Yachting: Top yachties set sail for a trip to Greece

By JULIE ASH

It's all or nothing for many of the country's top yachties as they chase Olympic spots.

New Zealand has qualified in seven out of a possible 11 Olympic classes.

But only boardsailor Barbara Kendall has an individual Olympic nomination, secured when she finished second at last year's world championships.

Trials starting today in Torbay, Auckland, will determine who represents New Zealand in five classes - men's 470, women's 470, men's Mistral, Laser and Europe.

The trial winners will be put forward to the New Zealand Olympic Committee for Games nomination.

In the men's 470, 2002 world championship duo Simon Cooke and Peter Nicholas are racing against each other following their split just after Christmas.

Cooke has teamed with former Laser sailor Alastair Gair, and Nicholas will crew for former 470 and 420 sailor Matt Davies.

"We are not going to be as good as we could be, but there's nothing you can do about that," Cooke said.

"I see Matt and Peter as probably being our main opposition. They are like us in that they have got a lot more potential than everyone else and they know the boat well.

"But like us, it will just come down to the day and whether they have prepared enough that they won't make big mistakes."

"The thing with these events is that most people lose them. You don't have to be leading out the blocks, but you can't afford to lose touch."

Cooke said that offshore conditions in Torbay could be quite shifty and onshore was fairly steady.

"From what I have seen of the forecast I think there is going to be a 10 to 15 knot offshore breeze for the start of the series. But we'll probably get a bit of everything."

The men's Mistral class is also expected to be tight.

Tom Ashley, Jon-Paul Tobin and James Wells are the main contenders.

Tobin, who is No 1 in the International Sailing Federation's rankings, will start as the favourite after one of his best international years.

He finished first in the SPA regatta, the Semaine Olympique, Olympicsail and the national championships.

He narrowly missed individual Olympic nomination at last year's world championships, finishing seventh.

Top contenders in the Europe class include Sarah Macky, who missed nomination by one place at last year's world championships, where she finished sixth after being in the top five for most of the regatta.

The biggest fleet at the trials is the Laser class with 22 entries.

Andrew Murdoch, 21, is a leading contender after his world championships seventh place in the class last year.

His toughest competition is expected to come from former Team New Zealand tactician Hamish Pepper, who won his third national Laser title last weekend, former 49er sailor Dan Slater and 19-year-old Michael Bullot, who won the North American Laser championships last year.

"There are a lot of young guys there like Andrew Murdoch and Michael Bullot who are showing some excellent speed and some great sailing skills," said Pepper, who finished 10th in the class in the 1996 Olympic Games.


He said the Laser class had always been competitive.

"In 1996, there were eight or 10 guys in the running. This time it is exactly the same.

"These young guys have come a long way in the last six to eight months. It's impressive and is fantastic for New Zealand yachting."


Pepper is optimistic about his own chances.

"I don't think I'm particularly fast in any one condition. I'm just consistent in a lot of conditions.

"Dan's probably the quickest in the breeze at the moment, being the biggest, then there is the likes of Andrew and Michael who are probably best in the mid range.

"Maybe I might be a little bit better in the lighter and trickier stuff."

New Zealand has also qualified for an Olympic berth in the Finn class but with only three contenders - Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, Clifton Webb and Peter Fox - the New Zealand representative at the Games will be the winner of a two-regatta series in Europe.

Events will be the Barcelona Olympic Regatta in Spain in April and the Finn Europeans in France in May.

New Zealand has not yet qualified in the Yngling, 49er, Tornado and Star classes but could do so at their world championships, being held at different venues in April and May.