Leander 2022 - NPCL, Lyttelton Harbour
Sadly the fleet is going to be lean this year as, injury (broken leg), MIQ, covid and other commitments have kept several boats off the water.
Day 1
Invitation Race (1) 11Kn NE
Tight contest at the top between Merde and theVirtual with Merde leading around the first mark and TheWeapon leading Massive Attack. Lots of lead changes with theVirtual gybing just above the pin to finish seconds ahead of Merde.
Race 2 and 3 16Kn NE
Dave and Pete in Merde lead around more marks but were pipped twice down wind to the finish. Chemical Weapon got the better of Massive Attack in both the afternoon races.
Day 2
Race 4 6-8Kn NE
Very light to start with the foilers left in the dust by Massive Attack and The Weapon. TheVirtual unwisely went right but eventually managed to foil about two thirds of the way up the beat. Merde managed to stagger onto their foils a minute or so later. Massive Attack lead comfortably around the first mark with Chemical Weapon a safe second. TheVirtual were close to the leaders by the bottom mark, but the breeze was soft upwind and at times barely foilable. Massive Attack pushed hard and held the lead until the breeze built slightly meaning they couldn't hold off the foilers.
Races 5 & 6 10-15
A little bit more breeze meant the foilers were powered up again, with more close battles at the front with multiple lead changes and mistakes punished. Several close high speed crosses both up and down wind added to the fun. The experienced crew of Jimmy and Rowan on Chemical Weapon couldn't hold out the new pairing of Nick and Vaughan on Massive.
Day 3
Race 7 12 - 2 Kn N/NE/NW
Saturdays forecast was Northerly with a Southerly coming through in the afternoon. So the amendment to two back to back races on Saturday morning was definitely a good plan.
Tony set one of his classic, "Race Officers Revenge", across the harbour courses: in the only place with some breeze. The start just off the Purau, Diamond Harbor headland and the top mark right in the wind shear zone just off the shore, below the Sumner road. Northerly puffs and dead patches are spread over the course, fun times. Race start is in a good 10Kn with the foilers starting on port and taking off up the harbour in the hope the NE will fill in and save them. The breeze drops off a few minutes into the race and the boats going up the middle slowly pull away. The foilers eventually get some breeze and foil just long enough to join L2 and Chemical Weapon close to the top mark. A foilable NE puff means its now downwind to the top mark, so theVirtual snatches the lead by the first mark, then gets flattened by some wind shear as they gybe and are last to actually around the mark. The breeze holds for a bit but softens all the way to the shortened finish. L2's Jess and Vaughan take a well deserved victory followed in by Chemical Weapons' James and Rowan. By this time the breeze is pretty much gone, so further morning racing is abandoned. The "race" back for lunch proved even more challenging, with Chemical Weapon eventually getting back to shore first. After lunch the breeze was still non-existent and in order to avoid the approaching front the contest was declared over. The returning Finns said they had just drifted in circles for the club races, so the RO and squadron had clearly made a good call.
Final Results
| Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Race 6 | Race 7 | |||||||||||
| Boat | Skipper | Crew | Total Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points | Place | Points |
| 607 - The Virtual | Paul Roe | Malcolm Snowdon | 650 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 5 | 50 |
| 589 - Merde | Dave Pairman | Peter Holder | 514.286 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 80 | 4 | 57.143 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 80 | 4 | 57.143 |
| 582 - Chemical Weapon | James Collett | Rowan Sinton | 460.952 | 3 | 66.667 | 3 | 66.667 | 3 | 66.667 | 3 | 66.667 | 4 | 57.143 | 4 | 57.143 | 2 | 80 |
| 609 - Massive Attack | Nick James | Vaughan Snowdon Doug Gale (Sat) | 451.429 | 4 | 57.143 | 4 | 57.143 | 4 | 57.143 | 2 | 80 | 3 | 66.667 | 3 | 66.667 | 3 | 66.667 |
| 600 - L2 | Jess Lee | Vaughan Snowdon | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
Day 4
Sprints 6 - 14Kn NE
After a calm morning the light NE filled in perfectly just after the start of the first race. Fun racing with a few spills, close encounters with the shore and lots of lead changes. The R's put on another exciting spectacle for an enthusiastic crowd.
Supercup Sprint Series Final Results
| Boat | Skipper | Crew | Points | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 |
| R607 - TheVirtual | Paul Roe | Malcolm Snowdon | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| R589 - Merde | David Pairman | Owen Daniell | 13 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| R582 - Chemical Weapon | James Collet | Rowan Sinton | 17 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| R609 - Massive Attack | Nick James | Doug Gale | 17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| R600 - L2 | Jessica Lee | Vaughan Snowdon | 23 | 3 | DNF | 5 | DNS | DNS |
| R567 - Raptr | Ben Jassin | Owen Daniell | 25 | DNC | DNC | DNC | 5 | DNF |
We again thank Naval Point Club Lyttelton, the race management team, and volunteers for another excellent and enjoyable contest:
- Race Officer and Team Coordinator: Tony Taylor
- Retriever (Start boat), Steve Skinner, Bill Ruske, Tony Park, Tony Carrabes
- Support Vessels, Marty Waldron, Kees Tabak, Mike Bourke,Graham Williams, Tony Lee, Andea Howland & Partner
Special thanks for funding from Pub Charity Limited.
