2011-2012 NZOK Tour – Rum Bucket
Championship
By Bob Smith
Brad
Douglas of Wakatere Boating Club, Auckland
The first event of the 2011-2012 NZOK Tour was
the third annual Rum Bucket Championship, which took place over Labour Weekend
at Wakatere Boating Club in Auckland. With the Rugby World Cup final between
New Zealand and France scheduled to take place on Sunday evening following the
conclusion of the Rum Bucket, there was also much to be fought for in the
waters of the Rangitoto Channel. Like
the All Blacks, the Auckland sailors had a monkey which needed removing from
their backs: both previous Rum
Buckets had been won by a sailor from Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington. Would a home sailor finally win the
Bucket?
With forecasts of 25 knots and more for the first
days sailing, the Ò1 Ton ClubÓ (sailors over 100kg) were all smiles at the
briefing. Luckily the forecasters
were wrong (again) and, while there was the odd gust in excess of 20 knots, the
majority of the racing took place in 12 - 15 knots. The program was for 5 short races per day
and the shifty conditions meant that a good start and hitting the first shift correctly
were all important.
WellingtonÕs Paul Rhodes got off to a good start
with 2 first places, 2 seconds and a 7th for the first day. Hot on his heals was Wakatere sailor
Brad Douglas with a 3, 2, 6, 1, 1 scorecard. Brad was a newcomer to the OK class in
2009 and, after winning the OK Interdominions in Melbourne this year he is now
campaigning a Finn (as a trainer for the OK, of course). Defending Rum Bucket champion Luke
OÕConnell from Worser Bay lay in 3rd after a string of top 4 results,
while Russ Wood won the other race of the day, clearly happy in the breezy
conditions, and Mark Perrow rounded out the top 5. So, after Day 1, with Wellington sailors
in 1st and 3rd, Team Wakatere was in danger of yet
another heartbreak at the hands of the ever-consistent Worser Bay.
The wind was lighter on the Sunday and with
larger shifts. Alistair Deaves from Wakatere won the first race in diabolical
conditions, with Brad Douglas and Luke OÕConnell each winning 2 of the
remaining 4 races.
After 10 races, Douglas had done enough to take
the Bucket by a 4 point margin from OÕConnell, and
claim an historic victory for Auckland. Rhodes suffered in the lighter conditions
(usually a strength of his) to drop to third, while Ben Morrison did enough on
Day 2 to climb to 4th, with Mark Perrow holding on to 5th.
Highlights of the weekend were undoubtedly
watching Ben Morrison sail around a gate mark the wrong way while leading a
race, watching the J Class yacht Endeavour undergoing sea trials, the huge ham
cooked by team Douglas - and of course that rugby match, which led to wild
celebrations by the whole fleet which lasted most of the night.
The Aucklanders would say that all is right with
the world again – the Rugby World Cup is in the hands of the All Blacks,
and the Rum Bucket stays in Auckland – at least until next year.
Wakatere Boating Club should be congratulated for
another excellent event, smoothly run by that smoothest of race officers Dean
Coleman. The next event on the NZOK
Tour is the world famous International Turangi Open, always a favourite event.
Full results follow.