Results
Results
TAS IOM State Regatta - 30th October
The 2016 Tasmanian State IOM Regatta was sailed in what can only be described as testing conditions. The BOM forecast was for 15 to 25 knot northerlies strengthening to 20 to 30 knots and swinging to the northwest by noon, however with the Brook in the lee of Mt Direction, this was a recipe for some challenging racing with plenty of shifts and a few holes. It was quite warm for Hobart at this time of the year with mid 20’s temperatures and with colder water temperatures, the wind wasn’t “sticking to the water” as Bucko from 18 Footers TV would suggest, adding to the fluky and variable conditions. Prior to racing, wind strength was around the 10 knot mark or there abouts, stronger in the puffs, giving skippers the dilemma of rig choice. Wisely, all skippers opted for the No. 2 Rig.
NSW RM State Championship - 22/23rd October
UPDATE: Eight skippers arrived bright and early on Saturday Morning to race for the top honours in NSW Marblehead racing. Greg Torpy came all the way from Brisbane though he is a member of Lake Macquarie Radio Yacht Club. The rest of the fleet was made up this way, two from Drummoyne Sailing Club, two from Wollongong Model Yacht Club, two from the Northern Mariners and one from Kogarah Bay Radio Yacht Club.
There was a steady southerly breeze about 12 knots when racing started just after 10am that steadily increased in strength during the day. A two lap windward return course was set. It wasn’t long before skippers were asking for time to change rigs, and many ended up using their smallest rigs after lunch.
SA RM Class State Championships & Bournville Trophy - 22/23rd September
Saturday C Rigs with a number of skippers experiencing gear failure.
Sunday Racing commenced around lunch time due to lack of wind.
Good to have Lincoln McDowell make the trip from Melbourne; the other interstaters who usually compete are still in Europe after the Worlds.
The “dual” event provides a second chance and makes the interstate journey better value.
WA 10R Championship - 16th October
On Sunday October 16 at Champion Lakes Radio Yacht Club, the Ten Rater fleet gathered to establish the 2016 Western Australian State Champion. The forecast was for mid range winds gradually dropping towards the latter part of the afternoon.
Thirteen skippers fronted for the day. Race officer Hub Bell and his able assistant Rod Moss had us all organized and on the water at the advertised starting time of 10.30am. There were a number of shifts early in the regatta which made setting the course a tricky task. Hub kept on top of the windshifts and made sure the courses were fair. There was only one abandoned race in which the fleet sailed to the first mark on a reach.
Out of the blocks and straight into the lead with three firsts and three seconds in the first six races was Sean Wallis, sailing a Diamond. His starting was first class, reaching the top mark in great shape regularly.
Race Officer Hub Bell and his sidekick Rodney Moss (in the background)
Graeme Howie sailing an Aero, and Rosco Bennett (Diamond) did what they could to stay in touch with Sean in the early part of the day, with consistent finishing positions. The wind gradually settled in to blow from the south-west. It strengthened slightly around lunch time and skippers were starting to think about a change in rigs.
TAS RM Championship - 15/16 October
The 2016 Tasmanian Marblehead Championships were held over the weekend with conditions on Day 1 a complete contrast from Day 2. Conditions on Saturday started out just about ideal with mid 20's temperatures and a solid top end B to C Rig breeze of around 10 to 15 knots for Race 1, however the prevailing NNW'er increased steadily throughout the day and after the first few races, changing down to the smallest rig was a necessity. Racing for the day was abandoned after Race 7 when a 45 knot plus bullet lifted spray and placed boats and equipment at risk of damage. At the end of Day 1, I held a 3 point lead with 10 points from Michael Hickman in second place on countback from John Hall, both on 13 points.
SA A Class State Championships - 24th Sept
We had a good turnout for what could have been a washed out, or blown out, event. The wind was predicted to be 20 kph in the morning increasing to 24 kph in the afternoon. While setting up we had some nasty darkies come across the dam but things settled down a bit by race time. And the rain held off to a reasonable amount.
Steve (Toad) Arthur made a special guest appearance as Adjudicator/Referee. Thanks Steve, you made life easier while I was scoring.
