By Ian Grant.
Glenn Bourke the former Olympian and Laser class World champion has successfully made the transition to the strict art form of SB3 Dart one design racing by winning the Victorian championship on Geelong’s Corio Bay last weekend.
The master tactician took a break from his busy day time job as CEO of the Bob Oatley owned Hamilton Island Resort to team up with his Sunshine Coast crewmates Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith in the high performance sports boat Club Marine Blue.
They were in similar dominating form last August winning the Queensland championship on the more familiar courses set for the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.
However the Club Marine Blue crew who are currently ranked fourth in the World following the 2011 World championship in England were forced to be selective in their race strategy in the tricky conditions that were presented on Corio Bay.
Their eventual 12 point championship winning margin from the best 10 races to count included 8 wins clearly showed that the Club Marine Blue crew again set another high standard in this demanding class where a minor blemish in the important human related skills of tactics and technique mean the difference between winning and finishing back in the pack.
During a post regatta interview Glenn Bourke said, “It comes down to tactics. This was an odd regatta in that quite often the corners paid, and I’m not a corner type of guy. But eventually the conservative option, taking the shifts in the middle and chipping away, won out”.
“You have to be in phase (with the wind) when it’s shifting that much we were in phase more often”.
“Thousands of races over the course of a career bashes what’s right and wrong into you. Then if you have a little bit of natural ability coupled with that it helps”. He said.
This win was an impressive result achieved by the exceptionally talented Club Marine Blue crew but that regatta is now history as they prepare to contest the open Australian championship on the equally tricky River Derwent on the 18th to the 20th of February.
The trio of Club Marine Blue sailors who all play an important individual role in the results will be forced into employing a different set of tactics to master the skill and local knowledge possessed by Hobart idol and former World Dragon class champion Nick Rogers.
Rogers like Glenn Bourke is a talented tactician and has the logged the ‘hard miles’ in a career spanning a number of strict one design classes which allows his Tasmanian crew to share the top of the pre-championship betting order with the Queensland and Victorian champions in Club Marine Blue.
Interest will also focus on the performance of class ‘rookies’ including former Sydney Hobart Race winning skipper Roger Hickman.
Hickman from Tasmania and Chris Dare from Victoria are the latest high profile sailors who have career plans in place to be on the pace when the battle lines are drawn for 2012 SB3 World Championship at Hamilton Island from December 18-20.
By Ian Grant.
Whitsunday Sailing Club despite being geographically disadvantaged from the main stream of Queensland sailing has maintained a strong investment in attracting the local youth sailors to compete in class racing on Pioneer Bay.
Club Flag Officers have always encouraged the new generation members to enjoy their dinghy sailing irrespective of the results.
Their well managed try sailing days combined with the encouragement and advice provided by senior club members has provided a strong bond with the Optimist dinghy sailing team who recently contested the 2012 Australian Championship at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.
Several of the young Whitsunday Sailing Club Optimist racing team including 10 year old Hamish Swain racing for the first time at the national level experienced some serious challenges to maintain clear sailing space in the big fleet.
However they all were vastly improved individual sailors at the end of the regatta with Hamish Swain being rewarded as the best National sailor in his age group while the talented Eva Lorenz again expressed who skill to be selected in the Australian team to contest the 2012 New Zealand championships.
These results remain as a deserved reward for the team and the sailing training under present coach and former Australian Optimist championship Bronze Medallist Klaus Lorenz.
Klaus Lorenz basically self taught has a personal understanding of the challenges which the young tropical water sailors face but he represents an example that if you commit the time to endless hours on the ‘training track’ the results will dramatically improve.
Naturally he has spent a lot of time with his younger sister Eva making sure her career remains on track but he is similarly interested in being sure all the team of happy Optimist sailors continue to benefit building their skill and confidence.
Both Eva Lorenz and Hamish Swain have now returned to their respective class rooms to enjoy the admiration from their school mates.
However shortly after the school bag is packed at the end of the day they will enter the nautical class room at the Whitsunday Sailing Club to continue with their important training sessions.
By Ian Grant.
Eva Lorenz the happy Whitsunday Sailing Club Optimist sailor now has a better understanding of her physical endurance following the Australian championship on Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Waterloo Bay courses.
