Veteran helms racing revival

Harold Bennett is back at his Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron base at Westhaven to run the revived Auckland Match Racing Cup. Picture / Martin Sykes

Mention top-level competitive New Zealand sailing and the names Coutts, Dickson and Barker spring to mind. They represent the front end of yachting most often in the public eye.

But behind every successful event - from a local club regatta to the biggest of the international competitions such as the America's Cup - is a core team of officials and administrators who make it all happen.

One of the most experienced of these is Harold Bennett, a 62-year-old veteran with an impressive record in the New Zealand and international sailing scenes.

He was the principal race officer for the 2000 and 2003 America's Cups, and was appointed senior race officer for the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia next year.

That role took him to Europe for three months last year, and over the next two years he will spend more than six months in Valencia.

But Bennett is back in Auckland for the summer as principal race officer for the Auckland Match Racing Cup.

Fortunately, he likes to keep busy - as his long and successful sailing career testifies.

In between his America's Cup involvement, the 1991 Yachtsman of the Year has coached several New Zealand Olympic sailors.

Other roles include crew manager for the New Zealand team's America's Cup challenge in 1986, and chief coach of the New Zealand Olympic yachting teams in the 1988 and 2000 Olympic Games.

And through the Olympic Solidarity Scheme, a movement to help developing countries, Bennett coached the Pakistan Olympic yachting team in 1984.

Despite the demands of his present America's Cup job, Bennett says he was thrilled to accept the role of principal race officer for the five-day International Sailing Federation-sanctioned Auckland Match Racing Cup from January 25 to 29.

"It's going to be a great challenge to make it a success for New Zealand," he said.

The event, which will be raced on the Waitemata Harbour in front of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron just beside the bridge, signals a new era in local yachting.

From 1979, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron ran a high-profile annual match racing regatta. It began as the Citizen Series, then Line 7 took over the naming sponsorship.

Three of the winning skippers from that time are competing in the revived event - New Zealander Chris Dickson, Frenchman Bertrand Pace, and the world No 1, American Ed Baird. Of the 10 skippers taking part, five are ranked in the world top 10. There has been no international match racing regatta in the past three years because of lack of sponsorship, something Bennett puts down to the America's Cup.

But with that out of the way, Bennett has high hopes for the Auckland Match Racing Cup. "Resurrecting the annual competition is great for the sailors of this country because it gives a chance for them to get involved at the highest level," he says.

"As well, sailing fans can see top world sailors in action at close quarters. Events such as this increase general interest in sailing."

Event organiser Dave Stewart, general manager of Springs Promotions, said that Bennett, as principal race officer for the Auckland Match Racing Cup, was an obvious choice.

"Given his America's Cup experience and the respect in which he is held internationally we are extremely lucky to have secured Bennett for the event. The Auckland Match Racing Cup will bring yachting back to life in Auckland.

"The cup is set to be an annual fixture in the city and is a great opportunity to get Aucklanders and visitors down to the water.

"And because it is sanctioned by the ISF it puts New Zealand back on the international sailing calendar."

More information on www.aucklandmatchracingcup.co.nz