Hi all,
Time for a new post as I have just got back to work on this quiet Monday morning. Got home last night from Port Stephens after a great weekend up the coast.
The NSW states is our NSW associations big event and we had around 120 boats competiting at the event. I ended up going up with my parents and brother who was competiting in the Radial Fleet.
Saturday we arrived and rigged up the boats and went out for our first 3 races. The wind was a light 6 – 12 knot E – SE direction and very shifty. It would constantly veer left and made racing for shifts a high risk proposition. The first race I started down the line near the pin ended up being over the line substantially. I had to go back and managed a comeback from 12th around the top mark to 5th. The second race was a great start more mid line to a nice line of pressure on the right, however a 40 degree shift rolled in from the left and I watched half the fleet lift out on me!!! argghhh frustrating … Again I managed to stage a comeback to a salvaged position of 5th. The final race was far more solid and I never left 4th as the leaders of the race got a lucky shift and peeled away leaving me leading the pack.
A tough day considering I went out with the intention to win the regatta. However then I found out everyone elses results. For my 4,4,5 other top guys got 1,3,8 and 1,4,9 and 3,4,12 … Thus the first day was quite high score and low and behold turns out I ended up 3rd overall after the first day only 2 points behind the lead !!! looks like consistency does count for something !!! until you get your drop …
Day 2 (Sunday) I had an awesome sleep in and got myself 10 hours shut eye. I woke up to a buffet breakfast in the hotel and was keen to go ahead with day 2 !!! so keen in fact that I was first boat on the water … only to roll out to the startline to no wind … !!! argghhh
I did some practice roll tacks and gybes to get pumped up but ended up back in on shore waiting for the seabreeze to roll in. It came through at about 1pm and the AP went down to start racing at 2pm. We got off a few starts in the Radials with huge tide and there was something like 23 OCS over 2 races !!! thats 23 disqualifications … ouch
Finally we got our start and under a black flag a few guys got knocked out (One being Kevin Lim the leader of the regatta at day 2). I managed to get off to a good start and peeled off the line to squeeze out the boats above me and block the boats below me. I easily crossed the fleet and got around the top mark in 2nd with Kevin about 10 boat lengths in front of the fleet.
The race turned into a match race and I steadily gained on Kevin throughout the race and the fleet dropped off behind us. The final beat while dodging radials upto the finish kevin got caught up in a small gaggle and it gave me the room to come back at him and tack underneath him on the favoured end of the line to win !!! (Kevin was black flagged but it was a great race anyway).
The next race was a carbon copy of the 1st and I punched out in almost exactly the same place on the line and squeezed off the fleet to take an early lead. Luckily once i reached the left layline I just tacked and footed across a knock to cross the whole fleet and its outliers to take a 50m lead. I just tried to advance the lead from there and comfortably took the win and ofcourse with a predictable fist pump the regatta !!!
Thanks to my parents for transporting my boat and sorting out the hotel. Also special mention goes to Nick my little brother who had his glamour moments (a few top 6 results in a strong radial fleet) but is still getting used to the laser fleets after his transfer from 29ers. Hes off to Sweden for 4 months on Friday to go to a Seglar Gymnasium (Sailing School) where he will do half day academics and half day training!
Finally great job by the PRO and volunteers who made the regatta possible even with the tough tide and shifty winds. A great regatta had by all and if I was in Australia in July I would be looking forward to the Winter In Paradise regatta.