She has endured some relatively tough physical tests during her career but very few can compare with the day after day grind of racing which tested the heavy wind sailing skills of the 118 competitors racing for the 2012 Open Australian championship.
The boisterous south east breeze and the associated current flow from the January king tides resulted in the race course presenting a serious test of heavy wind sailing in the 15 race championship with the open Gold Medal resulting in an outstanding performance by Victorian teenager Jack Graves while New Zealand skippers Alistair Gifford and Lola Stoodley claimed the minor medals.
This normal summer weather system presented all of the solo dinghy skippers with a supreme test of physical endurance when they were required to lean hard in the hiking straps for long periods to master the sloppy seaway.
Whenever the wind gusts above 12 knots the waters of Waterloo Bay have a defined history of testing the sailor’s tactical and physical endurance and this championship which resulted in a deserved for Jack Graves also identified a wealth of talent in the fleet.
Not every young sailor was expecting to be presented with racing in the physically tough elements but those who managed to start smart and sail with a relatively dry bilge when shunting the snub bow into the corrugated sea surface typically known as the Waterloo Slop generally protected their reputations.
For Eva Lorenz the challenge was totally different to club racing in small fleets on the tropical warm waters off Airlie Beach.
But Eva was on a mission to improve her Australian ranking after finishing 42nd in the 2011 National series.
Her target was to sail smart and focus her tactical skills on finishing the regatta in the top 30 she achieved her goal finishing 25th overall and the 5th best female behind Lola Stoodley, Jaime Swalvey, Annabelle Davies and Sarah Kirke.
Remember where you were in 1983 when Australia won the America’s Cup? Remember the song….. “I come from a land downunder!” Now is your opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement of America’s Cup racing – by getting out on the water and under sail on board Alan Bond’s KA5 Australia.
During the Newcastle Australia Day festivities, America’s Cup sailing experiences will be taking place. Visit the Australian 12m Historic Trust at the Newcastle Maritime Museum and sign-up for our $199 membership and you can join our crews as we take to the water in pursuit of the America’s Cup history. Be quick as space is limited.
Don’t miss out! Pre-book your sailing membership by calling 0415 577 724 or 0414 462 663, or email: membership@australian12m.com
You can take the helm steering a course for victory, man the grinders as you tack and gybe. Get on board and create history on Newcastle Harbour, sailing the legendary KA5 Australia and KA14 Steak n Kidney – Stars n Stripes and Dennis Conner not included!
The KA5 Australia and KA14 Steak n Kidney will be on show at the Newcastle Maritime Museum wharves, Australia Day, where you can take a step back in time and experience the thrill and excitement of 12 metre America’s Cup racing of the 1980′s.
Both yachts are owned and operated by the Australian 12m Historic Trust, an all volunteer organisation formed for the purpose of acquiring, restoring and preserving Australia’s former 12 metre America’s Cup racing yachts.
The two 19 metre KA5 Australia and KA14 Steak n Kidney are warhorses of Australia’s many challenges in the famed America’s Cup during the 1970’s and 1980’s. They were constructed under the 12 metre design rule and represent an era of America’s Cup racing when the competing yachts were elegant and fast.
“This is an incredible opportunity for members of the public to experience our America’s Cup history – hands on”, said Benjamin Morgan, President of the Australian 12m Historic Trust.
“Both the KA5 Australia and KA14 Steak n Kidney will be open to the public for inspection. There will be a $5 cover-charge, which goes towards the maintenance, restoration and preservation of these two iconic yachts.”, he said.
The Australian 12m Historic Trust is an all volunteer organisation. You can become a member by contacting us on mobile; 0415 577 724 or visiting; http://www.australian12m.com
For further information, or for interviews contact;
Mr Benjamin Morgan
President, Australian 12m Historic Trust
Mobile: 0415 577 724
By Ian Grant.
When Australia’s SB3 sports boat crew of skipper Glenn Bourke, Rod Jones and Greg Macallansmith finished a close 4th in the 2011 World championship in England they made a personal commitment to win a medal at the 2012 series at Hamilton Island later this year.