SA 10R State Championships - 2nd October
Despite all the rough weather that we have been having in South Australia of late today was another excellent sailing day. Took a little time for the wind to settle at the start but it stayed in the SW with enough variation in wind strength to make it interesting; Occasional cloud but no rain.
Unfortunately with only 5 entries we were unable to have the race run as a Rating event however the South Australian 10R Title was up for grabs. The racing soon settled down to a battle between Tim Arland and Alan Gold with Tim becoming the Title holder by 1 point. Congratulations Tim.
Ian Backler with his P3 showed that there is still fight in the old dog with a first, a second and 4 third places but despite a DNF and a DNS in the last two races was a creditable third.
Frank Brookes despite still getting used to his new 10R showed that it had the speed but a couple of non-finishes in the last two races dropped him down a few points. Grant Murray our visitor from the SE club showed what a good RM can do but again non-finishes were a problem.
Thanks to Brian Walsh for his PRO efforts today. He earned his points early with course changes due to wind variation. Thanks also to those who volunteered their services to assist Brian.
2016 Radio Controlled Laser National Championship
The Yarrawonga 2016 RC Laser National Championships hosted by Patterson Lakes Radio Model Yacht Club over the 17 - 18th September has finally come and gone.
With the sails and sailing gear safely stowed away for the next event, one can’t help but to reflect on the great performance from many of our RC Laser Sailors this past weekend.
With a record number of 42 competitors and 3 fleets (A, B & C), completing a good number of races proved to be a challenge during the two day regatta held at the Yarrawonga Yacht Club. It was fantastic to see several new RC laser competitors and it took a few racing events to hit a smooth and fast rhythmic turnaround between fleets.
UK IOM National Championship
Congratulations to Brad Gibson, Colin Goodman and Peter Stollery on their respective top 3 results at the recent IOM Nationals at West Kirby.
A great weekend of top quality sailing was only topped by the fantastic weather and breeze.
Thank you to all members of the Birkenhead RS&PC and Northern District Skippers who ran the event in their usual enthusiastic manner, without you the skippers would have no where to go – THANK YOU.
The complete HMS results can now be viewed on the results archive page HERE
Sue Browns Flickr account can be found HERE with some great shots of the weekend.
QLD A Class Championship - 10th September
Six A Class yachts lined up for the first race, the winds were blowing steady from the North West for most of the day.
Peter Morris again set the pace from the beginning a d it was up to the remainder of the fleet to sort out the minor places.
Peter Morris won the trophy on 14 points while John Heard came in second on 29 points and Jason Nasmith came in third on 37 points.
The course was set as a traditional triangle with a windward return.
There were seventeen races conducted during the day with 3 drops allowed.
It was great to see such great comradery between competitors.
Bob Worton
PRRYC (Inc.)
VIC RC Laser State Titles - 3rd September 2016
A great day was had, with good competition and a very well mannered fleet. Started on B and then A rig conditions, with the fluky Patterson Lakes bridge syndrome in the afternoon. A shame that we lost a few boats early due to transmitter and cooked winch problems, brings home maintenance issues before the Nationals at Yarrawonga.
A big thank you to the following PLRMYC helpers;
• Mike Pender - PRO, well done and hassle free.
• Tony Smith for getting the boat out and setting up early and course set-up / adjustments.
• John Toner for being spotter, taking scores, registration, DF95 demos, etc.
• Peter Haynes for boat retrievals, set-up, etc
• Stephen Early for taking photos and doing internet scoring.
• Jayne Fleming & Lyn Fleming for doing the lunches.
Great to see Scott Mitchell back onto an RC Laser and coming from SA for the event and holiday in the sunny state, watch out for the Nationals as his arvo scores kept getting better and better.
QLD IOM Championships - 3-4th September 2016
Hosted by Paradise Radio Yacht Club at Emerald Lakes Parklands Carrara on the Gold Coast 3-4th September 2016.
Despite unfavourable weather forecasts that didn’t eventuate, another successful event concluded albeit with an expected entry reduced to 22 starters after 9 late withdrawals and “no shows”. The regatta was sailed in sunny weather over 2 days with 2 fleets under HMS.
