ANENDRA SINGH
For David Tucker it's difficult to beat the sense of challenge and adventure when it comes to offshore sailing.
The 21-year-old Auckland University engineering student was going to compete in the Sydney-Hobart race after New Year but the best-laid plans for Viva were scuttled when they could not muster enough
numbers to crew it.
Tucker's competitive edge sticks out like a buoy in the water when he says competing in an offshore race is an impressive accomplishment.
"If it was easy, everyone would do it," the former Napier Boys' High School student said via a phone interview from the Bay of Islands.
So why did the Napier Sailing Club member turn to the Flying Fifteen Nationals at Opua, in the Far North, then?
"The great thing about Flying Fifteens is that you are very even with the fleet and it is based more on your tactical skills. It's how you sail and not what you have in terms of gear. It's also the mistakes you make."
Yesterday he skippered Havnffun, with crewman Luke O'Connell, also of the Napier club, to third and sixth finishes in their two races.
There was unlikely to be any racing today with a low depression forecast to dump rain to the tune of howling north-westerlies.
Another Napier club yacht, Playtime, also recorded third and sixth placings to sit fourth equal with Havnffun. David Zorn is at the helm of Playtime with crewman Gerald Martin. Graeme Robinson and visiting Englishman and skipper/friend Tony Lee, are in 11th position after finishing 13th and 14th in their two races in Business.
Tucker said his crewman O'Connell, a former Taradale High School pupil now studying computer aid at Taradale's Eastern Institute of Technology, joined him at the nationals when he contacted him a couple of weeks ago at short notice.
"He is Napier Sailing Club's laser champion and a top sailor in his own right," Tucker said.
While a couple of Flying Fifteens capsized yesterday, the Napier sailors steered clear of trouble.
"We are very light in weight so we're at a disadvantage when it's windy. When the light breeze comes in we'll thrive," Tucker explained.
While in Auckland, he has been sailing larger boats, including a 14-foot skiff at the world championship there last February. An Australian engineer working in Hastings, Matt Balmer, owns the skiff.
Tucker hopes to do a degree in law and eventually pursue a career in patent law.
