By Ian Grant.
The Whitsunday Sailing Club high performance sailing course on beautiful Pioneer Bay will be converted into a colourful spectacle when they host the 2010 Iceberg Australian Tasar Championship next month.
The strict one-design Tasar dinghy regarded among the best family classes has attracted 91 entries from all Australian states and the Northern Territory.
Many of the crews are made up from father and son, father and daughter, husband and wife and boyfriend-girlfriend blending a strong family fellowship within the class.
All together the championship has attracted 182 sailors with many travelling from the colder climate of southern states to test their tactical strategy in the tropical warm and friendly Whitsunday winter environment.
Collectively they all have the ambition to stake a claim for the title but there will be only one winner when the open Australian championship final is decided on Saturday July 10.
However it is the fellowship and the open forums which bonds this class into one of the strongest presently racing in Australia.
While all crews remain courteous and very friendly on the rigging lawn the attitude changes dramatically when they are pressed to protect their sailing space on the course.
Which suggests the competition to win the 2010 Iceberg National championship trophy will be highlighted with close racing when the sails are tensioned for the important race points on tactically demanding waters on Pioneer Bay.
As expected the championship has attracted a number of crews who have won previously and therefore head the list of pre-title favourites.
Heading the list are the former World and Australian champions Robert and Nicole Douglass crewing the New South Wales dinghy Coolit.
However while the Coolit crew have developed a clever understanding they are sure to be pressed to protect their sailing space against the tactical attention of South Australia’s Craig McPhee and Phillippa Arevalo in Roll Your Own.
Skipper McPhee has proven his liking to national championship racing in tropical waters by winning the National title off Mission Beach.
Craig McPhee also has the long term class racing experience but like the Douglass crew he and Phillippa Arevalo will need to sail smart in an unfamiliar environment which can become tricky if a light land breeze prevails.
Both crews deserve the honour to be the title front runners but there are a number of other crews including the Whitsunday Sailing Club crew of Aaron and Amy Linton and the New South Wales Australian 505 champion Michael Quirk and crew mate Kevin Cameron who providing they can start in clear wind have the big fleet racing experience to warrant respect.
However the talented Douglass sailing team have proved their boat speed and tactical strategy to sail consistently fast on unfamiliar courses which suggests they are again expected to be the crew most likely to head the duel for the prestigious Green and Gold Ribbons on July 10..