The UK Halsey sponsored short course series has been run by SoPYC for theS80 fleet over the last 2 Saturdays. Due to light winds only 1 race was completed last week but a busy PRO and crew got 5 races run this morning to complete the 6 race series.
The racing was held in strong SE winds with the occasional dodgy gybe and a couple of prawning incidents. Starts were tightly contested and the 3 lap course provided opportunity to sort the fleet out.
Overall top spot was decided in the last race with Fusion and Grand Piano finishing with only one point separating them. David Yu had to win the last race to win the series, which they did with Fusion coming in 3rd to finish a comfortable 2nd in the series.
Overall Results
Championship - 1st Grand Piano (David Yu), 2nd Fusion (Simon Cunningham), 3rd The Fifth Element (Tim Ward)
In a dazzling display of skill and strength, 7 49ers took to the water for the Annual Cock of the Swan regatta last Sunday.
A perfect 15-18kt sea-breeze greeted the fleet of I14s and 49ers and the marathon race course took its toll on a couple of the newcomers and also pointed out who hasn't done any winter maintenance. .... yeah, that'd be me. I still can't believe that the shackle holding the traps on would actually break.
It was clear from the start that the 49ers were going to dominate as a pack of five fought a close battle up the long beat to Smith and Lucky Bay and left the 14s a fair way behind.
The Syd Corser concluded Saturday after six races on the Swan during “after hours” times where the etchells sailors enjoyed an open river creating fair conditions for all.
This year’s event was won by Rob Bird, Graeme Johnson and Nick Gray sailing Rhapsody in Blue, from Michael Manford (The Croc) and Alastair McMichael (Daylight Robbery).
Friday was sailed in challenging sea-breeze conditions of around 15-18 knots shifting (more and more late in the day) The race was taken out by Peter Ahern (No Jacket Required) with a completely new crew (Sean & Ant(?)) who pulled it together beautifully for the bullet. Speacial mention must go to Sean Gregory here for conquering the steep learning curve of the middleman job proficiently enough to win the race after about 3 tries. No mean feat, well done Sean. They were followed through by Bird, Manford and Gordon Blaauw with two Laser guns, Thor man Ryan extracting a forth in tricky conditions.
The Club Marine Fremantle Harbour Classic is the only sailing event of its kind. It is Perth ’s best of the best invitational race. A “Pursuit Race” in a confined harbour… it is heart pumping adrenalin, a showcase of exceptional skills and excitement at every turn.
For the past 6 years, under the pen of a dedicated Past President, Yachting WA has prepared and submitted a weekly column and photographs for the Saturday edition of the Western Australian to report news and stories of interest on what is happening around WA yacht clubs, on competitive sailing, offshore racing, power time trialling, and the achievements of WA sailors both nationally and internationally.
This has been done at no cost to the newspaper - and "Around the Buoys" has run nearly 300 episodes.
Around the Buoys, despite being in the boating section of the paper and not in the sports section, has enabled Yachting to get a page of information to the broad yachting community, and the column is read by an enormous number and variety of readers - we estimate some 50,000 each week.
The column has been axed from the last 2 editions of the Saturday newspaper and we have been advised by the West Australian that this will be a permenant state of affairs - no alternative, no arguement, thanks for coming.
It is important that this be turned around, avoided or reviewed. A strong reader reaction, proving to the West that the column is well read, appreciated, and is a reason that people actually buy the newspaper is necessary.
We would encourage everyone, sailors, wives, children, club members, club officials, class organisers, and anyone else who feels indignent about this heavy handed treatment, to send an email - this email if you wish - to Ken Steinke, the CEO of the West Australian at the email address below, and to Steve Lague who is our contact point at the West.
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Please register your protest at this action to the West Australian and request they change their position.
TO : KEN STEINKE, CEO, WEST AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS
PLEASE BRING BACK THE AROUND THE BUOYS COLUMN - SUPPORT THE READERS WHO BUY YOUR NEWSPAPER
The EFYC Night Race Series kicks off again next week. Last year this turned into an unofficial FD Cup with a number of boats (mainly S97s) regularly showing up and battling it out. If you've got a boat and but can't find the crew then just jump in the forums and you'll have a boatful before you can say "Mr Walker killed them all last year". Would be awesome to see a decent group of Divi 1 boats there packed to the rafters with FD'ers.
The Fremantle Dash is different. This is a race created for experienced sailors to enjoy dinghy racing 'freed of the pressures of regatta racing'. The Dash is designed to be 'Wet & Wild' and certainly not for the faint hearted. This race celebrates the sheer exhilaration of dinghy sailing in ocean waters with a downhill blast from Rockingham to Fremantle.
The 2008 Etchells Syd Corser Championship, conducted on the Swan River, Western Australia and hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club had a thrilling first 3 races over the weekend of Oct 31st and Nov 1st.
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