Neville Wittey a consistent stand in helm on Day 1 of Etchells Syd Corser Regatta
by Jonny Fullerton / Swan River Etchells Fleet 16 Dec 2017 16:53 GMT
16-17 December 2017
Day 1 – Etchells Syd Corser Regatta © Jonny Fullerton
The Etchells 2017 Syd Corser Regatta is being sailed on the infamous waters off Fremantle in West Australia this year, for a good reason. The regatta is acting as a warm-up in preparation for the Australian Etchells Championship, taking place in the same vicinity early in the new year, with the Etchells World Championship following in November 2020.
The first day of the weekend regatta couldn't have been better. At the 8am briefing clear blue skies and a gentle 8 - 10 knots greeted 20 boats. The fleet was mainly made up of WA based Etchells, who sail under the banner of the Swan River Fleet, on yes (you've guessed it), the Swan River, only about a couple of kilometres inland from the ocean, but there are a number of Eastern State boats travelling over to get used to the Fremantle conditions.
Swan River Fleet sailor Alistair Murchison explains:
"It is a very competitive fleet, what we have seen is eight or so boats from the East coast travel over here for the Nationals so whilst there are only around 20 boats on the start line the competition is fierce for sure.
Traditionally the Syd Corser regatta is one of the two premier WA regattas but this year it ties in as a lead up regatta to the Australian Nationals, to be sailed on the same race track and it gives an opportunity for the East coast boats to check in and test out their boats in the lead up to the Nationals.
We do most of our racing on the Swan River so there will no doubt be a few WA teams that have not raced on the ocean before."
At least four races were penned in for Saturday as their was an adverse forecast for Sunday and Monday with a big storm front approaching. As the morning progressed the breeze gradually increased in stages up to 20 knots by lunchtime.
Race 1 was started in a light 8 - 10 knot SSW breeze with relatively flat seas. After a fairly even upwind split, AUS1382 skippered by Peter Chappell (RFBYC) and Chris Pratt (Azure/RPYC) broke away on lap one of the two lap windward/leeward course. By the first lap gate a significant wind shift caused a change of course and there was some confusion at the second top mark rounding as to whether the spacer mark was laid or not. Unfortunately both the lead boats sailed extra distance losing a number of places in the process. (NB: Both boats were given redress at a hearing after racing)
This allowed Michael Manford (The Croc/RFBYC) to take the lead and cross the finish line first, followed by a superb last downwind leg by Robbie Gibbs (Happy Little Friend/RPYC) and Grantham Kitto (The Rat/RPYC) close behind.
PRO Kim Laurence waisted no time in starting race two as the breeze increased a notch to 13 - 14 knots. This time the whole fleet were a little anxious and the U flag made its first appearance. An early shift to the right tested the upwind strategies but at the regrouping, a packed rounding was led by Neville Wittey as stand in skipper onboard Magpie from Mornington, Victoria. Neville needed all his experience to hold off another highly skilled crew on St Johns Dance (RPYC) helmed by Raymond Smith.
As the whole fleet begun to surf downwind on breaking waves, the action started getting quite fruity. Another congested gate rounding resulted in a tangle between Ben Durham (Cone of Silence/RFBYC) and Robbie Gibbs (Happy Little Friend) to be sorted out later in the day ashore.
Neville Wittey took his first gun of the regatta followed by Raymond Smith, but good work by David Chapman and his young team from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, sailing (Lisa) to secure third on the finish line.
Another turn of the dial and the sea breeze hit 16 - 17 knots with a bigger chop for race three. At this point, Karen Koedyk and her all female crew of Jenny Spearman, Annette Koenders and Vera Waldby decided to call it a day, save their gear and head for home. This time the U flag caught out an unlucky repeat offender in Dirk van der Struyf sailing (Chilly Bin/RFBYC). The rest of the fleet battled upwind with a number of shifts keeping the brain cells working overtime.
This time the leader on lap one was (Lisa) skippered by David Chapman (RSYS) closely pursued by another Sydney based boat, (Whisper), Bruce Ferguson. These two broke away for a real dog fight on the last downwind leg whilst the rest of the fleet were enjoying some wild rides and intensely close racing. David Chapman squeezed over the line ahead of Bruce Ferguson with a tight battle for third going in favour of Michael Manford (The Croc).
With the fleet really beginning to be tested race four started in 18 - 20 knots and a good 2m chop, the start boat crew were having a hard time staying onboard let alone the sailors!
The last race of the day, started under U flag, provided a bit of late drama as two of the regatta favourites, Michael Manford (The Croc), and David Chapman (Lisa), were both judged to be OCS at the pin end of the start line, scoring maximum points. Bruce Ferguson (Whisper) seemed to be enjoying the fresher conditions as was Ben Durham (Code of Silence) but the ever consistent Neville Wittey was always in the mix. The final leg of the day was a real scorcher, the whole fleet surging down the waves rocking and rolling downwind.
Bruce Ferguson scored his first win of the regatta, David Chapman slipped past to cross second only to have the disappointment of learning he was OCS. As a result Ben Durham scored second and Neville Wittey third.
Having got ashore the whole fleet were refreshed with an Oppi full of beer and a good BBQ spread at the RPYC Annexe. A few stewards enquiries and the results show Neville Wittey (Magpie) leading Peter Chappell (AUS1382) by five points, with Bruce Ferguson (Whisper) in third on 23 points.
Neville Wittey came ashore slightly surprised by the results sheet:
"We have never raced together the three of us, I am only filling in for Graham Taylor, I have been coaching a lot but I can't actually remember when I last raced an Etchell regatta, but can I say what a pleasure its been. The guys set the boat up so well and with no training at all, they are getting the boat round the corners, but what a lot of fun sailing out there."
The forecast for Sunday is for high winds building from 25 knots early in the morning making racing unlikely but PRO Kim Laurence will make that call around 8am. If there is no further racing, the Syd Corser Regatta required three races to constitute a series and the results of today will stand. If any further races take place a discard comes into play after five races are sailed.