By Ian Grant.
British skipper Jono Shelley survived an intense battle of one-design class sailing tactics with Mooloolaba’s Rod Jones to win the Audi SB3 Australian championship at Port Stephens last Sunday.
This classic battle of tactics contested over eight races in tricky light and variable winds was ultimately decided on consistency where Jono Shelley and his English crew mates James Walker and Jonnie Harrison finished all races in the top seven while Rod Jones reluctantly handed a marginal title winning advantage to his rival with a ninth in race 3.
As expected this strict discipline of one-design racing in the exciting SB3 Dart sports boat again tested the important human related skills of tactical strategy and crewing to gain the required marginal edge in boat speed.
Jono Shelley helming Club Marine White expressed his skill to select the best options with the wind that lazily blew over the course to share the lead on 15 points with multiple Australian title winning Sail-boarder Dennis Winstanley.
Winstanley competing in his first SB3 Dart regatta proved his skill to adapt to the light and variable breeze.
He overcame a lack of class experience to steer the recently purchased Cruising Yacht Club of Hamilton Island registered Jump to win four of the eight races but a 12th in race one followed by 13th in race five and 8th in race eight jeopardised his chance to claim a top three finish.
But he has placed all the top three skippers Jono Shelley (Club Marine White) Rod Jones (Club Marine Blue) and Jan Scholten (Selden for Sailing) on notice that he will be a front line contender when the National title medals are decided at Port Stephens in April 2011.
Consistent all angle sailing in winds which rarely gusted above 7 knots over all eight races ultimately allowed the English crew with their 6-1-3-5-1-7-5-3 score to claim a 3 point win over Mooloolaba’s dual Audi Australian IRC ocean racing champion Rod Jones 3-5-9-4-3-6-2-1.