Racing towards the top

Three Auckland women have got off to a roaring start in their bid to sail at the Athens Olympics, reports ROBIN BAILEY.

The name of the class looks like a typographical error and the trio of Kiwi women beginning to race one are relatively unknown. But that's all about to change.

The yacht is the Yngling (pronounced ING-ling) and the Auckland sailors racing one this weekend in Sydney are beginning to attract serious attention after having completed just two regattas in the boat.

The three are Alesha Thorpe and Sonya Swinburne (both 21) and 20-year-old Michelle Vinsen. The Sydney campaign is the first step in their bid to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.

The Yngling, something of a cross between a dinghy and a keelboat, has been chosen as the class for the women's keelboat event at Athens. The three Aucklanders have a long way to go to get there, but they have made a tremendous start, exceeding the expectations of their most optimistic supporters.

They raced in the Sydney International Regatta Series in a mixed fleet of 16 boats, finishing third overall in what was effectively their first time racing their boat. The Kiwis were only one place behind Australian Melanie Dennison, No 1 on the world rankings.

Next came the New South Wales state championships where they again finished third, this time ahead of Dennison and giving the men in the fleet a serious run for their money.

They are now racing in the Yngling Australian national championships, which began in Sydney on Thursday. They will continue campaigning their boat against the best of the Aussies there until late January, when they will bring it to Auckland for some intensive sail development and assorted fine-tuning. After that it will be shipped to Europe for a continental campaign that starts in April.

Because there are no Ynglings in this country at present, the only way for the three to become competitive is to go offshore and compete in all the major European regattas. There was considerable discussion before the class was selected for the Olympics, some people feeling the design was a bit dated.

Not so, say the devotees of the Scandinavian 21ft (6.35m) racer that is regarded as a mini version of the Soling, also designed by Jan Linge. It is smaller than the Soling, and not as fast, but it is nimble, turns more quickly and in less distance and responds better to crew weight trim adjustments. Compared with similar keelboats, such as the Soling, Etchells, Sonar, J-22 and J-24, the Yngling is less expensive and easier to maintain. The hull is extremely rigid and durable. In fact, the class website (www.yngling.org) says hulls 30 years old are still competitive with new Ynglings.

It was first selected for the International Yacht Racing Union women's championships in 1994 and was subsequently chosen for the 2004 Olympics.

Sailing as Target Racing, the Thorpe-Swinburne-Vinsen combination had never sailed a Yngling before and never raced together until the Sydney campaign this month. They have been surprised by the boat's performance and how quickly they have managed to make it go in such a short time.

Their sailing records are impressive. All three have progressed up the classic New Zealand yachting ladder: Optimist, P-Class, Starling, Youth Classes, Olympic Classes, Laser and 470 success at the top level. Then the jump into their first Yngling.

They have equally good academic qualifications. Alesha and Michelle have Bachelor of Health Science degrees and double majors in Sport and Exercise Science/Psychology, while Sonya has a Bachelor of Health Science degree.

There's a long way to go until Athens in 2004, but they are now certain their programme is the right one to achieve success for New Zealand yachting on the international stage. They have bought the boat and have put together what they believe is a realistic budget for Europe of $50,000. More success in Sydney could mean some help from Yachting New Zealand with fares and shipping expenses. But regardless of their final placing in this week's regatta, they will do the European campaign.

They have not yet started fundraising, hanging fire until they proved they could be competitive. But the Line 7 Wharf Yacht Club will take inquiries and indications of support until the campaign proper begins. Check The Wharf.