Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship Race 3

5:10 AM Sat 6 Jun 2009 GMT

'Peter Hollis (l) Heaven Can Wait and crew - Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy

Yesterday when Mark Johnson (Roulette) came off the water having sailed into second place in the Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009, he said 'the way we got around the course today, if we'd had more breeze, we might have killed someone, so we will be happy to see light conditions again tomorrow'.

Today in light conditions with seven knots of breeze, Johnson was second boat at the top mark. Damien King (Barry) was 17th and series leader Alastair Gair (Velsheda) was heading back to the dock.

Gair and another 12 boats were black flagged at the start of Race 3 of the series.

Attempt one to get Race 3 underway was aborted when the breeze shifted twenty degrees from 040 to 060, just fifteen seconds before the start. Attempt two resulted in a General Recall of the fleet.

Attempt three started under Black Flag and thirteen 'toey' crews paid the penalty, their afternoon's sailing ending prematurely.

At the top mark, Mooloolaba sailor Peter Hollis (Heaven Can Wait) rounded in first place. Johnson with Bucky Smith, a member of the 2009 Etchells World Championship crew calling tactics, followed.

Another Mooloolaba local, Charles Piggott (Magic) was third, then came Rapscallion, B Squared, Funky Cold Medina and Fifteen.

As the fleet rounded the bottom mark, the wind speed was holding at seven knots from 060.

Heaven Can Wait extended its lead over Roulette. Johnson's crew was a picture of concentration as they managed a conservative, but clean mark rounding. Blairgowrie sailor David Lawrence (Temptress) had a sensational run picking up a nice shift, and moved up from 16th place to third.

Fourth was Funky Cold Medina; then B Squared, Rapscallion, Tango and Fifteen. Mark Bulka (Critical Balance) was tenth, Steve O'Rourke (Panther) was 12th and Damien King 15th.

At the top mark for the last time, the course boat signalled a ten-degree wind shift to the left and the repositioning of the finishing boat.

Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009 - Sail-World.com -AUS&copy Click Here to view large photo

Peter Hollis extended his lead from Mark Johnson. Chris Hampton (Tango) had moved from seventh to third on the second beat, David Clark (Fifteen) had moved from eighth to fourth. Vaughan Prentice was now fifth, with Mark Bulka eighth and Damien King 13th.

But it was all Hollis. In six knots of breeze he looked unlikely to lose the rig in his boat, and hence the race.

Hollis (Heaven Can Wait) extended and held his lead to the finish line, crossing ahead of Mark Johnson (Roulette).

Sydney sailor Jervis Tilley (Bushfire) stormed down the run moving up from sixth to cross the line in third, followed by Vaughan Prentice (Funky Cold Medina) and David Clark (Fifteen). Damien King (Barry) moved up several places to finish the race in 11th.

Provisionally, Mark Johnson (Roulette) is now the clear leader of the series with finishes of 5,3,2.

Second is David Clarke (3,6,5) with Damien King (7,2,11) in third. On equal points with King is Vaughan Prentice.

Interviews to be added soon.

