6 December 2011 - no racing due to thunderstorm
Snow-Hansen and Saunders begin regatta with a gun
Day 1: 5 December 2011 By: Kristine Lederis- Yachting New Zealand/Paul & Jason Facebook
The first day of fleet racing in Fremantle greeted every member of the NZL Sailing Team with a top ten finish. Today at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, racing in the Women’s RS:X, Laser Radial, Men’s 470 and the Finn class got underway. Racing on separate courses off the coast of South West Australia, New Zealand was represented by 24 athletes spread through five racing areas. Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders started their day to the sound of a gun, winning the first race of the 470 men’s blue fleet in variable conditions. The first race was still a building sea breeze, it was really patchy and shifty, Jason Saunders commented, we were able to take a look at the first flight that started ahead of us, and we learned a bit from that. We just sailed conservatively, and it turned out pretty well. The pair of 21 year olds followed this up with another top ten finish in the second race, by this time the ‘Fremantle Doctor’ had arrived with some stronger pressure. Paul and Jason are generally pleased with their start here in Fremantle. Says Paul, Started with a bullet! We read a soft breeze well in the first race winning all the way around the course. It was a close race so we were very happy with how we sailed. Adds Jason, It was a good day, a solid start to the regatta. Tough conditions to race in though.
470 Men
5th-
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders (1, 9)
59th- Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock (33, 26)
61st - Mike Snow-Hansen and Derek Snow (24, 36)
71st- James Turner and Matthew Jones (37, 31)
73rd- Gareth Moore and Ben Goodwin (35, 35)
470 Junior Worlds coming to Takapuna, 2012
NZL 470's taking part in Australian Nat's, Fremantle Sailing Club
FINAL ROUNDUP - 2nd PLACING FOR PAUL AND JASON, JO AND OLIVIA Full Results click here
At the close of racing for the Australian 470 Nationals Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher came out on top overall and ensured the National title went to a local boat. Within the mixed fleet the Japanese women, Ai Kondo with Wakako Tabata, grabbed the top women's placing of 7th overall. The full schedule of 10 races were sailed with a mixed fleet of 40 boats.
In second place overall, second men's crew and first Junior crew were New Zealand's Paul Snow-Hansen with Jason Saunders, while Jo Aleh with Oliva Powrie who finished 9th overall were the second women's crew. New Zealand Junior sailors Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock placed 25th overall with a ninth placing in race 6; James Turner with Matthew Jones finished 31st overall. Other crews of interest were Martine Grael with Isabel Swan (BRA) - Martine spent her formative Opti years in New Zealand sailing out of Murrays Bay SC, and Tina Lutze with Susann Beuke (GER) - Tina won the Opti Worlds in Switzerland the year Paul and Jason represented New Zealand.
Fremantle has an enviable reputation in the sailing world, the Fremantle Doctor is legendary. In this regatta, however, there was as much, if not more, light conditions - so sailors were treated to a wide variety of wind strengths. Looking at Karen's photos below gives a good indication of what a sailor can expect for the 470 World Championship which follows closely in the wake of this regatta.
DAY THREE
Karen Goldwater, parent of Sam Bullock, is on the course for the Australian 470 Nationals with camera in hand. This is a great series of photos featuring the New Zealand competitors Paul Snow-Hansen with Jason Saunders (NZL212); Jo Aleh with Olivia Powrie (NZL 75); Luke Stevenson with Sam Bullock (NZL220); and James Turner with Matthew Jones (NZL206). The fleet is mixed, after 3 days and six races Paul and Jason are placed 6th overall and in close touch with the top three; Jo and Polly are in 9th overall and 2nd women; while newcomers on the Olympic scene Sam and Luke are in 23rd, and James and Matthew are in 28th in the 40 boat fleet. Matt Belcher and Malcom Page of Australia totally dominated the first two days of racing, and even after a less spectacular third day hold onto a convincing lead.
