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31 October 2002, 03:30 pm

Legends Line Up in Auckland

©Walter Cooper Photography

Etchells World Championship

Auckland

Over 90 boats from eight different nations are joining the America’s Cup fleet on the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland this week in an event that will see some of the world’s best known sailors competing in a hard fought regatta.

Being sailed from the Gulf Harbour Yacht Club, and raced in the same waters as the Louis Vuitton Cup, there are nine races scheduled starting on Sunday 3 November and concluding with a prizegiving on Friday 9 November. Wednesday is due to be a lay day, with the annual Golf tournament being held at the Gulf Harbour Golf Club.

Some of the more high profile entries include the America's Cup Stars and Stripes syndicate head, Dennis Conner (USA), taking some time off from running an America's Cup campaign to hopefully continue where he left off at the North American Championship shortly before his sixtieth birthday.

Third place at the North American Championship, Mark Thornburrow, one of three representatives from Hong Kong will be challenging Conner all the way to the final finish after finishing third in the USA earlier in the year.

Last year's World Champion and 1992 Olympic Finn representative Stuart Childerley (GBR) returns to defend the title he won in Lymington, Great Britain, with a different bowman, Roger Marino, replacing Nic Pearson, who is currently on America's Cup duty for GBR Challenge in Auckland.

Whilst all eyes will probably be on Dennis Conner, long time rival John Bertrand, the first person to steal the America's Cup off him in 1983, and currently ranked second in the Etchells World Ranking behind Conner, will surely be looking forward to beating DC again.

All in all, with such a list of world and America's Cup champions, the event looks to be as tight and exciting as any we've seen.

Measurement continues until Saturday.

ISAF News Editor

Isaf TV

Female ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) won the Women's 470 Medal Race and with it gold as they made it three consecutive 200-point regatta wins in a row.
France's Camille Lecointre and Hélène Defrance had held the lead in the Women's 470 for the large part of the week but came undone on the final day as a sixth knocked them off gold medal position. They were made to settle for silver whilst bronze went to Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR).

Billy Besson and Marie Riou went into the Nacra 17 Medal Race with an unassailable 22 point lead and the gold medal sewn up. ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami gold medallists Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) added a World Cup silver to their collection having finished in fifth. Bronze went to Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS).

Gold fleet racing got underway in six Olympic events at ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca. We caught up with three of the leaders and got race highlights from all of the day's proceedings. View results from Mallorca on the ISAF Sailing World Cup website here http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

The 2011 World Champion Giles Scott (GBR) made a successful come from behind victory on Saturday to take home the gold medal. Scott finished nine seconds behind Luke Lawrence (USA) for second place. Overnight leader Oliver Tweddell (AUS) slipped up with an eighth place finish Saturday after leading by nine points.