Hansa Victorian State Championships – Feb 2022

Full results are available here.

Flying 15 Victorian Championship – 2012/13

Full fledged champions Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones sailing on Flying Fifteen, ‘I’d Swap This For A Bundy’, have won again with superlative racing at the Fiftieth Flying Fifteen Victorian Championship this Labour Day weekend. Held at the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club in Paynesville, Adam and Ben sailed extraordinarily well winning first in four out of six races and a second in the fifth. This success is not new to them as in January this year they also took the Australian Championship which was held at Davey’s Bay Yacht Club on Port Phillip, Melbourne.

Celebrating the fiftieth championship for the Flying Fifteen International- Victoria Association, the club was honoured by having two sailors sailing who had sailed in the very first championship fifty years ago at the Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club. Bill Shand and Alexander (Sandy) Macleod both were among the sailors who sailed in the original five boat championship with Sandy sailing the very same Flying Fifteen, Erica. Sandy’s grandson William Bagnato crewed for him this year.

With 32 boats racing, the GLYC was very busy with their crane lifting the lovely bulb keel Fifteens in and out of the water each day. The weather was mostly benign with light winds on Saturday morning then beefier wind in the afternoon for the next two races.

‘I’d Swap This For a Bundy’ took firsts in the first three races in both yardstick and elapsed time.

Saturday night was a celebration of 50 years of the class in Victoria with close to 100 people attending the night. Acknowledgement was made to the class life members with a celebratory dinner and speeches at the club with sailors and their families relaxing and enjoying the night.

Sunday morning came in quietly as a cat with virtually no wind at all. Though those serving breakfast at the GLYC for the Marlay Point Over Night Race sailors were prepared for a big crush of boats arriving early to finish at the club, racing in all forms was at a standstill.

The first MPONR boat to slide in around 7:15 am was ‘Rush’, a Thomson8, and then not another till well past mid morning.

The Flying Fifteens had their 1:00 pm start postponed and were seriously wondering if they’d get any racing in at all. After having their Annual General Meeting early to whittle away the time, the wind finally fluttered in at around 5 knots to allow the fleet to sail two more races starting at 3:30 to complete the minimum number of races for a series.

‘Relience Ffenty Ffoo’ sailed by local club members Bill Shand and David Parish, stole a first in yardstick and elapsed time in race 4. Then in race 5, Adam and Ben on ‘I’d Swap This For a Bundy’ charged back for the win.

After another enjoyable night of pizza and possibly some grog and the Great Shave at GLYC, the Flying Fifteens were hoping Monday morning to complete a sixth race before the mid-day deadline.

Fortunately, at 11:30 there was enough wind for the final race of the championship. This time Ian and Craig Rainey on ‘Where the Bloody Hell Are We’? got a really good start off the line and kept their lead the whole race to take the win.

All the boats were then hoisted up out of the water onto their waiting trailers and made fast for their long trips home. Sailors then met again for their awards presentation and farewells till the next championship.

Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones won the overall Victorian Championship. They sail out of Mordialloc Sailing Club though Adam hails from Bendigo and learned his craft sailing on Lake Eppalock at Bendigo Yacht Club.

They are looking forward to the Flying Fifteen Worlds which will be held in Hong Kong in November this year.

Second for the championship were Craig and Ian Rainey from the GLYC on ‘Where The Bloody Hell Are We’? And third were Jeni and Peter Danks on ‘Fforgetful’.

In the Classic division, Phil Parish and Matthew Richards won on ‘Iffy’ from Royal South Australia Yacht Squadron. In the Silver division, Andrew and Errol Peck from GLYC sailing won on ‘Ffirsty’.

All in all it was a very successful championship with members of Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club pitching in on the water in rescue and start boats and on land moving trollies, preparing meals, tending bar and seeing to the needs of the participants. Lyn Wallace wore two hats being the GLYC coordinator off water and Secretary for the Flying Fifteen Victorian Association. Sailors left very satisfied and happy with the three-day event.

Mosquito and Taipan National Titles 2012/13

Over an epic two and a half weeks the 2012/13 Mosquito Spinnaker Australian Titles, the 2012/13 Mosquito Australian Titles and the 2012/13 Taipan, Capricorn, Viper Australian Championship were run. Thirty races over 11 days in all. The lakes turned on suberb conditions throughout and it was a huge effort by the many volunteers and especially by James Frecheville who calmly kept everything under control.

Results of all three series are available here:
2012/13 Taipan, Capricorn, Viper Australian Championship
2012/13 Mosquito Australian Titles
2012/13 Mosquito Spinnaker Australian Titles

Trailable State Titles 10/11

The Victorian Trailable Yacht Championships were held here over the weekend of April 2nd and 3rd. Participants were in agreement that it was a very well run championship and are looking forward to coming back.

