By Ian Grant.
The New South Wales Tasar dinghy sailing combination of Rob and Nicole Douglass will make a strong claim to win the Australian championship Gold Medal in next month’s 2010 championship off Airlie Beach.
They have proved to be the inform crew winning the National Titles in Perth, on Lake Macquarie and in Darwin which supports their claim to be the crew to watch when the battle lines for the 2010 championship are drawn on the Whitsunday Sailing Club course on Pioneer Bay.
Racing in an unfamiliar environment does not present a problem to the Douglass crew who seem to have the mental and physical ability to produce the required results when the tactical pressure is applied.
They have a unique understanding and apart from winning the Silver Medal in Adelaide have the class experience and results to again dominate at the top level.
But first the Douglass racing team while finding the tropical winter sailing environment in the Whitsunday Islands warm and pleasant will need to develop a good understanding of the local conditions which can become tricky and unstable if there is any westerly slant in the prevailing breeze.
There is a chance that the impressive fleet representing the best Tasar class sailing crews form all Australian States and the Northern Territory will have to face racing in a ‘mixed bag’ of breeze which could favour veteran South Australian skipper Craig McPhee who had the edge in boat speed to win the 2007/8 series over the Douglass’s in Adelaide.
Both Rob Douglass and Craig McPhee have shared the championship trophy since 2004 when Craig McPhee combined with Kevin Kellow to clinch a popular win off Mission Beach.
This result proved the champion South Australian skipper had a good feel for sailing fast in a tropical climate which could again provide him with a winning boat speed advantage over the World and Australian championship winning Douglass’s.
But there is no doubt that Craig McPhee who is a very tough opponent to beat will adopt a conservative approach to keep his dinghy Roll Your Own on the required pace.
How he will fare will depend on refining his sailing skills in combination with crew mate Phillippa Arevalo who replaces the experienced dual National champion Gil Berry.
Crew understanding will be a major factor and there will be no favours on offer when the high standard fleet line up to contest the Invitation race on Sunday July 4.
This result of this race while being important in terms of showing who is on the pace is strictly a ‘feeler’ in sorting out the championship contenders when the title officially begins with the first of five races on Monday July 5th.
However based on their extensive Tasar class racing experience and previous championship results Rob and Nicole Douglass in Coolit and the craft veteran Craig McPhee in Roll Your Own appear as the most likely to feature when the final race is decided on Saturday July 10th.