Highlights for the New Zealand team are a win for Paul and Jason on Day 3, and for Jo and Polly 9th placing overall in a mixed fleet with big seas and strong winds is a very creditable performance, Women's World Champions Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berhout of the Netherlands lead the women and are 8th overall. Conditions obviously favour the men, but that's never been a barrier for Jo and Polly and the competition isn't over yet! Full Results click here
The Australian Nationals are a lead-in regatta for the 2011 470 World Championship, also to be sailed out of Fremantle. Erica Dawson with Vicki Francis join Jo and Polly to make two New Zealand women's crews; and five New Zealand men's crews - Gareth Moore with Ben Goodwin and Mike Snow-Hansen with Derek Snow completing the team - are taking part.
Sail Auckland to be held at RAYC, 3-7 February 2012
Sail Auckland will be held at Royal Akarana Yacht Club this coming year from 3-7 February. The first day will be for registration only allowing those participating in the Junior Worlds to compete.
Sail Auckland is an ISAF Grade 1 Olympic Classes Regatta to be held 3-7 February 2012 at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club, Auckland. Competing classes include RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 420, 470, 29er, 49er, Flying Fifteen, F18, Skud 18, Access Liberty, Access 303 & 2.4R.
Entries close 28 January, 2012. Go to the Event website for NOR and more details.
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470 fleet racing during Sail Auckland, 2011 Photos by Christine Hansen |
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Winter Champs, Murrays Bay SC
The annual Winter Champs regatta took place at Murrays Bay SC this October in blustery spring conditions. Off shore southerlies were gusting from 5 - 15 knots, and coming over the cliffs they created a puffy game of snakes and ladders. The club was humming with an enthusiastic assembly of junior sailors with their supporting family, while senior classes used Mairangi Bay as their base which hopefully helped to relieve the congestion of this ever popular regatta.
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders placed first in the 470 Class on countback from Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie. In third place was Tauranga duo Luke Stevenson and Sam Bullock who edged out visiting Brazilian team Martine Grael and Isabel Swan by one point.
Racing wasn't without incident - not totally unexpected when 18 foot skiffs find themselves racing on the same course as single and double handed dinghies. 470 sailors Mike Snow-Hansen and Derek Snow had just finished fine tuning their rig in the starting area when they saw a skiff bearing down on them at around 20 knots. Apparently unable to see the 470 until too late, and the 470 being stationary and unable to move out of their way, the skiff plunged into their hull bringing down the rig and leaving a hole - and ending sailing for the series for both crews.
Many thanks to Murrays Bay for putting on the regatta, and for all the 470 sailors who turned up to race. Full results on the RESULTS page.
NZ 470 Nationals to be held at Tauranga, 17-19 February 2012
Membership subs due for 2011-2012 season
Hi everyone - just a reminder that your fees are due for the new season. The Winter Champs at Murrays Bay is just a week away and it would be great if all those sailing had joined the Association. Go to JOIN THE CLASS on the menu to your left to pick up a registration form.
2011 New Zealand 470 Worlds team wins support from Pub Charity
The New Zealand 470 Association would like to thank the funding body Pub Charity for their generous donation to help the sailors training to attend the 2011 World Championship in Perth, Australia.
NZ 470 Association sailing programme 2011-2012 published - click here
470 teams head to the Pre-Olympics in Weymouth
Jo Aleh with Olivia Powrie in the Women's fleet and Paul Snow-Hansen with Jason Saunders in the Men's fleet will represent New Zealand in the International 470 Class at the 2011 Pre-Olympic regatta sailed out of the Olympics venue in Weymouth, Great Britain.
470 men's skipper Paul Snow-Hansen, coach Hamish Willcox, 470 crew Jason Saunders, YNZ's Jez Fanstone and Scott Creswell
Turner and Jones competing at Junior 470 Worlds 2011
Competition has now commenced at the 2011 Junior Worlds in Medemblik, Holland. Click here to follow James and Matthew's progress in the men's fleet:http://www.470juniorworlds2011.org/JWK/Content.aspx?sid=20&cid;=1772∣=&mnu;=2979
470 International Solidarity Programme (ISP)
Matthew and James are currently competing in Europe and are now headed to the 2011 Junior Worlds in Medemblik. Yesterday they received news that the ISP had granted them entry fees for the Europeans and Junior Worlds - 500 Euros.. As James said 'Every dollar helps' - and they were happy to be presented with their cheque at the prizegiving of the Europeans.