Within the Trailable Championships, the Hartley and the Castle Associations held their State Championships as well.

Definitely starring in the show was Stuart Loft with Andrew Somerville and David Eickmeyer crewing on Spudgun, an RL24. In the six races held over the weekend he pulled three first places and three second places in Division 2 winning him the championship.

A brilliant sailing day on Saturday allowed three races to be run. Magic Pudding, a Zeeman 6.5 skippered by Phill Mannes from MYC, won all three Div 1 races that day (winning him a first in his division for the championships).

Sunday also allowed three races to be run with the wind puffing up progressively harder posing more of a challenge to the trailer sailors.

Below is Gary Maskiell’s recounting of his experience on the rescue boat as things got “hotter”:

“I had a hard day on the big duck rescue 1 with Ben. There were a number of man overboards which were picked up by the R.S. Thomson, one of which we then transferred from the R.S. back to the yacht, an Elliott, I think. Don’t know why they all went overboard; I think I heard one was a swan dive after being hit by the boom.

Winds were not that strong at the start of the day, guess 15 knots. But did build up quite a bit.

As the day went on a number of boats were knocked flat, both upwind and downwind; not many had reefs in. A lot were rocking and rolling downwind as they were running very square on the windward and return course, with the odd broach and chinese gybe. But all came back up right.

Then in the last race the wind was probably peaking at 25 kts and the fleet was generally struggling; a few more reefed, but the majority were full rag still. We watched the second placed RL 24 (Darryn and Mitchell Dyer on Whatever) surfing on the waves on the last run of the race. We were about 3/4 of the way down the run and took our eyes off them after they passed us with only about 100m to go to the bottom mark. Then one of the passing Trailer sailors yelled out to us: We turned around to see the RL laying on its side.

We rushed across. All sailors were hanging on to the up-turned boat and Darryn said he didn’t want to right it as it may sink. There were washboards floating around amongst other stuff; only the air trapped in the hull was keeping it afloat. We proceeded to tow it towards the island, with the boat laying on its side and the crew hanging on and dragging in the water. They were picked up one by one by the R.S. as they where getting cold.

Finally the owner, Darryn who had been hanging on to the rigging to stop the mast coming up, went to the R.S. as well. We continued to tow to the island and just before we got there the mast flipped up and the boat was upright with sails filled for a moment. Then it tipped on its side again much deeper in the water with just the gunwale above the water. We kept towing until it hit the bottom in about 6ft of water and left it there with a float attached. Later the R.S. and the big duck went back out with the owner and a local diver with air bags and re-floated the boat and towed it in.

It was definitely a big day for the rescue boats, very memorable.”

In spite of Whatever’s strife in the last race, they placed second in Div 2 as well as second overall in the Championships.

Congratulations again to Stuart Loft for his excellent performance resulting in taking the first for the championships. Also from GLYC, Nova, an Ultimate 18 skippered by Mark Jefferis with Glen McGarvie crewing, won second in Division 1 in the Trailable Championships.

In the Hartley states, Tarquin skippered by Colin Theodore was first in the Hartley 18s and Queen of Harts sailed by Colin Orchard, won the Hartley 21s. In the Castle Championships, Satisfaction, a Castle 650, gave his skipper Colin Svenson just that, satisfaction in winning first place.

Trailable State Titles Results
Hartley and Castle State Titles Results

Mosquito and Arrow State Titles 10/11

The Mosquito and Arrow State Titles were run over the March long weekend and 31 boats came to the event. The forecast was for light to medium winds generally ranging from 5 to 15 knots with 15 to 20 knots on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately the wind didn�t arrive in any stable condition and the sea breeze struggled against northerly winds for most of the weekend.

Two races were scheduled for Saturday afternoon and were run as planned. There were a few points in the race where trapezing was possible but generally the race was spent moving around on the trampoline trying to minimize wetted area by flying a hull. Shannon Wilson and Neil and David Joiner started the titles in magnificent fashion with wins in both races of their respective divisions.

Two races were scheduled for Sunday morning but with a lack of any consistent breeze all morning racing was postponed and eventually cancelled. The postponement allowed sailors the opportunity to review the Marlay Point yachts as they trickled into Paynesville. This included the massive catamaran “Mad Max” which was impressively dismantled in the car park on its specially designed trailer by a team of 5 crew. We also heard that many of the Marlay Point yachts had dropped anchor in the straits at Holland’s Landing due to lack of wind and a current pushing the yachts backwards.

