Sailing: World champ revelling in longer event

LAST CHECK: Matt Stechmann gives Blink's mast a final check before today's final leg of the Central Triangle Yacht race. PHOTO/Warren Buckland

HAWKE'S BAY sailor Matt Stechmann was doing his best to avoid a stag do stitch-up this week.

It was understandable. The Napier Sailing Club member has a lot on his plate.

Today Stechmann and the rest of the nine-strong crew on Blink will start the final leg of the Fully Crewed Central Triangle race from Napier to Wellington with the aim of beating the winner of the previous two legs, Crusader of Auckland, to take line and title honours. On Monday, he and wife-to-be, fellow sailor Meg McKerchar, will find out the sex of their child, who is due to arrive in July, and next Saturday they will get married in Picton.

"It's funny how sometimes things all line up at the same time. I'm sure the other crews will stitch me up at some stage before we leave Napier," Stechmann said on Thursday night.

The world OK Dinghy champion, courtesy of his one point win over Napier Sailing Club clubmate Luke O'Connell in Melbourne in January, Stechmann is enjoying racing in an eight-boat big keel fleet in what is the biggest coastal race to be staged in New Zealand this season. Leg 1 from Wellington to Akaroa covered 195 nautical miles, leg 2 from Akaroa to Napier covered 350 nautical miles and the final leg which is expected to end tomorrow will cover 205 nautical miles.

"Three days at sea is a new experience. You learn what longer races are all about. It's hard to keep concentrating the entire time when you're going flat out 24 hours a day," Stechmann said.

For most of the time during a leg the boats in the race are travelling at 25-27 knots or 50km/h which are the speeds the Volvo Ocean boats are reaching when they are at full noise, according to race officer Pedro Morgan of Wellington.

An Irrigation Services Ltd worker, Stechmann said the Blink crew sailed "pretty well" during the first two legs.

"There were only a couple of small spots in each leg where our decision making was a bit off. If we can tidy up a couple of our decision making processes I'm confident we can beat Crusader. In saying that the Crusader crew has sailed very well and they have taken their opportunities when they have been presented with them.

"But we're not letting them off the hook."

Because of the new arrival in July, Stechmann, 40, won't be travelling to Poland to attempt to retain his world title next year but will tackle the 2017 world OK Dinghy champs in France.

Blink, which is raced out of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington, arrived in Napier in a time of two days and 10 hours, two hours behind Crusader which is raced out of Auckland but owned by a Christchurch family - hence the name Crusader. Former Napier Sailing Club member Josh Tucker is part of the Crusader crew.

A Picton-based boat, Satellite Spy, was third into Napier, 10 hours behind Blink.

Because of the rugged conditions, one crew withdrew from the race during the leg into Napier. Morgan is confident the fleet will reach Wellington before Cyclone Pam hits New Zealand's east coast tomorrow night.

There is no prize money up for grabs but the winning crew receives a trophy. It is the first time the race has been staged and it will be staged again in 2018.

A two-handed version will be raced next year.