ISail Whitsunday B14 World Championship at McCrae Yacht Club

ISail Whitsunday B14 World Championship at McCrae Yacht Club - Day 1

by Jane Moffat 3 Jan 2015 08:24 GMT 2-6 January 2015

B14 World Championships on Port Phillip Bay © Rhenny Cunningham

I'm a bit dizzy

Day one conditions at the ISail Whitsunday B14 Worlds were not looking promising a weak north easterly threatened to completely fade. However Race Officer Peter Merritt found a magic spot on the water and squeezed in two races.

A clear start in race one saw GBR 788 Seavolution sailed by Mark Barnes and Alicia Clifford hit the windward mark first but a bad kite drop at the leeward mark set them back to third. AUS 793 Guy Bancroft and Lachlan Imeneo were in second at the windward mark and were pushing hard but with Imeneo losing his footing they also had a bad kite drop leaving Brent Francombe and Leigh Dunstan to move from third to first.

Bancroft and Imeneo fought back and keeping close inshore upwind took the gun in race one. Bancroft commented that they've "had a good start to the championship". After a disappointing nationals and probably not as much preparation time in the new boat as they would have liked, the good start will have done much to restore faith in boat, body and mind.

It seemed that a lot of teams were finding their feet as Tom Pygall sailing AUS 761 Whitstable Marine got his feet caught during a gybe and just managed to stay in the boat. Having finished first in the Australian Championships Pygall and skipper Chris Lewns are looking for another podium finish during this championship. Lewns and Pygall may have a secret weapon in Ian "Bunny" Warren as their coach; although comments about "Bunny always supplying good bottles of red wine at dinner" may be a benefit to their competitors.

With a 10th place in the Australian Championships AUS 371 Rick Plain and Alice Walker had a blistering second race finishing first leaving them sitting in fourth overall. Plain and Walker are looking for a top 10 place overall with a couple of top three race finishes, looks like they are on course.

B14 World Championships on Port Phillip Bay - photo © Rhenny Cunningham

With the wind remaining consistent race two got under way with a clear start but for Barnes and Clifford it turned into something more akin to the nursery rhyme round and round the mulberry bush. They led off the committee boat at the start but by the end of the race they had done three... yes three 360's, including one with their kite up. So like a game of snakes and ladders they moved from back of the fleet to near the top of the fleet before sliding back down and finishing 11th. Barnes' comment on the day, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, "I'm a bit dizzy".

Results after Day 1:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	Pts
1	AUS 793	Guy Bancroft	Lachlan Imeneo	McCYC	1	2	3
2	AUS 375	Brent Frankcombe	Leigh Dunstan	MMYC	2	3	5
3	GBR 761	Chris Lewns	Tom Pygall	WYC	4	5	9
4	AUS 371	Rick Plain	Alice Walker	MH16SC	11	1	12
5	AUS 780	Richard Reynolds	Lissa McMillan	WSC	8	4	12
6	GBR 788	Mark Barnes	Alica Clifford	WYC	3	11	14
7	GBR 787	Alan Davis	Kathy Sherratt	WSC (Weston)	10	6	16
8	AUS 373	Ian Cunningham	David Cunningham	McCYC	6	10	16
9	GBR 770	Simon Hadley	Nikki Hadley	WYC	9	9	18
10	GBR 791	Mark Watts	Chris Bishop	WSC (Weston)	7	12	19
11	GBR 785	Peter Knight	Crispin Taylor	RSC	5	16	21
12	GBR 786	Geraldine Fermor‑Brown	Leaky Fermor‑Brown	WYC	13	8	21
13	AUS 781	Stuart Wood	Ben Jones	McCYC	18	7	25
14	AUS 792	Adrian Beswick	Jono LeBis	LYC	15	13	28
15	AUS 782	Andre Webster	Craig Davidson	CYC	17	14.5	31.5
16	AUS 361	Cole Dabner	Clare Cromarty	PDYC	12	21	33
17	AUS 778	Sophie Hunt	Andrew Payne	WSC	16	19	35
18	AUS 378	Nick Darlow	David Grace	McCYC	21	14.5	35.5
19	GBR 764	Tony Blackmore	Meg Baker	SYC (Starcross)	14	22	36
20	FRA 777	Sebastien Le Cam	Sophie Le Cam	PSS	19	18	37
21	AUS 374	Allen Graham	James Reynolds	CYC	23	20	43
22	AUS 367	Stephen Miller	Lauren Bird	MPYC	27	17	44
23	AUS 372	Robert Hunt	David McAully	KBSC	25	23	48
24	GBR 2	Craig Garmston	Guy Raynes		20	29	49
25	AUS 794	Kelvin Boyle	Amy Van Gaylen	McCYC	24	27	51
26	AUS 1378	Dave Lorimer	Scott Munro	McCYC	26	25	51
27	AUS 779	Mark Lainson	Mark O'Brien	McCYC	22	31	53
28	AUS 370	Freya Vickery	Ross Berryman	SYC	29	24	53
29	GBR 735	Tom Gatehouse	Kate Wardle	NSC	30	26	56
30	GBR 694	Alistair Moppett	Rory Moppett	BBSC	34	28	62
31	AUS 357	Anthony House	Max Unruh	WSC	28	34	62
32	AUS 355	Stephen Mitchell	Adrianne Daly	MPYC	32	30	62
33	AUS 351	Glenn Cardwell	Dylan Cardwell	PKSC	31	33	64
34	AUS 280	Sarah Walker	Matthew Walker	RQYS	33	35	68
35	AUS 368	Geoff Waldon	Jim Gaal	WSC	39	32	71
36	AUS 156	Ewan Campbell	Tori Campbell	SBSC	35	36	71
37	AUS 299	Luis Miranda	Kostya Marchenko	WSC	36	38	74
38	AUS 376	Nathan Reynolds	Kate Fourneaux	CYC	38	37	75
39	AUS 379	Ron Kane	Alex Albert	McCYC	37	39	76
40	AUS 354	Thomas O'Brien	Hugo Briggs	McCYC	DNF	DNC	82