Australian B14 National Championships at Woollahra Sailing Club - Day 4

Day 4 was another overcast day with the breeze in the North East at 8-12 knots. Two races were sailed starting at Shark Island, with the first race commencing at 1400hrs.

First race of the day was race 9. The race got away to a clean start with Bang Bang (Rick Plain and Alice Walker) heading left and leading into the top mark. They held on till the finish with The Nude (Richie Reynolds and Lissa McMillan) finishing fast down the final run to overtake OMFTB (Guy Bancroft and Lachie Imeneo). The competition was fierce in the mid fleet with a large group of boats finishing together. Cromarty Engineering (Clare Cromarty and Cole Dabner) were witnessed pulling off an awesome gybe in front of Fairyland (Gerry and Leaky) on the finish line.

Race 10 started in similar conditions. After the start OMFTB split to the far left gaining a huge lead which was easily held to the finish. The Hitchers (Robbie Hunt and Dave McAully) rounded the top mark in second place with a large group of chase boats close behind. The group bunched together at the bottom mark in low pressure causing slight chaos. On the second work majority of the fleet went left and remained in relatively close quarters back up to the top mark. In the end Bang Bang finished second with The Nude close on their heels in third.

Due to their consistent results, OMFTB maintains their lead with The Nude only 3 points behind. The top five places are still in close contention making for a highly strategic and interesting set of races tomorrow.

Off the Water Shenanigans:

The weather mildly improved this afternoon allowing for part two of "Bugger the Bone Extravaganza" – the State of Origin stand-up paddle board competition. The teams conducted a relay style race around two boats near the ramp. A great number of spectator lined the shores as competitors ran from the WSC gate to the boards at the waters edge.

NSW competitor, Theo Small, instantly took the lead as Tasmanian crews battled the unstable craft. NSW continued to lead the series as the remaining states battle each other (literally) for second place. NSW then lost the lead to the ACT in the final leg.

Congratulations should go to the ACT team for their great comeback, however they were disqualified from the series for not being a true state of Australia. The day ended with everyone having a great laugh together as people continued to try their luck at this sail-less sport. The afternoon showed that majority of us should stick to sailing. Thanks to Richie, Lissa and Adrian for organising this event.

Results after day 4: