HIGHER GROUND
| Design | Ross 10.66 |
| Sail Number | 6883 |
| Length overall | 10.60m |
| Length waterline | 10.0m |
| Beam | 3.8m |
| Draft | 2.7m |
| About the boat: | Higher Ground is a Ross 10.66 designed by Murray Ross and built by Robertson in 1990 that has had two major birthdays, in 2000 & 2015. These days Higher Ground has a carbon rig and moveable water ballast. In the 2020 RNI Higher Ground will be skippered by Bruce Curson & Nick Olson. You can expect Higher Ground to be pushing hard to take advantage of whatever breeze is on the course through the use of PredictWind and chasing a good send in what will be a competitive division! Keep an eye of for Higher Ground on the course with her smart grey paintjob. |
| Home base | Westhaven |
| Sailing Higher Ground |
BRUCE CURSON
| Name | Bruce Curson |
| Yacht Club | Wakatere Boating Club |
| Tell us a little about your sailing history/ background | Sailed a mix of dinghies and keelboats from age 12 culminating in a 49er campaign in the late ’90s. Took a hiatus from sailing for a few years for travel and starting a family then got back into a bit of social racing and cruising, most recently in a WASZP and the family cruising cat. |
| What will your meals be like during the race? | Military rations |
| What’s your favourite point of sail and why? | Broad reaching in a bit of puff. Love a bit of speed and Higher Ground delivers in spades when its fresh. |
| What do you like most about the boat you are sailing on? | The rudder and the water ballast. Always hangs on longer than you’d expect. |
| Will you be taking any luxury items on the race? – If so, what is it and why? | Memory foam cushions and bean bags. You can guess why. |
| What’s most exciting/challenging about this race for you? | Getting to the start line is proving to be a bit of a challenge. |
NICK OLSON
| Name | Nick Olson |
| Age | 43 |
| Relationship to Co – Skipper | Friends from the olden days |
| Yacht Club | Manly Sailing Club |
| Tell us a little about your sailing history/ background | Started sailing in Wellington at the age of 6, did Optis P’s, youth classes and campaigned a 49er then got old and had kids. Currently sail a waszp and a Sunburst with the kids. |
| What appeals most about doing the RNI | The challenge and adventure, seeing places I’ve not been before. |
| What will your meals be like during the race? | Probably military rations we have limited facilities on-board |
| What’s your favourite point of sail and why? | Running deep, cos the boat likes it. |
| Describe your skipper/co-skipper in 5 words | Reserved, silent type. |
| Tell us about the training and buildup that you have been doing for this race both on and off the water? | Getting woken up by one of the 5 kids in the house every night especially our 2.5 year old is great sleep deprivation conditioning. |
| What’s your favourite drink and why? | Beer/Rum and wine, not all together, why not? |
| What’s your biggest fear when you think about the RNI? | Falling off the boat. |
| It’s the night before the big race – how do you get your head in the game? | Do a bit of casual weather routing. |