60th Cherub Australian National Championship 2024/25

by Holly Norris 17 Jan 11:46 GMT 27 Dec 2024 - 3 Jan 2025

The 60th Cherub Australian National Championship was held 27 December 2024 to 3 January 2025 at Largs Bay Sailing Club, South Australia, with competing boats from Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.

The National Championship was a hotly contested battle at the pointy end of the fleet, with the top three boats taking out the podium positions in almost every heat.

NSW boat Robbie skippered by Marshall Day (aged 16 years) and crewed by boat owner Will Beck, took out the Championship with an impressive scorecard [8 points] (Drummoyne Sailing Club). In second place was After Dark, skippered by Nicole Barnes and crewed by Brett Lancaster [12 points] (Drummoyne Sailing Club). Third place was taken out by Motorboat skippered by Zac Heyes and crewed by boat owner Peter McLeod [17 points] (Belmont 16s Sailing Club).

Handicap winner was Squealer skippered by Jessica Swadling and crewed by James Glassock, representing Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club.

Largs Bay conditions were mostly softer breeze than anticipated, although a couple heats at 15-20 knots saw the fleet enjoy the big waves which Adelaide is renowned for. Competitors and their families enjoyed the rigging space, friendly atmosphere and facilities at Largs Bay Sailing Club. Largs Bay Race Committee ran the racing extremely well, a testament to the professional volunteers of the club, which keeps the Cherub class returning to the brilliant beachside sailing venue.

The Cherub class was aptly described by NSW Cherub sailor Lily Peel during the regatta as "a class for life", accurately reflecting the fleet competing at Largs Bay. The fleet included three all-girl crew combinations, two sibling crew combinations, eight sailors 18yrs or younger, a father/son crew combination and a 55+ years aged sailor. The Cherub class prides itself in the off water camaraderie, and class culture was in fine form at Largs Bay, being described as "inclusive, encouraging and just so absolutely brilliant. As a parent I couldn't back this class enough - 60% of boats at this Nationals were mixed crews - how awesome is this! She Sails is right here - the Cherub class continues to raise the bar".

Cherubs are lightweight hulls with an asymmetric spinnaker, making for exhilarating downwind rides. Cherubs hit speeds approaching 25 knots downwind in windy conditions. These speeds are exceptional fun and also accessible to sailors of any age and skill level. Cherubs encourage innovation and development throughout the fleet. Cherub sailors include home boat builders, professional shipwrights, sailmakers and riggers, ensuring the class is at the forefront of dinghy sailing technology and development. The speed through which class innovation spreads across the fleet displays the sportsmanship of our sailors and their willingness to share ideas to achieve excellence in sailing. We all like to go fast, and it's best done in good company!

The next Cherub National Championship will be held in NSW. It is anticipated there will be a flurry of boat purchases in the coming months, with keen kids transitioning from junior classes to Cherubs for next season, to enjoy the epic speed rides the Cherub offers. Gotta love the Cherub!

AUS class website: www.cherub.org.au

Overall Results:

Place	Name	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Pts
1	Robbie	3198	Marshall Day	Will Beck	DSC	2	3	1	1	1	1	1	NF)	1	8
2	After Dark	3183	Nicole Barnes	Brett Lancaster	DSC	1	1	2	2	3	2	3	1	3	12
3	Motorboat	3196	Zac Heyes	Peter Mcleod	B16SC	3	2	3	3	2	3	2	3	2	17
4	Hooligan	3189	Leo Pirret	Finn Pirret	B16SC	4	4	4	5	9	5	5	5	12	32
5	Steve	3194	Eve Peel	Andrew Stephenson	DSC	5	5	10	8	14	4	8	4	9	43
6	Short Tired And Emotional	3177	Lily Peel	Cathy Pagett	DSC	7	6	5	6	8	6	16	11	5	43
7	Crumpet	3193	Sam Williams	Todd McVee	PDSC	8	8	9	4	6	7	6	9	6	45
8	Between The Sheets	3179	Jenna Everett	James Pagett	PDSC	6	9	7	9	12.5	14	4	2	11	48
9	Serenity Now	3135	Jordy Fee	Andrew Fee	KSC	10	13	6	7	5	9	11	8	7	52
10	Quickspoon	3149	Emma Furlong	Cameron Furlong	PDSC	11	11	12	11	4	11	14	12	4	64
11	New Direction	3192	Nellie Imlay	Oliver Jones	DSC	12	14	8	10	7	13	9	NF)	10	69
12	The Lairy Canary	3062	Will Imlay	Ben Suthers	DSC	9	7	13	13	11	NF)	10	10	14	73
13	Squealer	3187	Jessica Swadling	James Glassock	LC12SSC	15	15	17	16	12.5	8	7	6	13	76.5
14	You Can't	3185	Aaron Kirkby	Matt Hall	B16SC	13	12	14	14	15	15	12	7	16	87
15	Cunning Ham	3137	Gael Glassock	Anne Vervoort	LC12SSC	18	16	15	17	10	10	15	13	8	87
16	Racer Chaser	3166	Jess Tames	Cooper Cotterill	DSC	20	17	11	12	16	12	13	14	15	93
17	Boobs R Us	3141	James How	Ryan Knights	HSC	16	10	16	15	18	17	17	15	17	106
18	The Uncertainty Principle	3157	Ryan Paget	Sarah Imlay	DSC	14	18	19	19	20	18	18	NF)	19	125
19	Juicy	3123	Charli Farrar	Sarah Bramley	PDSC	17	19	20	18	19	16	20	NF)	18	127
20	Boris & Natasha	2975	Maria‑Luisa Ojeda	David Gibson	SGSC	19	NF)	18	20	17	19	19	NF)	NS)	133