By JOHN ROBERSON
New Zealand yachtsman Cameron Appleton stepped ashore elated in the northern French port of Perros-Guirec yesterday, having scored his first victory in a heat of the Tour de France a la Voile.
After a black week for Team New Zealand, with poor results in the Tour de France and
both Dean Barker and Bertrand Pace eliminated in the first round of the Swedish Match Cup series, yesterday's win for Appleton and his crew was a huge morale boost for the whole team.
"We had a good start, which meant we could dictate the race, then we sailed clear and fast to win," Appleton said.
Filling the positions on the boat were Daniel Slater (tactics), Zak Hurst and Ian Baker (trimming), Nick Heron (bow) and Grant Beck on the mainsheet.
It is a great indication not only of the sailing talent of the young team, but also of their mental tenacity that they can get over the disappointments of last week and come out fighting again.
This victory, in the 10th race of the month-long series of 34 heats, lifts Team New Zealand back to sixth place in the overall standings. However, the regatta is less than one-third of the way through.