Two Sunday afternoon races were scheduled and ran as planned. Matt Stone won the first race in the cat rigged division and Stuart Ridge won the second race. Neil and David Joiner continued their unbeaten record in the sloop rigged division. Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula had received torrential rain in the afternoon and the black clouds to the West were a sign of things to come. As soon as the evening AGM was closed the drops of rain started to fall and the wind strength picked up. Many sailors were seen scurrying about tying down their yachts in the pouring rain and wind.

Despite more light and fickle winds, two races were run in the final Monday morning session. The shifting wind pattern required adjustment of the course and the second race was abandoned on the first upwind beat due to shifting winds. Shannon Wilson continued his winning form in both races whilst Neil and David Joiner won the first race but Sarah and Mick Floyd won the second race.

Series results

Fireball National Titles 10/11

A fleet of 19 boats contested this regatta in possibly the best ever conditions experienced over the Xmas-New Year period for many years. It was glorious sailing in mostly 8 – 12 knot seabreezes with an exception being one heat sailed in a 20 knot southerly. Ten heats were sailed over the five day Championship event and on one day so steady was the afternoon seabreeze that three races were run without moving a mark. A lazy day for Dave Bacon and James on the RSThomson course boat!

The Fireballs certainly offered a spectacle with tight reaches under spinnaker and close quarter beating. The Adelaide Sailing Club were well represented taking 6 of the first seven places, with Thommo and Eddy in Kiss taking the gold from the popular pair, Lauren and Beth in Fred.

The Club was alive with visitors and with members out to help make sure this regatta was a memorable event. Thanks to all those who stuck their hand up to help run these titles, both on and off the water. And a special thank you to the crew in the Kitchen for the Presentation Dinner for a fabulous effort providing a first class meal. The effort and enthusiasm of our members during this event was exceptional and was acknowledged by the many Fireballers throughout the regatta. They all enjoyed themselves. As did all the Race Management and Catering team.

Series results
Invitation race results

Victorian Catamaran Championships 2010

The first day was an awesome day! Four races run, the first two in 15-16 knots, the second two in 18-19 knots. Cat heaven! The second day we drifted out to the start area and were met with 20 konts plus on arrival. After a bit of waiting for the wind to settle the day’s sailing was called off.

Results can be viewed here:
Overall championship
Divisional results

Sabre State Titles

The 2009 Sabre Victorian Championship was sailed at GLYC over the Labour Day long weekend. The clear winner overall was Chris Dance sailing on Espresso, who also won the Seniors division. The best performance by a GLYC sailor was Tim Heaney in Sabretage who finished 6th overall. First in the Super Vets division was John Dick on Zither, with Big Day Out, sailed by B Eastgate, taking out the Vets division. Steve Douglas on Sea-N-Red won the Grand Master Division, with Alan Riley on Zap coming first in the Masters division. The ever consistent Fiona McCulloch on Splash won the Ladies division. Jack Felsenthal from Black Rock Sailing Club/GLYC, won the Juniors in ‘132’, followed by GLYC’s Breanna Collins in Kaboom. Other GLYC Sabre sailors who brought home trophies in handicap divisions included Mark Jefferis on Pipit, Rob van Elden on Pocket Maxi, and Peter Lessels on Happy Hour.

Saturday’s two races were held in challenging 20 knot winds which provided an exciting ride. The wind was a lot kinder on Sunday averaging 10-12 knots, allowing the competitors to enjoy some good tactical racing. The Monday morning race had to be called off due to lack of pressure.

Boats (lower l to r) Sabretage, Kaboom, Leadlight, ???

Javelin State Titles

The 2008 Victorian Javelin Championship was sailed at GLYC over the Labour Day long weekend. Although the fleet was smaller than expected, with only 10 boats participating from Elwood SC, Chelsea YC, and Beaumaris YC, the standard of competition between the top boats was very high. Four races were sailed in light to moderate conditions to complete the series; two races had previously been sailed at Chelsea YC. The stand out winner of the GLYC series was Liquor Box from Chelsea YC sailed by Brent Frankcombe and Brett Taylor, but since they did not compete in all the previous races they were relegated to 4th place overall. The 2008 Vic Title went to Himalayan Woman sailed by Aaron Hirst and Paul Newman also from Chelsea YC

RESULTS

• OVERALL – 1: Himalayan Woman, A.Hirst/P.Newman, Chelsea YC, 2: LA Woman, J.Thomson/G.Parsons, Elwood SC, 3: Unzipped. B.Williams/C.Vaughan, Chelsea YC
• GLYC RACES – 1: Liquor Box, B.Frankcombe/B.Taylor, Chelsea YC 5 pts, 2: Himalayan Woman, A.Hirst/P.Newman, Chelsea YC, 9 pts, Razor, P.Sharp/L.Sharp, Beaumaris YC, 14pts

