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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
85 While the Stewart Association finally agreed to supply the boats,some of the owners were more reluctant than ever to lend them. The owner of Phlyer refused due to an outstanding repair claim for $520 that remained unpaid from the year before. There were also many stories of excessive “tuning” of the boats made by participants in their no-holds-barred effort to win, but none quite as brash as Russell Coutts relocating the primary winches on Pindaric,which was approved by a Squadron official, but not by the boat’s owner, for the Kiwi Lager NZ Challenge in February. The change in the genoa sheet angles resulted in chafing through the gel coat on her coamings. This was just one example of the incredible lengths to which participants would go in order to win the Citizen. Like a weekly one-hour action TV show, there was high drama, disaster narrowly avoided, and a happy ending. All the parties involvedwentontoholdasuccessfulmatchracingseries. TheKiwi Lager New Zealand Challenge was a successful event and sent Russell Coutts,Rick Royden and Roy Dickson to the Citizen. Again the Citizen was plagued by light airs, and the use of the “economical” Citizen headsails kept the sailing action at a snail’s pace. For the first time, there was on-the-water judging for the semi-final and final race series and this proved to work well. Nonetheless, the chasm between the Stewart Owners and the Squadron had reached the point where bridging it had become impossible. Chris Dickson beat his father Roy in one of the semi-finals, reversing the result from the race against his dad in the Round Robin. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in the Dickson household during dinner that night! Rod Davis beat Russell Coutts in the other semi-final. Chris Dickson went on to beat Rod Davis 2-1 in the finals. This was Chris Dickson’s third win, making him the most successful sailor in the 11 year history of the Citizen. The participants, in place order, in the 1989 Citizen Watch Match Race Series, held from 18 to 25 April 1989 were: Chris Dickson, NZ Sailed on Psychic with his Kiwi Lager sponsored team of Joe Allen, John Cutler, Simon Daubney, Dallas Bennett, Robby Naismith and John Vitali. 1988 world match racing champion. First place. Rod Davis, NZ SailedonPindaric. FormerlyrepresentedtheUSAwasrepresentingtheR.N.Z.Y.S. Second place. Russell Coutts, NZ Sailed on Princess. Won the Kiwi Lager NZ Challenge and scholarship to participate in international match racing circuit. Third place. Roy Dickson, NZ* Sailed on Pionnier. Placed in the Kiwi Lager NZ Challenge (NZTrials).His fifth appearance in a Citizen Series. Fourth place. Tom Blackaller, USA Sailed on Phantasy. Star Class world champion in 1974 and 1980. Numerous America’s Cup campaigns from 1980 to 1987. Fifth place. Peter Isler, USA Sailed on Passion. His third appearance in the Citizen which he won in 1986. Sixth place. Valdemar Bandolowski, DEN Sailed on Prism. Denmark’s America’s Cup helmsman. Olympic Gold Medallist in Solings in 1976 and 1980. Soling world champion 1984. Dragon world Chris Dickson wins the Citizen for a third time Breeze