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4:40 AM Mon 16 Feb 2009 GMT
 | | '505 on the Harbour - Living Colour 505 National Championships'
Simon Reffold
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Jordan Spencer reports from the Living Colour International 505 Australian Championships. Spencer is competing on Commonwealth Bank - Hawaii 5 0.
Day 1 of the Living Colour International 505 Australian Championships saw a range of extreme conditions. Overcast skies and rain have been all pervasive throughout Sydney for the last few days and today was no different. With the rain clouds came some strong wind gusts.
Add to that the large amount of swell about and the decision was made to stay inside the harbour for the invite race.
Probably a good call. Conditions were quite difficult, lots of swell and plenty of lumps on top of that as well and with a series of rain clouds coming through, the wind was shifting 30 degrees and varying between five and 25 plus knots. It was a tough day, a snakes and ladder type day.
The first beat was set at 135, but just minutes before the start a cloud came through and bent the wind hard left. We went for a late start on the gate, as did most of the contenders, and quickly rolled onto port to follow the gate boat to the right. We were laying about 137 on port, but then as expected, it started to knock. It gave us a chance to lead around the top mark. By this stage, the wind had dropped out and it was a marginal call whether to run or power reach. We decided to run, most took the long route. Quirk and Reffold picked us up, but that was it.
Off the bottom mark, Quirk and Reffold elected to head right, the Commonwealth Bank - Hawaii 5 0 team headed to the next cloud line to the left with Adrian Finglas and Sam Heritage. Big pressure came out of the left, Aids and Sam who had hung further left led at the top mark the second time in big, big pressure. A tight angle saw the fleet two sail it. Sam got hit by a rogue wave and lost his footing, This gave us a chance to sneak past and that's how we stayed until half way up the third beat, when we both got hit by some sort of whirly whirly. We nearly hit the drink to windward and Aids and Sam did. As we dug out of that mess, Sandys brother Malcolm and crew, Camel, came out of the left with pressure and height and crossed us. We snuck back in front by the mark, but had a right royal battle on the run to the finish. There was little wind and it was bow to bow all the way. In the end Mal and Camel took it as we debated the superstition of winning the invite on our boat.
It was a tough day, there were plenty of swims. As many going into windward as they were to leeward.
The thing that is interesting about this regatta is the number of faces from the past that have popped up. It is a veritable reunion tour. Particularly rewarding was seeing Peter Hewson and Greg Gardiner pulling a boat out of the shed, volunteering to be the gate boat and pulling a third. It was also great to see a strong performance from Nick Deussen and Jonno Bannister. Nick is my normal helms lad and it's his first run in a 505. I lent them a kite for the regatta, one with a dirty great Commonwealth Bank logo on it and it was right up our date the whole race.
On the social side, the Manly 16' skiff club is fantastic. A beautiful location, superb facilities and they are being great to the class. It's tough to get parking in Manly so a few have chosen to motor in on duckies, but those thinking that would be a great way to avoid bretho's would be wrong, wouldn't they Nick and Jonno. Lucky the boys had been smart side of the limit when the lights started flashing off Bardleys Head.
Today looks to be more of the same with a little more wind. I suspect we will be inside again. Hope we have a good one.
by Jordan Spencer
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Lord Howe Island Windy Point, NSW
Foiling - Wind Wing Foilboards
Kitesurfing - Kites