Mooloolaba Etchells Fleet
Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009
4th - 7th June
Series Summary (provisional)
Pl	B#	Crew	From	Boat Name	1	2	3	Tot
1	49	M. Johnson, N. Burfoot & C. Allen	Sydney	Roulette	5	3	2	10
2	15	D. Clark, S. Leonard & A. Smith	Sydney	Fifteen	3	6	5	14
3	11	D. King, J. Ware, S. Cunnington & A. Butler	Melbourne	Barry	7	2	12	21
4	32	V. Prentice, D. Hutchison, N. Brehrens & P. Manning	Brisbane	Funky Cold Medina	13	4	4	21
5	44	M. Bulka, S. Young & P. Bulka	Melbourne	Critical Balance	9	13	10	32
6	43	J. Sheehan, R. West & R. Vidgen	Pittwater	Resurgent	15	7	14	36
7	47	J. Tilly, P. Davidson & J. Arnold	Sydney	Bushfire	27	9	3	39
8	37	P. Gardner, S. Barlow & R. Allanson	Sydney	Humpback	19	8	16	43
9	41	N. Nattrass, C. Brook & A. Elliott	Sydney	Two Speed	10	22	11	43
10	39	D. Rose, S. Backhouse & T. Rose	Brisbane	Fair Bump Play On	23	11	15	49
11	19	C. Hampton, B. Morrison-Jack & M. Toner-Joyce	Melbourne	Tango	4	40	7	51
12	46	P. Hollis, B. Smith & J. Warlow	Mooloolaba	Heaven Can Wait	8	44	1	53
13	34	T. Woods, P. McNeill & D. Gleadhill	Lake Macquarie	Echo Beach	17	14	25	56
14	28	S. Gunther, J. Collingwood & B. Jones	Melbourne	Magic Buzz	20	16	20	56
15	22	R. Lloyd, M. Turner & P. Dowdney	Melbourne	The Nurse	18	21	17	56
16	30	A. Gair, D. Ridley, D. Scott & A. De Fluiter	Gulf Harbour	Velsheda	2	1	55\BFD	58
17	16	D. Lawrance, R. Browne & B. Hawkes	Blairgowrie	Temptress	16	33	9	58
18	09	S. Ellis, J. Dudok Van Heel & J. Brinkley	Hong Kong	Tian Hua	26	5	29	60
19	02	G. Boyd, J. Boyd & A. May	Lake Macquarie	B Squared	30	27	6	63
20	20	J. Muysken, P. Grundy & A. O'Connell	Sydney	Etch	25	12	28	65
21	33	N. Paterson, S. Board & J. Chilman	Brisbane	Waterloo Bay	39	10	23	72
22	05	D. Healey, A. Deeks & G. Van Luteren	Brisbane	Rapscallion	44	18	13	75
23	54	M. Bradford, P. Merrington & G. Torpy	Brisbane	Roni	12	15	55\BFD	82
24	52	C. Williams, P. Heyes & N. DeBerque	Gosford	Trekka	14	47	21	82
25	53	S. O'Rourke, S. Backhouse & J. Torpy	Cronulla	Panther	37	39	8	84
26	17	I. Audsley, G. Flatman & J. VanDer Schalk	Pittwater	Kalika	28	25	33	86
27	40	L. Kennedy, R. Bassett & T. Swinburne	Gulf Harbour	Addiction	31	38	19	88
28	14	M. Sanders, J. Sill & S. McInally	Southport	Just Relax	34	20	34	88
29	38	M. McCann, N. Wittey, S. Quigley & JC Strong	Sydney	Carabella lV	11	24	55\BFD	90
30	04	D. Williams, D. Cooney & A. Kiely	Lake Macquarie	Vertigo	38	28	24	90
31	50	D. Wilson, R. Leslie & J. Browne	Gosford	The Don	33	30	27	90
32	23	M. Dagge, M. Hansen & J. Willis	Brisbane	Una Mas	1	37	55\BFD	93
33	35	G. Taylor, G. Wharington & S. Jarvin	Mornington	Magpie	6	32	55\BFD	93
34	26	M. Thornburrow, G. Farrell, M. Chew & A. Service	Hong Kong	Dreamon	24	19	55\BFD	98
35	13	G. Smith, B. Shoebridge & R. Smith	Swan River	Tusk	46	26	26	98
36	03	P. Coleman, W. Dixon & I. Gartley	Melbourne	Mid Gybe Crisis	35	29	35	99
37	48	D. Biggar & M. Obrian	Mooloolaba	Fruit Cake	42	42	18	102
38	10	R. Coxon, D. Ritchard & I. Winter	Sydney	3 Gone Missing	32	41	32	105
39	55	G. Forgan-Smith, G. Wakefield & B. Foot	Gold Coast	Betelgeuse	53	17	36	106
40	21	N. Knezic, D. Bretherton & M. Robertson	Melbourne	Count Boris' Secret	29	23	55\BFD	107
41	12	B. Sheridan & B. Moore	Swan River	Butterfly	21	34	55\BFD	110
42	24	P. Minter, J. Minter & R. Bull	Sydney	Crews Control	50	35	30	115
43	29	L. O'Connor, B. Averay & L. Steers	Melbourne	J for Jig	41	43	31	115
44	42	J. Denton, L. Birch & P. Bailey	Gosford	Ivy	43	36	37	116
45	31	C. Piggott, W. Myles & G. Black	Mooloolaba	Magic	47	49	22	118
46	27	D. Hardy, B. Northcote & J. Northcote	Sydney	Foolhardy	36	31	55\BFD	122
47	18	J. Plante, M. Dunstan, N. Garland & x. y	Pittwater	North Star	22	48	55\BFD	125
48	45	P. Meehan, J. Hallam & B. Sneddon	Brisbane	Forceful	49	46	40	135
49	25	A. Telford, S. Schafer & G. Smith	Melbourne	Never Enough	51	52	39	142
50	36	J. McLean, S. McClure, R. Caldwell & J. McLean	Brisbane	Touch N Go	52	55\DNF	38	145
51	51	N. Hudson, J. Curry & M. Jamison	Gold Coast	Trilogy	54	50	41	145
52	07	J. Ward, D. McCaughey & M. Roberts	Adelaide	Concubine	45	45	55\BFD	145
53	08	T. Martin, G. Thomson & P. Braithwaite	Mooloolaba	Three Ring Circus	40	51	55\BFD	146
54	01	J. Middleton, N. Willis & T. Robba	Brisbane.	OZI	48	55\DNF	55\BFD	158