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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
93 DuringmytenureasMatchRaceChairmanIwasrepresentingtheSquadronontheWorldMatchRacingConferencewhichbody was made up of the major match race events in the 80’s.Rob Green and Evan Kerr-Taylor were early players in this initiative which had the aim of trying to standardize the way the game was played globally.At this stage there were no specific match race rules or standard sailing instructions so at each event the sailors and administrators would try to update from most recent practice and get theireventuptospeed.TheConferenceintentwastosettleonastandardformatsothatthegamewasplayedthesameeverywhere. There was also an objective of holding some form of a World Championship. By the late 80’s the events had grown to ten and included the Royal Perth event, Royal Hong Kong, Gold Cup at Royal Bermuda, Liberty Cup in NewYork, Nippon Cup, and events in France and Croatia.Amongst this august company the R.N.Z.Y.S event was highlyrespected.Attendingthevariousmeetingswasalsoanopportunitytonotonlyhavedirectinputintotheshapeof eventsandthe rules,butalsotopushforinvitationsforourtopmatchracerswishingtocompeteatothercircuitevents.Thereisnodoubtinmymind that the Citizen series and subsequent events held in the MRX’s have contributed enormously to the achievements of New Zealand’s many talented sailors,including the likes of Brad Butterworth,Gavin Brady,Murray Jones and as usual the list goes on. Throughout the 80’s the progress and success of the Conference and the discipline of Match Racing was closely watched by the IYRU later the ISAF. Issues relating to the use of World started coming to the fore and the committee of the Match Racing Conference was installed as the first ISAF Match Race Committee under my Chairmanship,a position I held for nine years.Much was achieved in these years in a rapidly changing environment especially with reference to sponsorship and professional sailing. The match racing rules were improved and embodied in the ISAF rules as were standard match racing sailing instructions and format.On the water umpiring was adopted and ended the late night protest hearings for good.Thankfully.We even tried to create a television friendly match race event at the Sydney Olympics. All this grew out of events such as the Citizen and Steinlager Cups and there is no doubt things would not have evolved the way they did without the Stewart 34 Class, their owners, and those individuals who were inspired by the concept to the point where they just stood up and made it happen. They were great days.We sailed hard,we partied hard and the next day we got up and went to work. New Zealand Match Racing Trials Results 1982 1983 1984 1985 1. C. Dickson B. Butterworth R. Dickson B. Butterworth 2. B. Butterworth T. Dodson K. Davern R. Coutts 3. R. Watson T. Snedden B. de Their T. Dodson 4. T. McDell T. McDell B. Butterworth K. Davern 5. J. Taylor R. Dickson T. Sherson R. Dickson 6. D. Brooke A. Ball T. Snedden T. Snedden 7. D. Lidgard G. Woodroffe R. Watson P. Salthouse 8. E. Kerr-Taylor D. Lidgard G. Lock T. Sherson 9. I. Gibbs C. Robertson J. Davern B. de Their 10. G. Woodroffe D. Giddens J. Davern 1986 1987 1988 1989 1. K. Davern C. Packer B. Butterworth C. Dickson 2. B. Butterworth R. Royden C. Packer R. Coutts 3. C. Packer M. Cookson R. Dickson R. Dickson 4. P. Evans G. Woodroffe T. Snedden R. Royden 5. T. Dodson R. Cleave R. Royden C. Maddren 6. B. Sommerville K. Davern S. Cotton C. Packer 7. R. Dodson B. Sommerville M. Cookson D. Lidgard 8. J. Wearn M. Keeton B. Sommerville S. Cotton 9. H. Dodson J. Davern R. Cleave S. Patchett 10. E. Bland M. Rogers M. Keeton D. Cowie