Gusty and very shifty NW/W winds to over 25Km/hr meant B rig conditions for most of the first day until moderating to A rig late in the afternoon. The second day started late, waiting for the arrival of what became a very pleasant more steady SE A rig encounter with little need for course adjustment.
NSW RC Laser Championship - 21st August
The NSW State Championships were held on Sunday 21 August 2016 at Dobroyd Aquatic Club together with Round 2 of the 2016 NSW RC Laser Series.
We picked an almost perfect sunny day, with a breeze as well for the morning start. There were 20 boats that lined up for the first race, so it was always going to be sailing in close proximity to other boats. Because of the number of entries, the starting line was extended significantly to what we are used to; but appeared to work well for the most part in opening up the fleet. The first couple of races were run with the windward mark set well out into the bay, and it proved to be too far, so it was brought in to a much closer and more comfortable position for the sailors.
NSW RC Laser Championship - 21st August
The NSW State Championships were held on Sunday 21 August 2016 at Dobroyd Aquatic Club together with Round 2 of the 2016 NSW RC Laser Series.
We picked an almost perfect sunny day, with a breeze as well for the morning start. There were 20 boats that lined up for the first race, so it was always going to be sailing in close proximity to other boats. Because of the number of entries, the starting line was extended significantly to what we are used to; but appeared to work well for the most part in opening up the fleet. The first couple of races were run with the windward mark set well out into the bay, and it proved to be too far, so it was brought in to a much closer and more comfortable position for the sailors.
The course was set for a north westerly breeze, but it started swinging for the day, and there was never a perfect course that could be set. After the lunch break the course was re-set for westerly winds, but even then, the wind continued to swing, with flurries and holes on the course.
We started out on B sails, then went to A sails, but it was difficult to get the right settings for the varying winds throughout the day.
We were able to run 11 races in the day, together with a practice race before the start of the competition – a good number under the circumstances.
I think everyone came away with a hard luck story or two, but at the end of the day Graham Brown from DAC came out the clear winner, with Jason Rootes from LMRYC well sailed into second, and Noel McPherson from DAC in third place.
We would like to thank our PRO Paul Martin, and everyone who helped out to make the day a success.
Round 3 of the RC Laser Series will be sailed at Grahamstown Dam on September25, and everyone is encouraged to enter the day.
Noel McPherson
DAC RC Laser Class Captain
WA A Class State Championship - 21st August
On Sunday August 21, the Western Australian A Class State Championship regatta was held at Jackadder Lake in Woodlands Perth. A small but very competitive fleet arrived at the lake early in the morning to find that the wind was drifting in and out from the north east.
Forecasts of rain and storms had been pretty consistent for the past few days. However, the sky was clear, and it’s not very common for rain to come from that direction. Unfortunately, two skippers were unable to attend on the day, which reduced the fleet to seven skippers.
S/QLD 10R Championships - 13th August
A good fleet of ten boats arrived at Emerald Lakes on Saturday the 13th. PRO Ian Ashe decided based on the wind prediction to race off the corner which was great decision as we had an area large enough for a full triangle where the 10r’s could really unwind.
The PRYC as usual did a great job setting up sun covers and setting the course.
Racing was underway shortly after 10:00 in a gusty shifty top of a rig breeze. Frank Russell’s Phoenix 6 immediately started to dominate showing excellent upwind speed and pointing using his heaviest ballast weight.
However Frank didn’t have it all his own way, with racing at times very close. Laurie Hinchcliff Aero 3 Mark Harris Paterson 1 showing good speed at times and both leading races. Laurie’s efforts were not helped after lunch when he decided to change down to A minus rig which seemed to work well in the stronger winds but ultimately was not a good decision.
Eddie Cowell IOM Perpetual Trophy - 6/7th August
Photos by Nick Lindsley
Forty-two skippers attended the Eddie Cowell Perpetual Trophy. It’s a credit to the organization and venue that sees the event growing in size each year and I am equally impressed by the caliber of the skippers attending and more so those who travel some considerable distances to participate.
Congratulations not only to the winners but to everyone who attended, I especially appreciate the time and effort it takes to run such a competition and equally important to thank all the skippers whom make the effort to attend, some even travelling interstate and from across the ditch.
