Costly training for Olympic contenders

Press, 21 April 1979, Page 23

Costly training for Olympic contenders

PA Auckland training in the coming European summer. The Olympic yachting Through the Air New Zearegatta over Easter produced land sponsorship the 10 as strong a group of Olympic yachtsmen are provided with contenders as the country a return ticket to London. has seen for years. They must meet their' own The question now is boat-freight costs and other whether the yachtsmen in expenses in Europe, and the the five classes can afford the high costs of competing in right kind of pre-Olympic the pre-Olympic contest on

the games course at Tallinn, on the Baltic Sea. Jock Bilger, twice a Flying Dutchman repreesntative at the Olympics and who has made a winning comeback into Flying Dutchman games contention again, said that all the crews were worried about high costs. Freight for a Flying Dutchman to London could take $l2OO, there were high costs moving about the regattas in Europe, and the Russians charged $5OO a head for accommodation for 10 days at Tallinn.

Bilger said that as far as the Flying Dutchman was concerned he and his crew Murray Ross could gain as much top experience by sailing in the Weymouth regatta in early’ June, and then the Kiel week and world championships, also at Kiel, in June-July.

Having to stay on. as the New Zealand Yachting Federation insisted, for the Tallinn regatta, in August, made the trip so much longer and more costly.

“As far as top racing is concerned.” said Bilger, “we could get all we need in three or four weeks in Europe, and then come home.”