Turner and Jones at the 470 Open Europeans, 6 - 15 July
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| James Turner and Matthew Jones competing during Sail Auckland, 2011 |
James Turner (helm) and Mathew Jones (crew) are currently competing in Europe with the Open European Champs, Finland, their first stop, and the Junior 470 Worlds, Holland, their second.
The European Champs are being held in Helsinki, where conditions over the first two days of racing have been light to moderate - the event media reports 10 - 12 knots on day two. This is James and Matthew's first regatta outside New Zealand together in the 470 and they are doing well to be placed in 35th after four races. The fleet is made up of 74 boats including most of the top ranked crews, Belcher / Page of Australia are leading the charge, with Fantela / Marenic of Croatia second and Kliger / Sela of Israel third.
On day three the boys have dropped back a little after running fowl of a bit of course-confusion and another respectable top twenty result. This marks the end of the qualification series, James and Matthew will compete in the silver fleet for the remainder of the competition. With approximately 37 boats on the line, this will be a valuable run-up event before heading to the Junior Worlds where they will once again meet Nicklas Dackhammer and Fredrik Bergstrom who trained for a few months in Auckland in 2010, and are currently just two places ahead.
For full results at THE EUROPEANS click here
Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie win gold at Sail for Gold, Weymouth!!
Report from Jo and Polly:
"We came into Sail for Gold not quite knowing where we would be sitting in the fleet, with Polly just back from her broken collarbone (and having to tape some rather weird looking padding onto her shoulder every morning to keep it happy), not having sailed an international regatta together since Perth in December. However we have been pleasantly surprised, even though we started the regatta off rather slowly, we..." for more first hand reporting from the girls, click here to go to the Jo and Polly website
In the men's fleet Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders achieved another good results in their Olympic campaign finishing the final series in 10th position to qualify for the medal race. A creditable 6th place in that final race saw them remain in 10th overall. Event website click here
Skandia Sail for Gold, Weymouth, UK, 6-11 June 2011
Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta 2011 takes place between 6th to 11th June on the 2012 waters of Weymouth and Portland. This year will officially see the biggest Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta ever, as a record-breaking entry of more than 1,000 of the world’s top Olympic and Paralympic sailors bid to claim early supremacy. Event website click here
New Zealand has two 470's taking part - Jo aleh andOlivia Powrie in the 41 boat women's fleet, and Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders in the 78 boat men's fleet. Each of these crews will be looking to consolidate, and build on their performances during what has been a good season at international regattas. The 470's crews are part of a large New Zealand contingent attending the regatta, and have the support of Yachting New Zealand coaches Nathan Handley and Hamish Wilcox.
470 Junior World Championship at Takapuna 26 Jan - 3 Feb 2012.
"To be eligible to compete in the 470 Junior Championships, athletes shall not have attained his or her 22 birthday before the end of the year of the Championship."
The steering committee, made up of 470 Class representatives, Race Management and Takapuna BC members, is well underway with planning for the 470 Junior Worlds, 2012. The Commodore of Takapuna Boating Club, Evelyn Johnson, presided over the monthly meeting and gave some welcome news - following the confirmation by ISAF that events for 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition are to include the men's 470 and women's 470 dinghy, ISAF and the Internationale 470 Assn. will be giving the regatta their full support. Promotion of the event will be taking place across the world through local MNA's and at international regattas.
At this stage there is an anticipated 75 boats hoping to attend, and with local promotion of the event, the committee would like to increase support in New Zealand amongst those sailors in the 470 youth bracket - under 22 years of age, be they 420 sailors, starling sailors or laser radial sailors.