VIC IOM Championship - 30/31st July
The PRO Yoda Thomas & his assistants Andrew Cook and Frank Katers were greeted by 17 eager skippers, 2 from WA, 3 from SA, I from NSW, 1 from QLD, 1 from across the ditch NZ with the remainder 9 from VIC .
WA IOM Perth Classic - 24th July
2016 PERTH CLASSIC
Sunday July 24 dawned clear, cold and calm. 13 skippers turned up at Jackadder Lake in Woodlands to participate in the 2016 Perth Classic. It was clear that there was no hurry to get going, as the water was mirror-like.
While we waited for a breeze, the model ship club kept us entertained with their scale battleships sliding around the buoys. Unfortunately, they didn’t re-enact any naval battles or anything really exciting like that.
The Race Officer team of Rob Mews, Hub Bell and Warren Rock set a course and racing got underway about 11.00am in a gentle easterly zephyr, which puffed and panted, disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. It was challenging to get a reasonable start line and windward course.
Queensland Laser Championship - 23rd July 2016
Report on the 2016 Queensland Laser Championship
An unusual winters day, with a warm, gusty “westerly” which swung from a bit north of west to a bit south of west during the day, giving PRO Bill Clancy a bit of a challenge in setting a course.
Ian Ashe, who turned up “out of the blue” and stayed on to assist with the event, produced an anemometer which registered gusts of 26 km/hour, so it was a bit of a challenge for the competitors, with “B” and “C” rigs the order of the day.
European IOM Championship
Congratulations to Brad Gibson on winning the 2016 IOM European Championships in Vitoria Spain. After a tough week he managed to pip close friend and Birthday Boy Rob Walsh to 2nd place by 1 point.
Going in to the last race Rob was in pole position and looked favourite to win, unfortunately for Rob his final race result was not good, with Brad taking the win and the title.
Despite poor sailing conditions, Brad’s tally of 4 race wins over the week was the best, so he obviously had the pace when conditions allowed and yet again the cream rose to the top with Rob and Brad fighting it out with Alexis Carre, Olivier Cohen, Guillermo Beltri and Zvonko Jelacic all the way to the finish.
NSW 'A' CLASS GP 3 - 25th June
The forecast for a cold and blustery day proved correct as the 8 competitors were greeted by a W/SW wind blowing down from the tablelands. This wind direction on the WMYC Dunmore Lakes pond is ideal for providing a very fair wind for all sailors, and the starting line is close to the bank and easily sighted.
The fleet consisted of 5 Gunboats, 1 Privateer, 1 Venom, and 1 Sword. All boats were set up initially with A rigs but as the wind strength gradually increased to about 12knots with gusts to about 20 knots, most of the Gunboats replaced these with B rigs except Selwyn who was using an A2 rig.
QLD EC12 Championship - 3rd July
Having sailed at Carbrook on the previous day, it was fairly obvious to me that, with a big fat high pressure looming large, if Saturday was quiet then Sunday was going to be even quieter, and so it proved to be.
WA ERIC FISHER A Class Trophy
Eric Fisher was a member of the Perth Radio Sailing Club since the mid-1970s. He was a competitive skipper, winning numerous State Championships in both the A Class and Ten Rater classes. Eric was also a fantastic clubman. He constantly helped others, whether it be by assisting with building or repairing boats, advice on setting up boats or doing things for the club. At the age of 91 years, Eric sadly passed away this year. His company at the lake will be greatly missed.
Last year, the club inaugurated the Eric Fisher A Class Trophy. This year, it was held on Saturday June 11 at Jackadder Lake. From this day forwards it will be known as the Eric Fisher Memorial A Class Regatta.
VIC Marblehead Championship
"John boys photos"
The first day started later than scheduled with a light breeze from the north east, the first two races were sailed in “A” rigs with race two at the top end of “A” quick changes were made to “B” and by race four most skippers were on “C” with the north easterly building.
Lunch was served from the motorhome by the mudder then back to it, some skippers were experiencing control and electrical issues which reduced the fleet to eight at times, by race nine most skippers were down to “C2” rigs, with racing finishing for the day at race 13.
