Yachting title to Peter Kempkers

Press, 26 April 1979, Page 44

Yachting title to Peter Kempkers

By

JOHN COFFEY

Peter Kempkers capped a memorable sailing season by becoming the first winner of the Canterbury “champion of champions” yachting title when he won the final in confident fashion at Lyttelton yesterday. The third place-getter in the world youth contest earlier this summer, Kepkers led throughout to win the $2OO travel subsidy and silver salver provided by the sponsoring firm, the Powerboat Centre.

Although Kempkers gained the upper hand over a very accomplished fleet in the deciding race, honours were well spread in a series that began in extremely testing westerly conditions and finished with barely enough breeze to keep the boats moving.

Bryan Treleaven, a former Olympic Games representative in the Finn class and now one of this country’s leading Flying Dutchman skippers, adjusted

quickly to the requirements of Sunburst class helmsmanship to be the runner-up. Treleaven would have returned the most impressive record had placings in the heats also been taken into account in the over-all result.

The provinical Laser titleholder, Michael Andrews, was third, ahead of lan Jackson and Trevor Shapland, who have held New Zealand R class and Hartley 16 championships, respectively . Roel Winters, the representative of the Flying Fifteen division and the oldest competitor in the series, was a commendable sixth.

In finishing order, the other finalists were Bob Auton (Noelex class), Gavin Walter (A class catamarans), David Nesbit (Rothmans Father and Son), Stewart Coates (Starling and 3.7 m classes), and Bret de Thier (Tornado catamarans). The silver salver awarded to the owner of the most successful boat —- a prize that was decided over the

; heats and final — went to > Peter Andrews, whose craft, 1 Pas de Deux, lost 14.7 points I on the Olympic low-scoring .system. The closest I challengers were Allan • Britton (Sunbeam, 16.7) arid i Malcolm Milne (Fiona, 18.7). It. was Fiona which Kempkers guided to victory , in the final. With Milne i serving as his for’ard hand, ■ Kempkers profited at the I start when some of his I rivals made sluggish , beginnings in the patchy , airs. De Thier was second : around the top mark before I falling well back, and : Andrews and Treleaven were : in the leading group for the whole course. Jackson made a bold bid i on the second beat when he sailed close to the reef and made up six placings to lie second for a time, and . Winters also led the chase i after Kempkers as the race progressed. But eventually Treleaven and Andrews were restored to their positions of : prominence and they, too, will have travel subsidies to assist them next season.

The story of Kempkers’s triumph was one of steady improvement. He was seventh in- his first appearance and fourth in his other heat, making him the ninth qualifier of the 11 in the final. Kempkers has largely made his mark in the monotype O.K. dinghy and Laser classes, but proved his versatility during the national J.C. contest in January. Coates (three) conceded the least number of points in the heats, having Imin to spare in gaining line honours from Shapland in one event and trailing Jackson home by 2min 17sec in another. Andrews (11.4) and Treleaven (11.7) were closest to Coates in the prefinal rankings before the ballot for boats.

Two very promising competitiors were unfortunate not to reach the final. Miss Leslie Egnot was well ahead in her first heat Only to capsize when under spinnaker and put herself out of the running, and

Ba r r y Willcox's disqualification for being over the start line cost him valuable points.

Several others also had hard luck. Chris Brailsford, Tony Wornall and Robert Norris all suffered gear damage when the winds were at their strongest and the extent of their misfortune could be gauged by the creditable placings they filled in their other races.

The most exciting finish was that in the opening heat, when Winters battled valiantly to retain a narrow advantage which he had wrested on the first leg. However, Walter closed on him over the last leg and nudged Winters back to second by just 3sec. Results.—

Heat one: G. A. Walter 1, R. Winters 2, K. Auton 3, D. Nesbit 4, C. Brailsford 5, K. D. Drayton 6. Heat two: S. Coates 1, T. Shapland 2, M. Andrews 3, D. Le Page 4, F. Kempkers 5, B. E. Treleaven 6. Heat three: Treleaven 1, B. G. de Thier 2, R, Norris 3. A. J. Wornall 4, B. Willcox 5, Auton 6. Heat four: I. Jackson 1, Coates 2, Andrews 3, P. Kempkers 4, Miss L. Egnot: 5, Shapland 6. Final: P. Kempkers 1, Tre» leaven 2, Andrews 3, Jackson 4, Shapland 5, Winters 6. Owners’ prize: P. Andrews J, A. E. L. Britton 2, M. Milne 3.