For local crews who are interested in finding a boat, to buy or charter, and embarking on a training programme with the intention of taking part in the Junior World Championship, the following people will be able to help point you in the right direction: Paul Francis, Dave MacKay, Jan Shearer, Mike Snow-Hansen, Christine Hansen.
Selection trial for 470 Worlds in Perth, Australia
Takapuna Boating Club held the second trial for 470 selections to compete at the Worlds in Perth in December this year. Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders dominated the fleet of eight boats and won with a comfortable margin. Conditions were light to moderate offshore winds with flat water on Saturday, and very light on Sunday but building slightly through the day.
Jo Aleh with Olivia Powrie and Paul Snow-Hansen with Jason Saunders qualified for selection at the first trial, the 2011 470 Nationals. We arenow in the process of asking the next qualifying crews to consider their selection and when they have accepted and YNZ confirms there are positions available, we will announce the full team.
It was encouraging to see a number of youth-aged sailors taking part in the trials as a forerunner to the Junior Worlds which will take place at Takapuna BC in January next year.
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| Light winds Sunday morning at Takapuna beach | Skipper Laura Hemingway and her helpful Dad with crew Vicky Frances |
2011 470 AGM
A good number of sailors and supporters attended the AGM held at Takapuna BC on Monday the 16th of May, 2011. The most notable outcome of the meeting was a changing of the guard, John Woolley tended his resignation after serving as chairman for the last 9 years. The Association would like to thank John for his help over this time, and also Mark Overington who retired as secretary.
Jan Shearer has taken on the chairpersons roll. Jan has a long history with the class, not the least of which is attending three Olympic Games and winning an Olympic silver medal with Leslie Egnott at Barcelona in1992. Jan also has a son, Matthew, sailing in the class and husband Murray Jones is also a past 470 sailor. Christine Hansen has taken over the secretary's roll and will continue to be webmaster, and sailor Jason Saunder is now the treasurer.
It was agreed that association membership would now span from 1 September - 31 August each year, and that the association boat would remain in the class while it was in use and storage and maintenance was readily available.
470 men's and women's double handed dinghy selected for the Olympics
470 DID IT AGAIN - SELECTED FOR 2016 OLYMPICS 10/05/2011 "By retaining our class in the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition we have proven to the sailing community around the world that two-person dinghy spinnaker sailing is an essential discipline of sailing," click here to read more on the 470 Internationale website
21-22 May: Takapuna Beach selection trial for 470 Worlds in Perth, Australia
Takapuna Boating Club, 21-22 May 2011, is the venue for the second component of the trials for selection to attend the 470 Worlds in Perth, Australia which take place in December this year. Click here for the NOR download / Click here to read NOR
click here to read the selection policy
French Olympic Sailing Week, Hyeres, NZ crew place 6th in 470 medal race
The regatta has come to a close with Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders placing 6th in the medal race, and 9th overall. The regatta was dominated by the French who took out the top two positions: Le Boucher/Garos 1st, Charbonnier/Mion 2nd, and Barrieros/Sarmiento Spain in third.
In the medal race Snow-Hansen/Saunders were well placed behind Belcher/Page (AUS) for most of the race, but fell the wrong side of a permanent sea-breeze shift to place 6th. In the final tally-up Belcher/Page were OCS which gave the race victory to Kampouridis/Papadopoulos, and the New Zealand team remained in 9th position. Snow-Hansen and Saunders sailed a consistent series and took a step forward into the top end of a fleet of World Champions and Olympic sailors.
The New Zealand crew now return home for three weeks, before travelling to Weymouth, Great Britain, with fellow 470 sailors Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie to take part in the Pre-Olympic regatta.
French Olympic Sailing Week event website: http://sof.ffvoile.net/index.php?page=3&text=2
2011 French Olympic Sailing Week, Hyeres, Snow-Hansen/Saunders in top 10
The Semaine Olympique Française (SOF / French Olympic Sailing Week) is the largest competition organised by the French Federation, close to 1000 athletes from 60 nationalities attend this event which is unique in French sport. SOF is part of the newly created ISAF Sailing World Cup, and considered to be amongst the top international sailing events. The best Olympic medallists participate in this worldwide event which is famous for its strict organisation at Hyeres, and also for its ideal waters, rounded with the Iles d'Or : Porquerolles, Port Cros and Le Levant.