NSW & ACT District Laser Association 2007 – 2008 State Championship held at Port Stephens 8 & 9 March 2008 Results Standard Rig Scores take into account 1 discard
| No |
Sailno |
Name
|
Scores |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| 1 |
186663 |
Ashley Brunning, O, WSC |
12.0 |
(5) |
5 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
| 2 |
191603 |
Jye Murray, O, B16SC |
12.0 |
(14) |
2 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
| 3 |
187903 |
Mark Langford, O, B16SC |
14.0 |
4 |
1 |
(7) |
6 |
3 |
| 4 |
192588 |
Sean Feeney, A, MHASC |
15.0 |
3 |
(12) |
5 |
3 |
4 |
| 5 |
188827 |
Kevin Lim, O, WSC |
20.0 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
(bfd) |
8 |
| 6 |
177729 |
Nick Skulander, O, GSC |
24.0 |
2 |
6 |
(14) |
4 |
12 |
| 7 |
183009 |
Ash Lloyd, O, RQYS |
25.0 |
6 |
4 |
(11) |
9 |
6 |
| 8 |
188608 |
Joshua Chant, O, RPAYC |
26.0 |
(15) |
11 |
1 |
5 |
9 |
| 9 |
190362 |
Rob Lowndes, GM, MHASC |
27.0 |
7 |
(22) |
2 |
7 |
11 |
| 10 |
159148 |
Jared West, O, RQYS |
42.0 |
16 |
9 |
(27) |
16 |
2 |
| 11 |
191609 |
Nick Cleary, O, MHASC |
42.0 |
10 |
15 |
9 |
8 |
(17) |
| 12 |
191614 |
Jack Sprague, Y, GSC |
43.0 |
12 |
7 |
13 |
11 |
(16) |
| 13 |
172259 |
Simon Hunter, Y, B16SC |
52.0 |
8 |
13 |
16 |
(19) |
15 |
| 14 |
186647 |
Tom Lowndes, O, MHASC |
54.0 |
27 |
10 |
(30) |
10 |
7 |
| 15 |
168139 |
Chris Meech, M, GSC |
55.0 |
(20) |
19 |
6 |
17 |
13 |
| 16 |
184247 |
Rob Weiss, M, RPAYC |
58.0 |
17 |
8 |
23 |
(dnf) |
10 |
| 17 |
169700 |
Rick Longbottom, M, RANSA |
58.0 |
9 |
17 |
20 |
12 |
(22) |
| 18 |
179412 |
Mitchell Buckingham, Y, GSC |
62.0 |
(29) |
14 |
12 |
22 |
14 |
| 19 |
184669 |
Grant Lovelady, A, DBSC |
64.0 |
23 |
18 |
10 |
13 |
(bfd) |
| 20 |
188617 |
Mark Gleeson, A, MHASC |
70.0 |
(21) |
21 |
15 |
15 |
19 |
| 21 |
176886 |
Chris Dewhurst, A, WallSC |
71.0 |
13 |
(30) |
17 |
20 |
21 |
| 22 |
178623 |
Greig Ebeling, M, RPAYC |
72.0 |
11 |
29 |
(35) |
14 |
18 |
| 23 |
192599 |
Andrew Bate, M, ASC |
87.0 |
(30) |
16 |
18 |
25 |
28 |
| 24 |
181724 |
Samuel Sexton, O, RPAYC |
87.0 |
22 |
(33) |
22 |
18 |
25 |
| 25 |
182980 |
John Sprague, GM, GSC |
91.0 |
25 |
27 |
19 |
(bfd) |
20 |
| 26 |
175295 |
Phil Lucas, A, MHASC |
96.0 |
24 |
20 |
28 |
24 |
(bfd) |
| 27 |
184254 |
Matt Duryea, M, ASC |
99.0 |
18 |
28 |
29 |
(33) |
24 |
| 28 |
192699 |
Steve Wawn, GM, RPEYC |
100.0 |
26 |
25 |
26 |
23 |
(30) |
| 29 |
181906 |
Frank Walsh, GM, MHASC |
106.0 |
32 |
24 |
(33) |
27 |
23 |
| 30 |
143433 |
Jeff Finnegan, M, DAC |
108.0 |
(36) |
23 |
32 |
21 |
32 |
| 31 |
188794 |
Kevin Burman, M, HHSC |
116.0 |
19 |
34 |
37 |
(bfd) |
26 |
| 32 |
181691 |
Warwick Nichols, M, B16SC |
118.0 |
28 |
26 |
21 |
(dns) |
dns |
| 33 |
103657 |
Chris Schauwecker, A, NLSC |
121.0 |
(dnf) |
38 |
25 |
31 |
27 |
| 34 |
191613 |
Darren Hoppe, M, A12SC |
122.0 |
31 |
39 |
24 |
28 |
(bfd) |
| 35 |
172258 |
Frank Hillier, GM, GSC |
125.0 |
33 |
32 |
(34) |
29 |
31 |
| 36 |
185360 |
Fergus Scott, A, RPAYC |
126.0 |
34 |
37 |
(41) |
26 |
29 |
| 37 |
185814 |
Ian Ponton, M, ASC |
137.0 |
35 |
31 |
(38) |
36 |
35 |
| 38 |
163912 |
Paul Clune, M, LCA2SSC |
139.0 |
38 |
35 |
36 |
30 |
(bfd) |
| 39 |
193092 |
William Quinn, M, IYC |
143.0 |
37 |
(41) |
40 |
32 |
34 |
| 40 |
187913 |
Warwick Nowland, GGM, NLSC |
146.0 |
(40) |
40 |
39 |
34 |
33 |
| 41 |
184681 |
Greg Longhurst, A, IYC |
151.0 |
41 |
36 |
31 |
(bfd) |
bfd |
| 42 |
189035 |
Francois Hillier, O, GSC |
152.0 |
39 |
(42) |
42 |
35 |
36 |
