News

Tasmania's young sailors excel in The Showdown

Peter Campbell (2009-11-01 14:57:48)

Tasmania's most promising young sailors today displayed the skills that could make them future national champions when they competed in the State's newest regatta, The Showdown, on Hobart's Derwent River.

A total of 147 off-the-beach dinghies, skiffs, catamarans and sailboards are competing in the three day regatta that began with a twilight race for keelboats on Friday evening. Today saw a 'sea of sail' on the Derwent.

The fleet was boosted today with yachts competing in the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's second and third Pennant races, but results for Division 1 of the Pennant and The Showdown are tonight subject to protests involving at least
six boats.

In the off-the-beach classes there was just one protest lodged, subsequently withdrawn, with the smaller boats enjoying a magnificent day of regatta racing.

With seabreeze coming in early and freshening from six knots to 15 knots in the afternoon, the dinghy sailors had to adapt to a wide variety of sailing conditions as well as intense peer competition in each of the many classes.

In the highly competitive Laser Radial class, George Jones sailing Gutted Rabbit has a one point lead over Shake 'n' Bake, sailed by Elliot Noye, who captained The Hutchins School team in its recent success as top school in the Interdominion Secondary Schools Team Racing Championship. Launceston sailor Angus Barton, sailing Tiller Happy, is third on 12 points, all three being race winners.


For the Sabots this regatta is the final series to select the Tasmanian team for the Australians championships and today Kingston Beach Sailing Club's Dylon Gore scored four straight wins in Red Herring. In second place going
into Sunday's final races is Robbie Hunt, also from Kingston Beach, with Jock Calvert sailing Loose Cannon from the RYCT in third place.

Kingston Beach Sailing Club members are also doing well in the Mirror class, with Jenny Graney, skippering Carpe Diem, heading the series ahead of Matt Schofield, sailing Pukeko, from Austin's Ferry Sailing Club and 2007 national champion Jessie Atherton, steering Kamikaze, also from Kingston Beach.

Competition is close in the International Cadet class with al competitors from Sandy Bay Sailing Club. Impulse (Alec Bailey) is just one point ahead of Sirocco (Ella Conner) with another two points to Pour Quoi (Georgina Kennedy).

Other off-the-beach class leaders after today's racing are: Dame Pattie (Ian Ross) in the 2.4m class, NOFX, Richard Steedman's Laser in the Mixed Division, the Taipan 4.9 The Cat in the Hat, skippered by Mark Gardner, in the Multihull division, Feel Addicted (Silka Price) in the 420's, Starboard 159 (Ian Johnston) in the Formula Sailboards, NOFX (Richard Sleeman) in the Laser standard rig and Cold Reason (Lewis Noye) in Laser 4.7s.

Rob Gough, sailing altitude, heads in the spectacular Moth Foiler class, while other class leaders are Norwegian Blue (Scott Wilkie) in the NS14, Popeye (Angus Lane) in Optimists, X-static (Morgan Davies) in the Sabot Development class, Snap-E-Tom (Thomas Cooper) in the Sabot two-up class and Essence (Matt Westland) in the Sabre class, Gun Smoke (Paul Burnell) in the Sharpies and Wally (Tim Jones) in the Windsurfers.

In the keelboats, Stephen Boyes followed his Friday evening twilight success with his Farr 40 Wired, notching up three firsts and a third today, but Division 1 results are subject to protest, both in The Showdown and the Pennant series.


Going into the final day of racing, Wired looks almost unbeatable in the Farr 40s with her nearest rivals being War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) and Voodoo Chile (Lloyd Clark).

Don Calvert's Intrigue won both the IRC and AMS divisions of the opening race for Division 1 on Friday evening but final results from today's racing are subject to protest.

[go back...]

Deegan Marine Boat Show this weekend 14 and 15 August : Deegan Marine cash capsule (hourly draw) Fishcare with kids magnetic fishing Live trout display by the Young Anglers development club
Scallop dive fatality off Bruny: A MOONAH man has died while diving for scallops in the d'Entrecasteaux Channel.
Young Tasmanian sailors around the World - Update: Tasmanian sailors Zac Pullen from Hobart and Angus Barton from Launceston are well down the overall standings after the third day of competition in the Laser Radial World Youth Championships being sailed at Largs, Scotland.
Forty boats brave mid-winter on the Derwent: Derwent Sailing Squadron's third race of its Winter Pennants update: Like winter racing anywhere in Australia, the winds cometh and goeth.
26-metre 'Cat Cocos' ferry designed by Incat Crowther: To be built in Tasmania by Richardson Devine Marine, 'Cat Cocos III' will be the third vessel Incat Crowther has designed for the operator.
Team Whistler gaining ground in British Three Peaks: Team Whistler, Australia’s sole entry in the British Three Peaks Race, tonight are steadily gaining ground on the leading UK boats as they sail up the rugged coast of Scotland on the final on-water leg of the challenging combination of short-handed sail
British Three Peaks - Tasmania's Team Whistler win first sailing leg: Team Whistler from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania has won the first sailing leg of the British Three Peaks Race, from Barmouth to Caernarfon in Wales, with its runners started out on the cross country run and steep climb to the top of Mount Snowdon and
Team Whistler leading British Three Peaks race: Hobart yachtsman David Rees and his team face a unique experience in the British Three Peaks Race that starts in Wales tonight – 'taking an ocean racer white water rafting.'
Austal closing Tassie doors: SHIPBUILDER Austal has this morning announced it will close its Tasmanian operations.
The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania – Dramatic women’s sailing regatta: Experienced Hobart yachtswoman Lisa Blackwood today won a hard-fought and, at times, dramatic Sargison Jewellers Tasmanian women’s keelboat regatta on a windswept Derwent River that saw two ‘women overboard’ incidents.