The top two places going into the final medal race are taken by local French sailors Le Boucher/Garos with an unassialable lead - and Charbonnier/Mion, followed by World Champions Fantela/Marenic of Croatia in third. In 9th place Paul and Jason are on the same points as the Greek team in 8th, and within reach of 7th place overall. This is an encouraging result for the young New Zealanders who are the youngest crew in the top ten, and the only junior aged crew going through to the medal race.
The event has featured light to moderate wind with large shifts during races - and it's a challenge to pick that shift as it tends to persist throughout the race making recovery difficult - this is reflected in the relatively high scoring regatta throughout all classes and throughout all levels.
Fellow European campaigners Jo Aleh and Oliva Powrie aren't competing in this regatta as Olivia has an injury which has put her out of action for the short term. Good luck to all the New Zealand sailors competing overnight in the medal race going in with the following positions: Sara Winther 1st, Laser Radial; Tom Ashley 4th, RSX; Dan Slater 9th, Finn; Paul and Jason 9th, 470 men; Michael Bullot 10th, Laser; Jean-Paul Tobin 10th, RSX.
Event website: http://sof.ffvoile.net/index.php?page=3&text;=2
Paul Snow-Hansen & Jason Saunders win silver at 2011 Spring Cup, France
The annual Internationale de Printemps des 470 regatta has just come to a close at the YC Sablettes in La Seyne-sur-Mer. The 72 competitors from 24 nations sailed as a mixed fleet, with a split into Gold and Silver fleets after the qualification series.
Paul and Jason have had their most successful regatta to date on the European circuit winning silver, 2 points behind the Japanese team of Harada/Yoshida, with Matsunaga/Inamura of Japan in third place. Conditions were generally light and shifty and, as is always the case, the most consistent sailors came through. This is an encouraging result for the young crew in their bid to represent New Zealand at the 2012 Olympics in the men's double handed 470 class. They now go on to compete in French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres.
Jo Aleh and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher placed eighth overall, and were the first women's crew - another good results for the pair who now return to New Zealand.
Paul and Jason update their facebook page daily with comments and analysis of their racing during this European fleet racing series Paul/Jason 470 racing - For full results go to this link: http://www.ycsablettes.org/index.php/resultats-281.html
Jo Aleh & Bianca Barbarich-Bacher win 2011 Princess Sofia regatta
http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/result.php?miclase=470%20Women
In the first of the European circuit regattas for this season, Jo Aleh teamed with Bianca Barbarich-Bacher while Olivia Powrie recovered from a cycling accident which has put her out of action for several months. Bianca has taken three weeks out of university engineering studies to step in for Olivia, and with a little training in Palma prior to the event the pair found conditions to their liking, sailed consistently and came away with a gold medal.
Also campaigning in Europe are the men's pair Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders. The Princess Sofia regatta began with very strong winds which the boys relished winning their first two races. They didn't manage to maintain this high level and finished 18th overall. Interestingly this was three places ahead of Nick Rogers and Chris Grube of Great Britain who dominated the summer season in New Zealand.
The men's division was won by the French pair Nicolas Charbonnnier and Jeremie Mion; second place also went to the French Pierre LeBoucher and Vincent Garos; and third was Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell of Great Britain.
Nathan Wilmot, AUS Olympic and World Champion 470 sailor
Shona, Tyler and Nathan Wilmot - Photograph by Christine Hansen
Nathan recently spent a month in Auckland coaching Nick Rogers and Chris Grube, and holidaying with his family. On the morning of their departure Nathan was generous enough to sit down and take part in an interview which covered his present sailing interests, his views on Olympic sailing, why he enjoyed the 470 and his plans for the future. This has since been posted on Sail-world.com - click here to read the full interview.