September 22, 2024 • 10 mins
Sailors Andrew Hall and Sandra Bees are going through preparations for the Offshore Double Handed World Championships in France later this month.
They join Jason Pine to discuss being one of 22 mixed gender teams and needing to finish in the top five to advance to the 48-hour final race.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from newstalk EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Two Yachting New Zealand sanctioned cruise are set to contest
the Offshore Double Handed World Championship in France later in
the month. Twenty two mixed gender crews from sixteen countries
will chase global glory on identical craft. One of the
two crews from New Zealand consists of Andrew Hall and
Sandra Bees, representing Auckland's Richmond Yacht Club. Andrew and Sandra
(00:36):
are both with us now on Weekend Sport. Andrew tell
us about the challenge that awaits you over the next
couple of weeks or so.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I think we've got a pretty reasonable sort of challenges.
We've got a fleet that is very well established, very
good sailors out there, and we just we just got
to get in there and give it a good old
Kiwi nudge, you know, and get on with the job.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
That's the spirit. Now, let's go into the nuts and
bolts of what you'll be doing. Sandiez I read it
here be in one of two eleven boat fields sailing
a twelve hour overnight race. The top five and each
go through to a forty eight hour final. Now that
sounds hard to me. How challenging is it?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
It'll be pretty challenging. I have DoD We start the
race at four o'clock in the afternoon, so we'll have
about three and a half hours a daylight and then
the rest of it will be night. So we're in
a boat we don't really know, and waters we don't
really know, and in the dark. So add all those
things together and it'll be you know, it'll be fairly challenging.
(01:40):
It's challenging at the best of times.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And de Well tell us about the boats Andrew that
they're identical. Are they supplied to you? How does that work?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yes? But even runs in the same boat. That all
we're all leasing the boats for the regatta and it's
very very tight. We're not allowed to take a lot
of extra gear. I think we've got one extra sheet
that we use, which is a rope. We're allowed one
(02:12):
extra snatch block and we all have to take our
own navigation there and that's really it.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
And we're in so do to understand that you didn't
have one of these boats to train on back here
in New Zealand, So how have you gone about preparing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Actually, we've had some fantastic support from the Richmond Yacht
Club members, if I can give them a bit of
a shout out. We've got Andrew Benton who lent us
in this and helped us train. We've got Richard Lindbrick
who helped us train on cool change his boat. And
Tony mcloy which was on monotone and he also did
(02:49):
the same and did a lot of Richard and Tony
did a lot of coaching and spent a lot of
hours with me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
And when you get there, Andrew, will you have more
training time? Will you get to train on the boat
that you'll be using during racing.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
We've leased an extra three days of practice or training
time that we'll We'll get in there and they'll be
fairly solid days for us out on the watery maybe
some nights as well.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
What are the specific challenges Andre, I'll stay with you
of sailing a boat of this type.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Well, I guess the big nine for us is that
we haven't sailed one before. You know, sailing is sailing,
but every boat has its little idiosyncrasy. So you know
that in those three days that we're up there, we're
going to be really trying to get to know the boats.
Some of these, this particular boat was launched last November
(03:46):
and some of the sailors that we're going to be
sailing against have been sailing them since that.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Time, but not you guys.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So this is going to be not I wouldn't say
a baptism of fire, Sandra necessarily, but I mean, do
you feel as though you're you're in contention to well,
I guess to progress through to the final for example.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I have to say yes, otherwise what are we going for?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
True?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Yes, true, yeah, yeah, I think I think we've prepared enough.
