Sailing: Pepper to quit Lasers

By DANIEL GILHOOLY in Athens



Hamish Pepper is on the verge of quitting Olympic yachting because of the costs involved.

Pepper, who placed a meritorious seventh in the Laser class, said even though large amounts of money had been poured into his campaign, he still felt under-resourced against most of his leading rivals.

"Olympic sailing is extremely tough to compete in these days because there are other nations spending so much money on their Olympic sailors and they're doing three-year campaigns," said Pepper.

"Even in Laser sailing now, to do an Olympic campaign in Lasers is probably getting up around $125,000 a year now, it's just ridiculous money at the end of the day."

Pepper, 32, had almost certainly sailed his last regatta in a Laser, regarded as the toughest class to win because of its high status and large fields.

"Realistically, this will be the last time. I'm getting pretty old for a Laser sailor and if I was going to do another Olympic class I'd be looking at the Star but it's twice the budget of a Laser."

Pepper believed he had a chance of winning a bronze medal going into the 11th and final race. He was high in the field early before the race was rescheduled due to lack of wind. He could manage only 21st place but held his overall position from the start of the day.

Pepper will switch his attention to the version of sailing where finances stay above the water line.

"I'm no longer in an America's Cup team so I'll just try and get back on the professional circuit."

As a tactician, Pepper was a high-profile casualty of Team New Zealand's failed America's Cup defence last year.

He is in talks with a number of challengers for Valencia in 2007 but experience tells him not to put pen to paper until he is happy.

"I've got to be totally confident and realistic, I've got to be sure my position's going to be good in that team," he said.

The other New Zealander to finish racing in very light winds was Europe sailor Sarah Macky, whose 17th placing saw her drop from sixth overall to eighth.

It was one place better than at her Olympic debut in Sydney four years ago and at this year's world championship but she had set higher goals. The class was won easily by Norwegian world champion Siren Sundby.

The only New Zealanders yet to finish at the regatta are the women's and men's Mistral sailors.

Barbara Kendall was an outside medal prospect in sixth place and Tom Ashley was 13th.

- NZPA