Impulse Nationals

The 2007/2008 24th Australian Impulse Championships was sailed at GLYC over the Christmas New Year period. The fleet of 39 boats came from as far away as the Port Curtis SC in QLD, Oxley SC in QLD, South Lakes Macquarie Amateur SC and Toukley SC in NSW, Port River SC in SA. The Victorian boats represented clubs at Albert Park, Hampton, Chelsea, Portarlington, Indented Head, Colac, Westernport, and Inverloch. A large fleet of 8 boats made the long trek from Oxley SC on the Brisbane River to participate. Toby Whittle from SLMASC was defending his title, and four previous Australian Champions were on hand to try and take it off him.

Ten races were sailed in warm conditions and moderate sea breezes. Two races were abandoned due to strong easterly winds on the second last day. The Impulses revelled in the conditions sailing hard and fast around back-to-back trapeziodal courses

The racing was very competitive with eight different winners over the ten races, and very close finishes between similar performing boats in each heat. Large fleets of Masters (14), Grand Masters (8), added to the excitement. The overall winner was Toby Whittle sailing Cosmosoarus from South Lakes Macquarie Amateur SC in NSW who sailed very consistently to win the Invitation race and record heat scores of 1,1,2,2,1,3,3,7,4 after dropping the last heat.

SERIES WINNERS

• OPEN – Cosmosoarus, Toby Whittle, South Lakes Macquarie Amateur SC (NSW), 2: Orange Roughy, Toby Leppin. South Gippsland YC (VIC), 3: Dragonheart, Dougall Watt, Albert Park YC (VIC)
• HANDICAP – 1: Orange Roughy, Toby Leppin, South Gippsland YC (VIC), 2: Potential Energy, Paul Foster, South Lakes Macquarie Amateur SC (NSW), 3: Dogs Gone Mad, Glenn Bond, Toukley SC (NSW)
• JUNIOR – Without a Paddle, Nick Aldridge, PortCurtis SC (QLD)
• LADIES – Mojo, Monica Jones, Hampton SC (VIC)
• MASTERS – Flying Oyster, Ron Parker, Albert SC (VIC)
• GRAND MASTERS – Maddog, Mike Howell, Albert SC (VIC)
• GREAT GRAND MASTERS – Affi, Keith Cousens, South Gippsland YC (VIC)

Fireball State Titles

The Fireball 2007 State Titles were sailed at the GLYC on the 10/11 March. Fireball weather prevailed with a good sea breeze for the three races on Saturday and a freshening south-westerly giving good planing conditions for the two Sunday races. Fifteen boats competed from as far away as Apollo Bay, and the racing was very competitive. The clear winner, with five first places, was ‘Rock Star’ skippered by Heather McFarlane and crewed by Chris Payne. The minor placings were hotly contested with ‘Sugar and Spice’, Ian Ravenscroft and Paul Grant taking second place, one point in front of ‘Scarlet Manuka’, sailed by Phillip Peverell and Steven Baum. Just a point behind in fourth place, was Vic Sailing Supplies, skippered by Warren Slater with Glen Peverell on the wire. The Fireball Association generously loaned their club boat ‘Trilogy’ to GLYC members Gary and Neil Maskiell, and despite not having sailed a Fireball for some time, they performed creditably to finish in 10th place.

125 National Championships

The 2006/7 125 National Championships are now finished. Some 42 boats from as far away Townsville and Perth attended. Congratulations to local GLYC boys Mitchell Meade and Nick Baglioni who won the Handicap Series in Team RSL #3154 (photo top left), and to Tim and Nicholas Willersdorf in ‘JIT’ #2890 who came 8th on Handicap.

Final Overall results: 1st: Waterloo C.Anderson (Qld) 6pts, 2nd: ‘J’ D.Brewer (Qld) 13 pts, 3rd Scorpion J.Scott (Vic) 23 pts, 4th Night Flight L.Johnson (NSW) 26 pts

Final Handicap results: 1st Team RSL M.Meade (Vic Junior) 44pts, 2nd Status Quo V.Callow (Qld) 50pts, Equal 3rd Give Way G.Brown (NSW) 60pts and 4th Jens Gem J.Bakker (NSW) 60pts

Placegetters (photos below l-r): 1st Waterloo, 2nd ‘J’, 3rd Scorpion, and 4th Night Flight