I did actually forget to mention Ellen Giddy's He's also
lent us his boat Chira. So we've had quite a
bit of support and we've we've done as much as
we can and hopefully we'll get to know that the
asyncrasies of the boat up there in the three days
that we have for training.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Oh enough, party, We've we were just having this conversation
last night, and for the time that we've had since
since we were endorsed by Yachting New Zealand, we have
I think we've done them the most that we could
possibly do. Maybe it's two things that we might change
in our training, but you know, we've really given it
(04:51):
a solid push for the last three months.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
That's the way, Sandra.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You're an experienced saila, but as I understand that this
has been a bit more of a crash course for you.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Is that right?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Very much so. Whilst on I've been sailing for a while,
I've not been doing a lot of dub four handed
or two handed sailing, and not really in that two
handed racing which is and it's a's and the worlds
are a level up. You know, a lot of the
sailing that I do, it's it's nice to win or
nice to be in the in the top play things,
(05:24):
but it's more casual and a bit more fun. This
is definitely a level up.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Just so we're across the terminology and now listeners are
clear here that when you say two handed, that basically
means just the two of you on the boat rather
than a bigger crew.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yep, yeah, that's correct, and I think you know that
the listeners understand. On fully crowed crew boats, most of
the crew just do one job, whereas we have to
do it all and in fact, getting through to the
final the qualifying or the elimination race. We bend up,
(06:06):
it's going to be like a two handed race. The
final is a longer race, that's a forty eight hour race,
and it becomes like a solo tag team when you're sailing,
so basically a lot of the time you're staying in
the boat by yourself.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Yeah, I was going to say forty eight hours.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, so what you just so you just take turns
and the other one tries to get up asleep.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
Is that how it works?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
You need got to have a kipt at sun stage.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Indeed, indeed, even the twelve hour race is looking like
it's going to be about an eighteen nineteen hour race
because they're going to start us. It's one hundred nautical miles,
so it's likely to be a lot longer than twelve hours.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
This it just seems like such a brilliant challenge. As
you're saying the way you've outlined it. There you just
but the two of you together for some times and
by yourselves for others. Have to basically saill the thing
by yourselves. That's how it works pretty much.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, going to be pretty disciplined in what you're doing,
and you're out.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
There understand you're also using this campaign to launch out
sale IQ Racing.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Andrew tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yep, we we've it's been a dream of mine for
a while, but we put put the team together, started
to think about it, put the team together a little
while ago, where where we've been focusing on a canton
keel thirty eight foot that we can we can use
in a lot of international offshore racing. That's that's in
(07:28):
build at the moment and we're just working a way
through to some other sailing after this as well.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Yeah, what what is? So? What is beyond this? Have you?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Have?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You got your sights set on on similar races in
the future or maybe slightly different ones. I saw the
Sydney Hobart perhaps mentioned as a as an ambition, a
lifelong ambition for you.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I've been Yeah, I've had a I've had a crack
at it with an Australian crew and we didn't finish.
So yes, that's that's on my bucket list to take off.
Also on the bucket lists is to do the I've
been a solo sailor for for a number of years
and to do the solo trans tasment.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
I'd really like.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
To do that.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Amazing, Sandra.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Is it true that the two of you met on
a boat? Yes, very much, So you got to tell
us that story.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Well it was, it was well, it was six six
and a half years ago now and a friend of mine,
another Andrew, He had a boat, beautiful boat called Margaritaville,
and he caught up with me and said, why don't
you come out for a bit of sailing? And I thought, oh,
that sounds lovely. It's sort of like I had visions
of swanning around with the chardonnais and enjoying myself. Didn't
(08:45):
quite work out that way. The racing side of it's
a little bit more physical than I expected. But to
one of the evenings, Andrew, this Andrew came on the
boat and I thought he was He was on the
main sheet, and he was pretty clever, and I was
amazed at how well he could read the wind, and
I thought he had some sort of special powers. And
he was had very nice. He still has no size,
(09:09):
so I think. Then he jumped off the boat, so
I thought, well that was a quick introduction and a goodbye,
And then a couple of weeks later he was back
on the boat. And then after that we had a
drink after the race and then that was it. Really
we've sort of been together ever since.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
I love that. What a great story. I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
See, I don't know whether my marriage would survive the
type of thing that you guys are about to embark on.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
What is the on water relationship like?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Does it ever get tested or are you just well
aware of what you both need to do inside this
sailing relationship and your relationship in general.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
At point we'll tell you when we get back.
Speaker 5 (09:53):
It'll be a good test for you both. It'd be great.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
It's fair to say that there is a bit of
yelling at times, and there's a bit of backwards and forwards,
but mostly once we walk off the boat, it stays
on the boat.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah. In fact, we were doing training training session out
around the Hurreki golf at night and we had some
guys ghosting us around in another boat and we must
have thought around one of the churning points around one
of the islands. They must have thought we were going
to kill each other. But you know, so we can
be a little bit passionate from time to time about
(10:26):
what's going on on the boat.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Amazing, Well, I know it's all coming from a good place,
and look, we just can't wait to see how you
go over there. Very exciting for you in the start
of what, hopefully, for sari Q Rayson will be a
long and illustrious future. Andrew Sandra a delight to talk
to you both, all the best. We can't wait to
see how it goes for you.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Thanks Brain, Thanks a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from newstalk EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Two Yachting New Zealand sanctioned cruise are set to contest
the Offshore Double Handed World Championship in France later in
the month. Twenty two mixed gender crews from sixteen countries
will chase global glory on identical craft. One of the
two crews from New Zealand consists of Andrew Hall and
Sandra Bees, representing Auckland's Richmond Yacht Club. Andrew and Sandra
(00:36):
are both with us now on Weekend Sport. Andrew tell
us about the challenge that awaits you over the next
couple of weeks or so.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
I think we've got a pretty reasonable sort of challenges.
