Legendary touch visible in yachts both big and small

By ESTELLE SARNEY

The creative hand of one Auckland boat designer, Des Townson, will be seen all over the water this Anniversary Day - from large keelboats to radio-controlled miniature yachts.

Out among them will be the new young guns of New Zealand yachting, competing against some of the top sailors in the world - here with the America's Cup crews.

After 50 years of designing and building boats, Mr Townson is a legend in Auckland yachting circles.

He created the Mistral, Dart, Zephyr and the Starling, and for the first time this year his 1m remote-controlled Electron has been given its own competition in the New Zealand Herald Auckland Anniversary Regatta.

The Electrons can be seen at the Viaduct Harbour on Anniversary Monday, while some of Mr Townson's other designs, including 7.6m-12.2m keelboats, are sailing on the Waitemata.

"I must be the only yacht designer in the world who's had some success and finished up a toymaker," he laughs.

Supposedly retired, he spends 60 hours a week in his home workshop making Electrons for people all over the world.

"I've built 802 of the little brutes so far, including some for an Electron yacht club in Nepal."

From that side of the world have come some top women sailors, who are accompanying their partners in the America's Cup crews.

Lenka Smidova of Croatia, ranked third in the world in the Olympic Europe class, is here with her partner in the One World syndicate.

She will race against our own Sydney Olympic representative Sarah Mackay and against young Kate O'Brien.

At 17, O'Brien came second in the ISAF youth world championships in France last year and won the women's Laser Radial Youth World Championships in Barcelona.

Also competing in the regatta will be Michael Bullot, also 17, who won both the youth and the open titles in the men's Laser Radial Youth World Championships.

Once home he picked up awards as the ASB Bank College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year, and Yachting New Zealand's Young Sailor of the Year.

But it will be the youngsters in the P-class who will have a particularly special prize to race for.

Regatta organisers are hoping to gain permission to award a Sir Peter Blake Memorial Trophy to a promising young P-class sailor, recognising the craft that helped to ignite the great yachtsman's love of the sea.

The trophy winner could come from the Manukau rather than the Waitemata. Manukau boating clubs will hold their own races off Mangere Bridge for the second year, in a continued move to broaden Anniversary Day celebrations to the whole Auckland region.

The regatta will not be all competition.

On display will be the tall ships Spirit of New Zealand and Soren Larsen. The America's Cup boats will be out for a sail, but they are not yet allowed to compete, and the Navy frigate Te Mana will host the annual New Zealand Herald Foundation fundraising luncheon.

Among recipients of this year's proceeds will be Surf Life Saving Northern Region, which will put the money toward its youth beach education programmes.

NZ Herald Auckland Anniversary Regatta