| SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA-(16-1-2005) The New Zealand National team has won the inaugural Rolex Challenge teams event conducted as part of the recent Rolex Trophy and the 60th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia today released a revised pointscore for the Rolex Challenge National/State teams series which shows the New Zealand team of Stewart Thwaites’ Bakewell-White designed supermaxi Konica Minolta and Geoff Ross’ Judel/Vrolijk 52 Yendys topscoring with 953 points.
The British yacht Aera was awarded Best Boat as the highest point scorer among Rolex Trophy boats that completed the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, although the Europe team of Aera and Vineta from Germany placed last in the Rolex Challenge teams series.
Aera, a Ker 55 owned by Nick Lykiardopulo and skippered by Jez Fanstone, sailed consistently well through the Rolex Trophy and was Overall Winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race on IRC corrected time.
New Zealand won the Rolex Challenge primarily because of the high-scoring results of Konica Minolta and consistent sailing by Yendys in the eight races of the Rolex Trophy, as both boats were forced to retire from the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Konica Minolta scored four first and two second placings on corrected time in the Rolex Trophy rating series.
The New Zealand team, despite having both boats retire from the Rolex Sydney Hobart, was assisted by the fact that all five teams lost at least one boat in the final long race.
New Zealand ended the Rolex Trophy with a 36-point margin in the Rolex Challenge teams pointscore going into the double-scoring Rolex Sydney Hobart and still finished 30 points clear of the New South Wales team of Steven David’s Reichel/Pugh 60 Targé and George Snow’s Jutson 79 Brindabella, which finished with 927 points. Only Brindabella finished the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, placing 5th Overall.
Third place went to the Australian team of Syd Fischer’s Farr 50 Ragamuffin and Matt Allen’s Farr 52 Ichi Ban, which finished with 914 points. Only Ichi Ban finished the Rolex Sydney Hobart, place 3rd Overall.
Final Rolex Challenge National/State teams placings were:
New Zealand (Konica Minolta, Yendys) 953 points
New South Wales (Targé, Brindabella) 923 points
Australia (Ragamuffin, Ichi Ban) 911 points
Victoria (Dekadence, Skandia) 867 points
Europe (Aera, Vineta) 866 points
Final Rolex Challenge Club teams placings:
Clubs Victoria (Another Challenge, Fuzzy Logic) 965 points
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (Prime Time, Nips-N-Tux) 717 points
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