Racing Dinghy World Championships In Takapuna

31 January 2005

2005 World Championships for the International 14 racing dinghy to start next week in Takapuna Beach, New Zealand

The 2005 World Championships for the International 14 racing dinghy will be held off Takapuna Beach, New Zealand, from the 7th to the 19th of February. The event, hosted by the Takapuna Boating Club, is a major international regatta, and is already attracting excited spectators and media coverage.

The organisers are expecting more than 80 two-person boats from 7 countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. With that many competitors and supporters, it has been estimated that the event may bring as much as one million dollars into the local economy.

Teams racing between eight teams will take place from 8th Feb through the 10th. In this activity, two four-boat teams go head to head around a very short course in a round robin format. Starting 11th February and running through the 19th Feb will be the fleet regatta, with all 80 boats in one long start line.

The International 14 is a development class, which means that competitors are continually improving their designs and pushing the edge of technology. Right from the start in the 1920’s the I14s (and their Australian 14 Foot Skiff counterparts) were made to be light and fast, with their designers pioneering the use of single and twin trapezes, the asymmetric spinnaker, and carbon hulls and masts.

“The action on the water will be thrilling to watch,” said Paul O’Dowd, Commodore of the Takapuna Boating Club. “Anyone who hasn’t watched an International 14 flying by, half-airborne, with the two racers perched high above the water, is in for a treat.”

The venue for the event is the boating club’s new clubhouse, which features huge glass windows overlooking the beach and the Hauraki Gulf. The club will provide commentary on the racing for spectators, though if the winds are right, the mark roundings should be clearly visible from the beach. The highlight of the social schedule is the Prizegiving Dinner, to be held at the nearby Bruce Mason Centre, one of Auckland’s cultural gems.

A generous group of sponsors have lent their support to ensure that this regatta could happen. Contributions by the Lion Foundation, the North Shore City Council, Schenker (NZ) Ltd and Axis Intermodal were key ingredients.

For further information and results, go to the official website by clicking the link below and selecting the International 14 section.

www.takapunaboating.org.nz

ENDS

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