They have plans to set the benchmark in Australian fleet racing at the 2012 Australian championship on the tricky River Derwent next month before contesting the Queensland championship during the Southport Yacht Club Sail Paradise regatta in March.
In actual fact their sailing wet suits will have little time to dry out with the Club Marine Blue racing team nominated to contest all of the major class regattas in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland with the month of May the only period left vacant in their racing diary.
The trio of talented one-design sports boat sailors were in brilliant form when they recorded a runaway win in the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week series on the windy Dent Passage course last August.
Glenn Bourke a former Australian Olympic Laser class helmsman and CEO of the international standard Hamilton Island resort expressed his skills with his Sunshine Coast crewmates Rod Jones and Greg Macallansmith has set a promising challenge in place to end the high performance English sailors domination at the past four World championships.
This will not be an easy assignment but the Club Marine Blue crew promise to press home a decisive local course advantage when the first World championship to be decided in the Southern Hemisphere is contested in the warm tropical Whitsunday Islands from December 12-20.
Meanwhile the exciting standard of fleet racing in Australia has attracted the attention of the exceptionally talented skippers Nathan Outteridge and Matthew Belcher who have been selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Olympic regatta in London later this year.
Both skippers have shown an interest in being on the starting line at the 2012 World championship with Matthew Belcher and his 470 class Olympic team mate Malcolm Page gaining valuable fresh wind sailing experience during the 2011 Queensland championship at Hamilton Island in August.
The high performance Club Marine crew are excited about the opportunity to race against a number of the World’s high profile sailors including the Olympians Nathan Outteridge and Matthew Belcher and World Dragon class champion Nick Rogers from Tasmania plus the defending champion Geoff Carveth of England.
After winning the State championship in August Glenn Bourke said “We were happy with a strong result from a fresh wind regatta which tested our skill and endurance”.
“However that result is history and our attention will now be focused on being physically and mentally prepared to be on the pace for the World championship”.
That long campaign starts in the cooler latitudes of Tasmania next month where local idol Nick Rogers is expected to be the pacesetter when the strong fleet of SB3 sailors test their tactical reputations to become the 2012 Australian champion.
By Ian Grant.
Teenage Whitsunday Sailing Club 420 class sailors Klaus Lorenz and Ollie Annear overcame the important lack of class experience to finish 10th in the OAMPS Australian Youth championship on the windy Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron courses earlier this month.
Klaus has always shown exceptional talent with a dedicated training program to climb the ranks in the Australian Optimist Dinghy class and was not out of his depth steering his dinghy Drag Queen to a deserved top ten result.
He had a soul searching decision to make regarding his future career after finishing with the Bronze Medal at the Australian Optimist Championships hosted by the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in 2011.
The time had arrived for the talented tropical water sailor to step up to a class which would not only offer a competitive one-design racing environment but also provide the young skipper and his long term school mate Ollie Annear with the opportunity to race against the best 420 crews.
Because of their age they had that Optimist dinghy racing with the Whitsunday Sailing Club fleet was over and accepted the challenge of combining and improving their individual skills in making sure they were on the pace in the Olympic trainer 420 class.
Both Klaus and Ollie were excited after announcing the decision in August and just five months later they gave notice that Drag Queen was on the pace in spite of training alone on Pioneer Bay.
“Racing in the 420 class was an easy decision to make, however both of us understand the challenges that are ahead but we are young and prepared to do the hard yards”. Klaus Lorenz said last August.
Klaus and Ollie are not only school friends but great mates with a personal dedication to help each other to become recognized as North Queensland’s best young sailors.
Judging by the results of finishing 8th in the Open Australian championship and 10th in the OAMPS Youth championship the Drag Queen crew are destined to achieve their goals in 2012.
They have learnt that boat preparation and endless hours of training to improve their boat skills have overcome the lack of racing regularly in big fleets.
Meanwhile the testing waters of Pioneer Bay will become the important test bench for the promising 420 class racing team who will be focusing their careers on becoming selected to represent Australia at a future World Youth championship.
By Ian Grant.
Sunshine Coast Olympic Laser dinghy skippers Ryan Palk, Klade Hauschildt and Mitchell Kennedy are well recognised as good mates however the bond of friendship will be tested when they contest the Australian championship on Brisbane’s Waterloo Bay.
