HISTORY ..... The Elliott 5.9 was designed by Greg Elliott and was first released in 1983. Conceived as a a club trainer cum match racer, the Elliott 5.9 boasts an efficient single spreader fractional rig, well balanced sail plan, practical deck layout and a performance hull that offers the response and maneuverability required for match racing.
This event has grown into a world renown international youth event since its establishment in 1992. The event was first sailed in the Yngling class before the club purchased a fleet of 6 Elliott 5.9's in 1994. The introduction of the Elliott 5.9's received unreserved praise from the skippers and crews. Read an Australian review of the Elliott 5.9 from 1991, giving a good indication of the boat’s quality and performance Download PDF. The New Zealand racing scene is strong, and showing a resurgence, with regular racing in the main centers of the North Island on weeknights in summer, as well as the highly popular Appletons Estate Rum Travelers Series. These regattas attract fields of over twenty boats. The racing format for these events and nationals is windward leewards. They attract top sailors and the racing is hotly contested. Off the water the Class Association is well organized and very helpful. In early 2005 the latest Elliott 5.9 came out of the mould, and if this boats popularity continues to grow as much as it has recently, we can expect those moulds to be well used. |
The
boats have been popular in New Zealand Australia and Japan. They have
featured in many of the youth training schemes including the RNZYS,
and RPAYC, the breeding ground for some of the worlds top sailors. They
have also been the boat of choice for the International Youth Match
Racing Championships.