49er & FX Nationals: Dunning Beck and Gunn win fifth national Championship

Logan Dunning Beck & Oscar Gunn (NZL) - 49er - 5th place Hyundai Worlds - Day 4 , December 6, 2019 , Auckland NZ © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com\

Sailing can be a sport of small margins and Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn found themselves on the right side of a tight finish to claim their fifth-straight 49er national title at the weekend.

The pair were not only tied on points with Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie but also shared three wins apiece. The two crews could barely be separated and in one race onlookers said it was a matter of millimetres at the finish line.

In the end, it came down to who won the sixth and, as it turned out, final race and that went to Dunning Beck and Gunn. Needless to say, it came with plenty of drama.

"The second race on Saturday was totally out of control," Dunning Beck said in reference to the worsening conditions as Cyclone Dovi approached. "We capsized on the last run and just got it back it.

"We had a bit of a chat as we were getting the boat upright that it could come down to one last gybe. If we could do that without capsizing we could win the race. That gybe was the nationals right there."

The remainder of racing was called off for the day as winds in excess of 30 knots buffeted the course and an early call was made to abandon the final day on Sunday with gusts in excess of 50 knots forecast.

The 49erFX fleet managed to get five races in before they were sent to shore and it was enough time for Eli Liefting and Jack Frewin to secure the national title.

The pair won three races to finish seven points ahead of Alex Maloney and Olivia Hobbs, with Erica Dawson and Micah Wilkinson, who competed at last year's Tokyo Olympics in the Nacra 17, a further four points behind in third.

Liefting has swapped dinghies for windfoiling these days, and is looking to compete in Europe this year, but previously went to the youth sailing world championships with Frewin in a 29er.

There was a good mix of crews in the 49erFX fleet.

For Maloney and Hobbs as well as Jo Aleh and Molly Meech, it was their first regatta since teaming up together as both crews target the 2024 Paris Olympics. But there were also a handful of combinations made up of sailors emerging from the youth classes.

Yachting New Zealand have encouraged a number of young sailors to jump in the 49erFX as they transition from the 29er to the 49er, which uses a bigger rig than the 49erFX.

49erFX nationals

"It was great racing in testing conditions, particularly for skiff sailing," Yachting New Zealand high performance director Ian Stewart said. "It was impressive to watch the level of boat handling from the top three 49er team and the commitment from the developing teams. There was plenty of drama for the spectators.

"It was also awesome to see the FX fleet collectively debriefing after the day's racing."

Most crews in both fleets will be in action again on Thursday for this year's Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta and Dunning Beck said it would be another good chance to get some more racing in after a lean couple of years.

Dunning Beck and Gunn have been sailing together for five years, and have finished in the top 10 at their last three 49er world championships, but can virtually count on one hand the number of regattas they done since 2020 due to Covid-19.

They intend competing at the first World Cup event of 2022 in Palma in early April, followed by Hyeres later in the month, but the main target is the 49er world championships in Nova Scotia in September.

Their first assignment will be the Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta, when they will resume their battle with McHardie and McKenzie and the rest of the 49er fleet.

"We're looking forward to getting back out there for Oceanbridge, and hopefully it will be a bit more pleasant [than last weekend]," Dunning Beck said. "We're expecting another few days of millimetre-by-millimetre racing. It should be fun."

Results and standings from the 49er and 49erFX national championships:

49erFX (8 boats)

1st: Eli Liefting / Jack Frewin (Royal Akarana Yacht Club / Howick Sailing Club) 1 2 1 1 4 - 9 points 2nd: Alex Maloney / Olivia Hobbs (Murrays Bay Sailing Club / RAYC) 3 3 2 2 6 - 16 pts 3rd: Erica Dawson / Micah Wilkinson (MBSC / Ngaroto Sailing Club) 4 5 6 3 2 - 20 pts

49er (6 boats)

1st: Logan Dunning Beck / Oscar Gunn (Wakatere Boating Club / MBSC) (2) 1 1 2 2 1 - 7 pts 2nd: Isaac McHardie / Will McKenzie (RAYC) 1 (2) 2 1 1 2 - 7pts 3rd: Sam Bacon / Henry Gautrey (Worser Bay Boating Club / Muritai Yacht Club) 3 (5) 4 3 3 3 - 16 pts

For full results click here