Ichi Ban states intention with opening hat-trick at Sail Port Stephens
by Lisa Ratcliff, SPS media 15 Apr 2016 12:15 BST
11-17 April 2016
Matt Allen's NSW IRC Championship title quest is in full swing with three straight wins and an early IRC division 1 series lead for his TP52 Ichi Ban on the opening day at Sail Port Stephens.
Three IRC fleets ran through three windward/leeward races offshore in building NE winds north of Cabbage Tree Island, at the mouth of Port Stephens on the NSW coast. The occasional RAAF training exercise overhead, radio instructions from the race committee and the odd raised voice at busy mark roundings were among the only noises heard on the otherwise quiet course area, described by Allen as one of the best in Australia.
Best results of the day in IRC division 2 were collected by Pauline and Andrew Dally's DK46 Khaleesi from Middle Harbour Yacht Club and in division 3, their clubmate Philip Dash' well sailed Justadash Beneteau leads Rob Howard's sistership Schouten Passage by three points.
An OCS at the start of race two was the only slip-up on Ichi Ban according to Allen. "Our crew work was really good and our hoists and drops were near perfect. You don't ever sail and not learn something; you just have to make sure you aren't relearning the same thing from regatta to regatta. It takes a long time to move forward that way. Today we got the boat planing in the 13-16 knots and powered away downwind," said the skipper and Sail Port Stephens patron.
He's made no secret of his intention to give this year's national IRC title at Hamilton Island a serious crack, and asserting themselves straight up at the state title augers well for the mission.
Second in division 1 went to Sebastian Bohm and Bruce Foye's Rogers 46, The Goat. A 10 month program of entering most of the major races and series and building the team is taking shape for the new owner partnership. Bohm agreed they were initially a little overwhelmed finding themselves the only one in their division at Sail Port Stephens not a TP52 or derivative. Now they are in the results mix.
"Traditionally we haven't done very well against the TPs," Bohm said this afternoon. "Today we picked the shifts well and sailed our own race; we are very happy with our results."
Young match racer Steve Thomas from Perth is calling tactics on The Goat.
Tomorrow all fleets other than the MC38s and sports boats will undertake the inaugural Broughton Island passage race, a 26 nautical mile lap of the pristine islands off Port Stephens. Other than for IRC division 1, the start will get underway off the break wall at Nelson Bay late morning, adding plenty more colour to a busy holiday Saturday on the waterfront. The HMRI Cup will be presented annually for the passage race and proceeds from tomorrow evening's function for crews at Broughtons at the Bay donated to Hunter Medical Research Institute.
The forecast for Friday April 16 is for north-easterly winds 10-15 knots.
Sail Port Stephens Junior Series reveals future stars
Two junior off the beach classes completed their two-day series on Thursday April 14 as part of Sail Port Stephens, the final event of a long summer season that has taken many young sailors interstate and some overseas to compete.
Jack Ferguson, 13, won the Optimist division from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club's Oliver Gordon and Fletcher Walters. In the Open Bic division, the host club, Port Stephens Sailing & Aquatic Club, fielded the top three finishers led by Rhys Schultz skippering his boat, Jack Hollman.
On the series Jack said, "It was a really good, lovely flat water. It's not as serious as some but every regatta you treat as if it's a championship. Day one was pretty shifty with the rain squalls; there were 180 degree shifts!"
The past season he's been busy on the Optimist circuit, including finishing sixth overall at the New Zealand Optimist nationals. At the end of June Jack is off to Portugal for the class' world championship where up to 300 entries are normal.
Optimists provide a clear pathway to Olympic classes and the talented teenager from Northbridge Sailing Club in Sydney is tracking well. At 13 Jack is at the upper end of the class' ideal size and weight range, and has a clear plan for where he'll go when he outgrows the dinghy. "I'm going to do the South Australian Optimist states next January and maybe another nationals, then I'm looking at two or three years of sailing a 420 then hopefully a 29er, and then a 49er."
Young Jack is closely following the progress of Australian's world number one 470 pairing, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan, as they prepare for the Rio Olympic Games in August. "I've been watching them closely and I'll be watching how they go at the Olympics," he assures.
Second in the Optimist division, Oliver Gordon, is not long back from a snapped ACL playing soccer and a year off. "It was quite a light regatta but the racing was good and the club did a great job of hosting us," Gordon praised. His RPAYC coach Traks Gordon said in Oliver's situation, soccer cost way more than sailing.
Oliver's next big regatta is Queensland Youth Week in July and then following his Olympic hero Jason Waterhouse in the Nacra 17 at the Rio Games in August. Gordon's long term goal is also to reach the pinnacle by one day qualifying to represent his country at the Olympics in sailing.
Third placed Fletcher Walters flew from Adelaide to Sydney the night before the Sail Port Stephens junior series began, straight from an Australian Opti camp.
Rhys Schultz declared yesterday's Open Bic division win the highlight of his summer. From Sail Port Stephens it's back to more regular school holiday activities for Rhys and the rest of the PSASC juniors who were part of the Junior off-the-beach Series supported by Port Stephens Strata and Gill Australia.
The second phase of Sail Port Stephens, the Port Stephens Trophy including the NSW IRC title, is underway around the bay and offshore, all fleets enjoying strengthening nor'easters on a stunning autumn afternoon.