Congratulations to all 'Team NSW' men & women sailors who took part in the Australian Championships last week at
the Rye Yacht Club in Victoria. Other than in the freestyle event which Scott Buckingham from Victoria won, the NSW
men & women placed first overall in the following disciplines: Course racing, Marathon & Slalom.
Karen Murden, Rob Howard, Will Wright & Stuart Gilbert all won their respective course racing divisions. Karen added
another 2 firsts in the freestyle & marathon; Will added a further 2 more firsts in the marathon & slalom events.
All 7 course races were contested in very testing strong wind & sea state conditions. The long 2 lap courses were
completed in approximately 30+ mins with many experiencing nose dives & recoveries surfing the large waves on
the downwind legs. Lots of fun had by all, I think ?
The marathon race started with a short run to the boards at the waters edge, out to a turning mark & a very long
work to the top mark. From there the competitors sailed / survived over a 2 lap 'sausage' style course which once again
was run in strong wind & sea state conditions. Will Wright absolutely blitzed the fleet in a time of approximately 90+ mins,
always sailing exceptionally well upwind on all legs. From my point of view on the water he appeared to be in 'cruise mode' !
Although the course appeared very straightforward in the briefing many sailors mistook a similar yellow mid upwind leg mark
to incorrectly round and were DNF'd. The correct yellow buoy was indeed about a further 200m to windward of the other, so
a slightly controversial race for many, particularly those sailors in major place getting situations.
The 3 heat slalom final for the 8 starters was again run in strong gusting winds closer to the shoreline, although thankfully
the water was relatively flat in comparison to that experienced in the course & marathon races. Gybing skills were really put
to the test on the tight but fair 'M' style course. Videos were taken from the shallow water and may appear on YouTube at
a later date. The buoy rounding crashes that took place in the last heat should make for some enjoyable viewing.
Following the freestyle event on the last day a great BBQ was held on the club's upper deck with the presentation of
trophies by our now 'past' president Mr David West.
Thanks to the Rye Yacht Club race committee, the WOD committee & others who helped run a great event with NOT one
day without strong wind. Can't say that about most regattas run by this class or others !
PS : If there are any interested sailors from other classes, particularly juniors who wish to learn further from very experienced
world class WOD sailors, please contact our website listed on the AWA page. The boards may be different, they may be sailed
slightly differently, but the skill set you pick up from sailing WOD's even just occasionally will make you a better all round
competitor.
Thanks for the report, and congratulations for your first in the leightweight division and first in the Ancient Mariner class. Your sailing in the slalom had to bee seen to be believed.
Yes, thanks for the report Rob. Hoping you won't mind filling in a few additional details:
1. "very testing strong wind & sea state". What was the typical average knots, and typical gusts?
2. Was it a similar sea state to what you would get on Botany Bay in a day-long strong NEaster?
3. I would have thought that the Heavyweight Division would have dominated such conditions. Apart from 'Stewie', were the heavies just not good enough, and were outsailed by good Mediums and Lightweights?
4. In the Marathon: which sailors 'lost out' due to the yellow buoy confusion?
5. Did the Women's Champion manage to complete 2 laps of any of the course races or Marathon?
6. Considering WillW, a (lightish) Mediumweight, won 6 of the 7 Course, and the Marathon, and the Slalom; do you think its fair that he was not awarded the Pentathlon Trophy?
And I agree with Jorn: congratulations on your sterling effort (being the l, and Jason's for flying the Lightweight flag at the upper end of the Overall Fleet results (Course, Marathon & Slalom)
Apologies for not responding earlier AF1, it's taken sometime to fully recover from this gruelling event.
In regard to your questions, I'll do my best in answering as follows.
(1) I never really had time to take any anemometer readings during the racing as I was far to busy hanging on for grim death
both up & downwind. Suffice to say it was testing conditions for everyone.
(2) Botany Bay is a mill pond in comparison, even in a black NE'r !
(3) Bottom line, as always, is that 'class' usually dominates whatever the conditions, whatever the persons weight. That's what
occurred in this event.
(4) Lots of, full stop. You may be able to decipher which ones completed the marathon by reading the results sheet on accessing
this link windsurferclass.wordpress.com/ , I'm not 100% sure myself.
(5) You would be best to speak directly with the persons involved.
(6) Unfortunately the way the Pentathlon is scored (Class Rules), if you don't place highly or actually don't participate in the Freestyle it can severely impact on your total points. Will seems to have taken a 'big hit' in regard to this. It's not the first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last either.
Further updates (reports & photos) on the event can be found on the following links
www.sail-world.com/Australia/The-Mobium-Group-2015-Windsurfer-One-Design-Australian-Championships/130987
windsurferclass.wordpress.com/events/past-events/
Related Topic - NSW Windsurfer OneDesign Championships:
Competitor list was not as large as expected; but perfect conditions were had, for some close tactical racing, 7th & 8th of March, from St George Sailing Club, at the mouth of Georges River between Taren Point Bridge and Botany Bay:
Perfect wind ranging from 10 to 22kn over 9 races; 5 Saturday, 4 Sunday.
Well laid, windward /leeward courses, and really good course length, with the winner finishing in approx. 30 mins and the bulk of the fleet within 35 to 40 mins.
Very tight, competitive racing, particularly between 2nd and 6th place. I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you to the organisers - D.West, K.Murden, R.Crawford, and St George SC.
And thank you to local 'old-boy' R.Howard for showing the way on all 9 races through the tricky tidal flows.
Special commendation to MediumWeight J.Doolan who sailed well above his weight to gain 3rd overall!
I look forward to the Bayview SC - Lion Island & return marathon - first Sunday in May.