We've got a fleet that is very well established, very
good sailors out there, and we just we just got
to get in there and give it a good old
Kiwi nudge, you know, and get on with the job.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
That's the spirit. Now, let's go into the nuts and
bolts of what you'll be doing. Sandiez I read it
here be in one of two eleven boat fields sailing
a twelve hour overnight race. The top five and each
go through to a forty eight hour final. Now that
sounds hard to me. How challenging is it?
Speaker 4 (01:19):
It'll be pretty challenging. I have DoD We start the
race at four o'clock in the afternoon, so we'll have
about three and a half hours a daylight and then
the rest of it will be night. So we're in
a boat we don't really know, and waters we don't
really know, and in the dark. So add all those
things together and it'll be you know, it'll be fairly challenging.
(01:40):
It's challenging at the best of times.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And de Well tell us about the boats Andrew that
they're identical. Are they supplied to you? How does that work?
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yes? But even runs in the same boat. That all
we're all leasing the boats for the regatta and it's
very very tight. We're not allowed to take a lot
of extra gear. I think we've got one extra sheet
that we use, which is a rope. We're allowed one
(02:12):
extra snatch block and we all have to take our
own navigation there and that's really it.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
And we're in so do to understand that you didn't
have one of these boats to train on back here
in New Zealand, So how have you gone about preparing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Actually, we've had some fantastic support from the Richmond Yacht
Club members, if I can give them a bit of
a shout out. We've got Andrew Benton who lent us
in this and helped us train. We've got Richard Lindbrick
who helped us train on cool change his boat. And
Tony mcloy which was on monotone and he also did
(02:49):
the same and did a lot of Richard and Tony
did a lot of coaching and spent a lot of
hours with me.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
And when you get there, Andrew, will you have more
training time? Will you get to train on the boat
that you'll be using during racing.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
We've leased an extra three days of practice or training
time that we'll We'll get in there and they'll be
fairly solid days for us out on the watery maybe
some nights as well.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
What are the specific challenges Andre, I'll stay with you
of sailing a boat of this type.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Well, I guess the big nine for us is that
we haven't sailed one before. You know, sailing is sailing,
but every boat has its little idiosyncrasy. So you know
that in those three days that we're up there, we're
going to be really trying to get to know the boats.
Some of these, this particular boat was launched last November
(03:46):
and some of the sailors that we're going to be
sailing against have been sailing them since that.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Time, but not you guys.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So this is going to be not I wouldn't say
a baptism of fire, Sandra necessarily, but I mean, do
you feel as though you're you're in contention to well,
I guess to progress through to the final for example.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I have to say yes, otherwise what are we going for?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
True?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Yes, true, yeah, yeah, I think I think we've prepared enough.