Ryan Palk a member of the Australian Olympic squad and coached by Sydney 2000 Bronze Medallist Michael Blackburn is nominated as a championship favourite along with the talented New South Wales helmsman Ashley Brunning.
However Klade Hauschildt and the younger Mitchell Kennedy who also possess a mature tactical knowledge to score top places in big fleet racing on the physically demanding waters of Waterloo Bay are more than capable of racing head to head with Ryan Palk and Ashley Brunning.
Naturally being able to consistently select a clear wind start will be a decided advantage and both Palk and Brunning who raced against big fleets during their extensive regatta tour of Europe will be physically and mentally prepared to contest the front line.
Scoring consistent top places will become difficult for the individual skipper who fails to respect the tricky challenge which is presented when the wind against current creates the notorious ‘Waterloo Slop’
This short and nasty seaway which is often made more difficult to master when excess volumes of water is ‘dumped’ on the deck has been known to sort the best from the rest.
The experience from regularly racing in this tactically demanding environment should provide the Sunshine Coast trio of skippers with a slight advantage but they will also need to be at the ‘top of the game’ in selecting a mistake free strategy.
Racing at the top end in this strict One-Design class always rewards the smartest skipper with the battle involving the three clever Sunshine Coast skippers surely watched with interest by their separate loyal group of supporters.
The pressure will be on Ryan Palk to answer the challenge from his Sunshine Coast training mates and to finish the series ahead of his Australian high performance team partner Ashley Brunning.
Hopefully this mate against mate match race and the important Australian championship series will not be interrupted by storms similar to the beast of a blow and the associated torrential rain that swept across Moreton Bay on Tuesday.
Thankfully the well trained Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron regatta officials always maintain a weather watch on the cloud formation on the South West horizon and have the collective experience to ensure the fleet race in safe and competitive environment.
While the open championship has attracted another impressive fleet including former Australian champion Brad Taylor the battle for the Women’s Radial Rig championship between World championship winning New South Wales skipper Gabriel King and Queensland’s Ashley Stoddart promises to become a close match race.
Ashley Stoddart who first started racing nationally as an enthusiastic 11 year old has the proven experience from training and racing on Waterloo Bay and this is expected to favour her to maintain her career ambition of winning selection as a future Olympian.
Australian 12m Historic Trust – Supporters & Members,
A quick email to let you all know that LEG 5 will commence, departing Brisbane 4am 28th December 2011. Both the KA-5 Australia and KA-14 Steak n Kidney will be making way for Sydney, in preparation for the New Years Eve fireworks celebration 31st Dec.
There are still several places available for delivery crew. if you’re looking to participate NOW is the time. Both yachts will be departing 4am 28th Dec. Contact Benjamin Morgan on 0415 577 724 to discuss crewing.
DELIVERY INFORMATION**
LEG 5: Brisbane to Sydney Harbour
475 Nautical Miles – Average Speed 7kts – 67.85 Hours Sailing
DEPARTING 4AM 28th DECEMBER 2011
*** CREW POSITIONS STILL AVAILABLE – CALL 0415 577 724 ***
Brisbane Rivergate Marina to Brisbane River Channel Entrance
Brisbane River Channel Entrance to East Channel
East Channel to Cowan Point
Cowan Point to East Channel
East Channel to North Point (Moreton Island)
North Point to Flat Rock
Flat Rock to Cudgen Head
Cudgen Head to Cape Byron
Cape Byron to Abeam Ballina
Abeam Ballina to Abeam Coffs Harbour
Abeam Coffs Harbour to Abeam Port Macquarie
Abeam Port Macquarie to Seal Rocks
Seal Rocks to Nelsons Bay
Nelsons Bay to Abeam Newcastle
Abeam Newcastle to Sydney Heads
Sydney Heads to Darling Harbour
Best regards,
BENJAMIN MORGAN
President – Australian 12m Historic Trust
australian12m.com
Mobile: 0415 577 724
Email: benmorgan@australian12m.com
PRESERVING AUSTRALIA’S 12M AMERICA’S CUP HERITAGE
The Corsair Association of QLD website is up and running !
