DISTRACTION

Design Farr 1020
Sail Number  6015
Length overall  10.40m
Beam  3.2m
Draft  1.7m
About the boat: Distraction is a Farr 1020 designed by Bruce Farr and built by Sea Nymph. Farr 1020’s have been a common sight on the New Zealand racing scene for over 30 years and should never be underestimated. Distraction is based at Waikawa and will be skippered in the 2020 RNI by Guy Mannering and Matt Perry.
Home base Waikawa

GUY MANNERING

Name Guy Mannering
Age 61
Relationship to Co – Skipper Sailing buddies
Yacht Club Waikawa Boating Club & SSANZ
Tell us a little about your sailing history/ background Spent most of my early sailing days in Napier. P class, then OK’s & Finns. We had a great fleet of OK dinghies in Napier & Wellington & always enjoyed the competitiveness & comradery. Moved to the South Island when I was in my late 20’s, with a young family & gave the sailing away. Sailed occasionally on other yachts, until I got the bug again. Started with a classic X class, then an Elliott 7.4. Jill & Sid(our Jack Russell) wanted a bit more room & comfort so moved up to a Farr 1020, about 2 years ago. A couple of WBC’s Tarakohe short handed races sowed the seed for our RNI entry.
What appeals most about doing the RNI The challenge, adventure & comradery with the other entrants
What are your essential food items during the race? Matt’s miso soup
What will your meals be like during the race? Light, quick & easy, but tasty. Freeze dry, muesli, energy bars, biltong, miso soup & something sweet (Jet planes, Whittakers chocolate)
What’s your favourite point of sail and why? Broad reaching with either the A2 or A5
What do you like most about the boat you are sailing on? Our new rudder, tiller &  the Hurricane Rigging IP that’s gone into the boat.
Describe your skipper/co-skipper in 5 words Top bloke & great company
Tell us about the training and buildup that you have been doing for this race both on and off the water? Sailing in the Cook Strait & outside the Sounds. Plenty of boat prep &  improvements, it’s certainly no longer in class as a Farr 1020. Still a few more sea miles to clock up before the start. We’ll be sailing the RNI twice to get to the race &  back, like all the other Wellington/SI entrants.
What’s your favourite drink and why? A cider. But on the RNI it will be Matt’s miso soup
Will you be taking any luxury items on the race? – If so, what is it and why? We put Distraction on a major weight loss diet, so any cruising comforts & luxuries got stripped off the boat.
However, Matt agreed to keep the framed The Whale Print (our sailing St Christopher) on board. Also our bean bags & a stash of jet planes.
What’s your biggest fear when you think about the RNI? Major gear failure
Who’s your biggest opposition and why? The other Division 4 boats
Tell us about your biggest supporters Jill my partner, who I’ve promised I’ll return all our cruising comforts back aboard after the race. Also Hurricane Rigging & Matty Stechmann. Stechy was the catalyst for Matt & I to enter the RNI. Has been a great mentor for us, with our race prep.
What’s most exciting/challenging about this race for you? Having the opportunity to sail a RNI, to test ourselves & our boat. Biggest challenges will be managing the sleep deprivation & fatigue.
What sound system do you have on board? What’s likely to be playing? We did have a nice Fusion stereo system. But you need speakers & we don’t have any now (weight saving regime).
It’s the night before the big race – how do you get your head in the game? Keeping it low key. A quiet dinner, drink & some pre-race chat.

MATT PERRY

Name Matt Perry
Age 35
Yacht Club Waikawa Boating Club & SSANZ
Tell us a little about your sailing history/ background Got into it late and wasted no time. Fell in with a good crowd in Wellington winning inshore and offshore glory. Later raced 2 handed offshore in the UK and got a taste for hardship. Did the Hobart a few years ago and have been looking for the next project since then.
What appeals most about doing the RNI The hardship. And sharing it with a bunch of other people.
What are your essential food items during the race? Jetplanes.
What will your meals be like during the race? Deluxe military rations, freeze dried with all the trimmings. Guysy likes decent food and has been known to improvise with meals even when the stove isn’t working. Cold soaked couscous comes to mind.
What’s your favourite point of sail and why?  20 kt broad reach. Who wouldn’t like that?
What do you like most about the boat you are sailing on? It’s well prepared.
Describe your skipper/co-skipper in 5 words Meticulous, focussed, generous, kind, humorous.
Tell us about the training and buildup that you have been doing for this race both on and off the water? Boat prep has been a big part of it. Crossed Cook Strait 12 times in the last 6 months for boat maintenance or races which usually didn’t happen. Some extra weekend sessions out of Queen Charlotte Sound.
What’s your favourite drink and why? Miso soup.
Will you be taking any luxury items on the race? – If so, what is it and why? Guy’s got this framed painting of a whale. While everything else possible has been taken off the boat to save weight the whale sits proudly on the saloon bulkhead. It must be at least 1.5 kg. Totally unnecessary. We laugh about it so possibly good for morale.
What’s your biggest fear when you think about the RNI? Fatigue. And making mistakes because of it.
Who’s your biggest opposition and why? High Voltage. We’ve done a lot of prep with those girls and we’re pretty keen to beat them.
Tell us about your biggest supporters Hurricane Rigging have been the #1 supporter for me doing this race along with my wonderful girlfriend Amiria.
What’s most exciting/challenging about this race for you? Trying to keep up with faster boats and get round without any major issues.
What sound system do you have on board? What’s likely to be playing? None. Got thrown out in the weight audit. Maybe a bluetooth speaker if I’m lucky.
It’s the night before the big race – how do you get your head in the game? Get the last few little jobs ticked off on the boat and go over the weather. Leave early, eat well, sleep well and wake fresh.