Name: WASZP - the one design foiler
Brand: WASZP
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NEW ZEALAND NATIONALS - Menzies takes first event on NEW FOIL!

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Despite the forecast suggesting it could be a non-regatta, 6 races were completed over the 22nd – 24th March at the 2019 Live Sail Die WASZP NZL Nationals. The event was sailed out of Murrays Bay Sailing Club in Auckland.
This was the 3rd WASZP National Championships to have been held in New Zealand. With 24 and 23 boats at the first and second nationals respectively, the fleet experienced an increase in participation with 29 of the 52 WASZPs in the country on the water.

Sam Street mid gybe at the 2019 Live Sail Die WASZP Nationals - March 22, 2019 image (c) Rachel von Zalinski - Live Sail Die
Another development in the fleet is the expansion of the fleet outside of Auckland. The nationals fleet included 3 from both Christchurch and Tauranga, two from the Bay of Islands, and one each from Cambridge and Whangarei.
We also had two sailors from Australia, one from Hawaii, one who has recently arrived in New Zealand from Chile and Auckland based Canadian Peter Soosalu.

2019 Live Sail Die WASZP Nationals - March 22, 2019 image (c) Rachel von Zalinski - Live Sail Die
Racing got underway on schedule at 4pm on Friday. The light winds suited the smaller sailors with Australian WASZP and 420 sailor, Jack Ferguson, taking the lead after the first day. Manly’s Mattias Coutts was second on countback to Jack.
Unfortunately the wind did not fill in on Saturday, so after a 2 hour postponement ashore, racing was called off for the day.

Mattias Coutts, Carlos Vergara and Jack Ferguson, 2019 Live Sail Die WASZP Nationals - March 22, 2019 image (c) Rachel von Zalinski - Live Sail Die
Race officer Dave West did a good job holding the fleet ashore on Sunday until the wind came in then efficiently ran three more races. With the drop coming into effect, Seb Menzies of Murrays Bay Sailing Club shot up the leader board to first place. Backing up his 420 national title from the previous weekend, Seb took the WASZP national title from Jack Ferguson by one point.
In third place was 2018 National Champion Bruce Curson, followed by Oscar Rorvik then Mattias Coutts. Bruce finished 4th at both the Australian Nationals and WASZP International Games in Perth, and Oscar was 6th at the Australian Nationals. This shows the strength of the fleet in New Zealand.
Despite only competing on the Sunday, Jon Bilger was the first master. Considering Sunday’s races only he would have been third. This highlights how the WASZP provides competitive racing for youth, open, womens and masters racing.
With the 2021 WASZP International Games in New Zealand the fleet is expected to be even larger for the 2020 WASZP Nationals in the Bay of Islands.

Full results are available.

2019 Live Sail Die WASZP Nationals - March 24, 2019 image (c) Rachel von Zalinski - Live Sail Die
Elise Beavis (President of the WASZP Association of New Zealand)

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28th Mar 2019

nationals new-zealand