I did actually forget to mention Ellen Giddy's He's also
lent us his boat Chira. So we've had quite a
bit of support and we've we've done as much as
we can and hopefully we'll get to know that the
asyncrasies of the boat up there in the three days
that we have for training.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Oh enough, party, We've we were just having this conversation
last night, and for the time that we've had since
since we were endorsed by Yachting New Zealand, we have
I think we've done them the most that we could
possibly do. Maybe it's two things that we might change
in our training, but you know, we've really given it
(04:51):
a solid push for the last three months.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
That's the way, Sandra.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
You're an experienced saila, but as I understand that this
has been a bit more of a crash course for you.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Is that right?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Very much so. Whilst on I've been sailing for a while,
I've not been doing a lot of dub four handed
or two handed sailing, and not really in that two
handed racing which is and it's a's and the worlds
are a level up. You know, a lot of the
sailing that I do, it's it's nice to win or
nice to be in the in the top play things,
(05:24):
but it's more casual and a bit more fun. This
is definitely a level up.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Just so we're across the terminology and now listeners are
clear here that when you say two handed, that basically
means just the two of you on the boat rather
than a bigger crew.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yep, yeah, that's correct, and I think you know that
the listeners understand. On fully crowed crew boats, most of
the crew just do one job, whereas we have to
do it all and in fact, getting through to the
final the qualifying or the elimination race. We bend up,
(06:06):
it's going to be like a two handed race. The
final is a longer race, that's a forty eight hour race,
and it becomes like a solo tag team when you're sailing,
so basically a lot of the time you're staying in
the boat by yourself.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Yeah, I was going to say forty eight hours.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, so what you just so you just take turns
and the other one tries to get up asleep.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
Is that how it works?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
You need got to have a kipt at sun stage.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Indeed, indeed, even the twelve hour race is looking like
it's going to be about an eighteen nineteen hour race
because they're going to start us. It's one hundred nautical miles,
so it's likely to be a lot longer than twelve hours.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
This it just seems like such a brilliant challenge. As
you're saying the way you've outlined it. There you just
but the two of you together for some times and
by yourselves for others. Have to basically saill the thing
by yourselves. That's how it works pretty much.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, going to be pretty disciplined in what you're doing,
and you're out.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
There understand you're also using this campaign to launch out
sale IQ Racing.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Andrew tell us about that.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yep, we we've it's been a dream of mine for
a while, but we put put the team together, started
to think about it, put the team together a little
while ago, where where we've been focusing on a canton
keel thirty eight foot that we can we can use
in a lot of international offshore racing. That's that's in
(07:28):
build at the moment and we're just working a way
through to some other sailing after this as well.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Yeah, what what is? So? What is beyond this? Have you?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Have?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
You got your sights set on on similar races in
the future or maybe slightly different ones. I saw the
Sydney Hobart perhaps mentioned as a as an ambition, a
lifelong ambition for you.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I've been Yeah, I've had a I've had a crack
at it with an Australian crew and we didn't finish.
So yes, that's that's on my bucket list to take off.
Also on the bucket lists is to do the I've
been a solo sailor for for a number of years
and to do the solo trans tasment.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
I'd really like.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
To do that.
Speaker 5 (08:10):
Amazing, Sandra.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Is it true that the two of you met on
a boat? Yes, very much, So you got to tell
us that story.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Well it was, it was well, it was six six
and a half years ago now and a friend of mine,
another Andrew, He had a boat, beautiful boat called Margaritaville,
and he caught up with me and said, why don't
you come out for a bit of sailing? And I thought, oh,
that sounds lovely. It's sort of like I had visions
of swanning around with the chardonnais and enjoying myself. Didn't
(08:45):
quite work out that way. The racing side of it's
a little bit more physical than I expected. But to
one of the evenings, Andrew, this Andrew came on the
boat and I thought he was He was on the
main sheet, and he was pretty clever, and I was
amazed at how well he could read the wind, and
I thought he had some sort of special powers. And
he was had very nice. He still has no size,
(09:09):
so I think. Then he jumped off the boat, so
I thought, well that was a quick introduction and a goodbye,
And then a couple of weeks later he was back
on the boat. And then after that we had a
drink after the race and then that was it. Really
we've sort of been together ever since.
Speaker 5 (09:28):
I love that. What a great story. I love that.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
See, I don't know whether my marriage would survive the
type of thing that you guys are about to embark on.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
What is the on water relationship like?
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Does it ever get tested or are you just well
aware of what you both need to do inside this
sailing relationship and your relationship in general.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
At point we'll tell you when we get back.
Speaker 5 (09:53):
It'll be a good test for you both. It'd be great.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
It's fair to say that there is a bit of
yelling at times, and there's a bit of backwards and forwards,
but mostly once we walk off the boat, it stays
on the boat.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah. In fact, we were doing training training session out
around the Hurreki golf at night and we had some
guys ghosting us around in another boat and we must
have thought around one of the churning points around one
of the islands. They must have thought we were going
to kill each other. But you know, so we can
be a little bit passionate from time to time about
(10:26):
what's going on on the boat.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Amazing, Well, I know it's all coming from a good place,
and look, we just can't wait to see how you
go over there. Very exciting for you in the start
of what, hopefully, for sari Q Rayson will be a
long and illustrious future. Andrew Sandra a delight to talk
to you both, all the best. We can't wait to
see how it goes for you.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Thanks Brain, Thanks a lot.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk z B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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