Powrie wins LIVEsport Telecom New Zealand Women’s Match Racing Championships

Olivia Powrie and crew saved their best for last winning the finals 3 – nil over Stephanie Hazard. The two were certainly very evenly matched and the racing in the finals series was action packed with the lead changing in each race.

Powrie and her crew won the first race by 11 seconds and the second by 1 minutes and 21 seconds, then it was down to race three in a must win for Hazard.

The start of race three brought a smile to the competitors’ faces when a gust of 26 knots and white water hit the course area. The Race Committee went into the pre-start and both boats entered but when conditions worsened and the wind dial on the Race Committee boat when up to 28 knots the race was abandoned.
The squall lasted about 2 minutes and settled back down to around 15 knots which was a pleasant change from this mornings light airs and race three was re-started.

It was an even start with Hazard a boat length to windward of Powrie. By the top mark Hazard was still 1 length in front, but downwind Powrie caught up and was to windward of Hazard as Hazard sailed past her proper course to the bottom mark and was given a penalty. Powrie rounded directly behind Hazard and managed a cleaner rounding and by the top mark was in the lead and won the last race by 27seconds.

Powrie made the transition from crewing a 470 to helming an Elliott 7 in a match racing regatta, look easy. Sailing with her this weekend was her 470 helmsman Jo Aleh and one of New Zealand’s top Laser Radial sailors her sister Miranda Powrie, Merran Walbridge on bow who has just had two year’s off racing to have two children and Wellington match racer Anita Trudgen doing tactics.

“It was good racing, in a range of conditions” smiled Powrie, “I had an awesome crew – for sure”.

In the petit finals between Jessica McDowell and Samantha Osborne, it was the first to win 2 races.
It was an even start in race one with Osborne who was carrying a pre-start penalty managing to clear it upwind and win the race by 28 seconds.

In race two McDowell led off the start line and round the bottom mark but Osborne managed to sail over her downwind and take race two and third place overall in the regatta.

It was great close racing in the final series and fantastic spectator viewing from the Westhaven car park and seawall.

View photos here

For further information including crew lists, honour board of past winners and daily results, please visit the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’s website: www.rnzys.org.nz

Or follow the links through: http://www.wimra.org/regatta_detail.asp?rk=391

(From the RNZYS Race Office: www.rnzys.org.nz)