Yachting: Cole Rippey shines at Tauranga Cup Regatta

Jackson Keon (left) and Kate Stewart during the Tauranga Cup P Class yacht race off Sulphur Point yesterday. Photo/Joel Ford

The four-day Tauranga Cup P Class regatta got underway with three races completed in increasingly blustery conditions on the Tauranga Harbour yesterday.

A good field of 40 under-17 aged sailors began their quest to win the prestigious title, including Tauranga's Cole Rippey, 14, who earlier this week won the New Zealand regional Tanner Cup.

In the opening race, three boats took a first beat lead with Kate Stewart (Wakatere Boat Club) showing the fleet how to sail with the incoming tide. Stewart gave a great demonstration of sailing from the front to win the first race with Jackson Keon (Wakatere) second and Harry Corston (Christchurch) third.

The breeze started to build into a 12 to 15 knot westerly and the second race needed a restart to get things under way.

Tom Fyfe (Auckland) led the fleet around the first mark ahead of Stewart, Corston and Rippey, who showed his Tanner Cup form up the last beat to win the race. Stewart was second with Keon third.

By mid-afternoon the breeze had freshened to a 20 knot westerly which tested the skills of the young sailors.

Again Rippey was in his element and as the wind built there was some spectacular downwind sailing which suited the Tauranga local, who won his second race of the day ahead of Keon and Stewart.

The Tauranga Cup was donated by Mrs L B Mellish for Inter-Provincial competition in 1940 and is open to all P Class sailors in New Zealand.