This Multi platform website makes it now easier then ever to view results, stay on track with up coming regattas, view photos & much more.
Soon we will be releasing our Facebook & Twitter pages to not only keep in touch with all of our members but to reach out to sailors that have lost contact with the association over the years.
Check it out -
Any Questions Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Enjoy !
Kind Regards,
Mitchell Tucker
Secretary
Corsair Association of Queensland
Easter in Sydney top a strengthened event schedule for 2012
The Australian Access Class Association is working with yacht clubs and State Sailability Associations to stage six class championships in 2012. The regatta season kicks off on the
15th January with the inaugural Tasmanian Access Class Championship, to be hosted by
Derwent Sailing Squadron in cooperation with Sailability Tasmania.
The climax of the Access regatta season will be the Access Class World & International Championships, to be hosted by Middle Harbor Yacht Club, with the support of Sailability Middle Harbor, Sailability NSW, Macquarie Group Foundation and the NSW Government. This is the first time that the Access Worlds have been staged in Australia.
The waterways around MHYC will be busy this summer with the NSW championships, an AACA National Coaching Clinic, culminating in the Worlds. IACA Executive Officer David Staley is expecting around 120 sailors to be competing in Access 2.3, 303, Liberty and SKUD 18.
| For the Access Worlds and the coaching programs that precede the racing, the AACA and MHYC are looking to charter Access boats and safety boats. Details from the event website www.2012accessworlds.mhyc.com.au or by emailing David Staley david@accessclass.org. Volunteers are sought in a variety of areas. Contact is Commodore Julie Holder commodore@mhyc.com.au |
Internationally, 2012 is a big year with the London Paralympic Sailing Competition being staged from 1–6 September at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, UK. Australian teams in each of the classes – SKUD, Sonar and 2.4mR – will be competing for medals.
In accordance with the Paralympic selection timetable, Yachting Australia will nominate team members to the Australian Paralympic Committee during the month of February unless the window is specifically extended for a particular class. A number of elite sailors who have come through the Sailability system are vying for selection.
Major sailing events 2012
15-16 January
Tasmanian Access Class Championship
Derwent Sailing Squadron
26th January
Australia Day Regatta
Manly Yacht Club/Sailability Manly – Access 303s
27th January.
Coaching Clinic for State Championships competitors
Middle Harbour Yacht Club
January 28 & 29
New South Wales Access Class Championships
Middle Harbour Yacht Club with Sailability Manly
www.accessclass.org/?Page=30801
3-4 March
South Australian Sailability Championships
Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club
11 March
‘Be Active’ West Australian Access Class Championship
Royal Perth Yacht Club
www.rpyc.com.au/index.php?id=69
17-18 March
Victorian Access Class Championships
Lysterfield Sailing Club,
24/25 March 2012
Special Olympics ACT Games Regatta,
Sponsor Bendigo Bank, hosted by Sailability ACT
Lake Tuggeranong
4-5 April
AACA National Coaching Clinic
Middle Harbour Yacht Club
(Supported by bequest from the late Jim Brown)
7-13 April
Access Class World & International Championships
Middle Harbour Yacht Club
www.2012accessworlds.mhyc.com.au
1–6 September
2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition
WPNSA, Portland, UK
http://www.london2012.com/paralympic-sailing
September tba
IFDS Blind Match Racing (Homerus) Worlds GBR, RNCYC,
Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland
27-28 October
Special Olympics ACT Multi Sports Mini-Games
Sponsor Bendigo Bank, hosted by Sailability ACT. Lake Tuggeranong.
17/18 November
Special Olympics ACT Race and competition training hosted by
Sailability ACT, Lake Tuggeranong
Issued by Graeme Adam, Public Relations, National Sailability Committee of Yachting Australia. Email: graemeadam@sailability.org Phone: 02 9959 3323
Sailability Australia is the Australian arm of the international Sailability movement, with eight state or territory Sailability associations and some 65 branches/programs nationally. Australian sailors with disabilities are represented nationally by delegates on Yachting Australia’s Sailability Committee (nominated by State Yachting Associations) and internationally through Yachting Australia’s membership of Sailability World, the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) and the Australian Paralympic Committee.