Australian A-Cat National Championships at South Lake Macquarie Amateur Sailing Club – Day 1
by Gordon Upton 9 Jan 00:31 EST
6-11 January 2024
At day one of many Australian A-Cat National Championships, on the waters of South Lake Macquarie Amateur Sailing Club, NSW, the cream of the Australian fleet assembled. 46 boats, over half of the National Fleet, had been joined by two US company.
The draw for the Americans, Mike Christiansen, US No.3, and Ravi Parent, 2022 World A-Cat and F-18 Champion, was an opportunity to compete in essentially the most aggressive National fleet within the World. The fleet at the moment boasts a number of a number of World Champions, Olympic medallists and even an America’s Cup skipper.
Today, the old mantra of ‘You ought to know, it isn’t often like this right here!’ was clearly heard. The ENE wind was there, then it wasn’t. Big holes had been to be discovered and stitched collectively by the actually unfortunate. Or a sport of crusing snakes and ladders took place.
Race one obtained below method with little fuss. The A-Cat fleet has been described to me prior to now, by one Olympic RO, as simply essentially the most disciplined on the planet and recollects are a rarity. The wind was a good 10 knots, permitting the extra succesful sailors of the 20 boat Open fleet to get foiling from the off. 6 minutes later it was the 27 boat Classic fleet, though tragedy struck one sailor on the 5 min 55 sec mark as his mainsheet clew attachment gave up, tea bagging him in, capsizing his boat to windward. The hapless unnamed International A-Class Measurement chief was left wallowing as he watched the remaining sail away.
However, on the prime marks, all was not nicely. The Open fleet upon arrival, all of the sudden discovered themselves considerably becalmed on their downwind leg, and remained in order the Classics arrived at their prime marks, which had been set some 200m shorter with the intention to right for the velocity differential of the respective disciplines. At this level a conjoined fleet continued downwind to the underside marks, and the Classics quite revelled in the truth that for a change, that they had the higher hand speedwise because of their much less draggy foils and slipperier hull shapes.
At the underside, most selected the suitable mark and began their weary method uphill once more, with a couple of dissenting souls loudly claiming the 5 knot class wind minimal had been breached and the race needs to be cancelled. Half was up the second beat, the wind stuffed in once more, and most obtained trapezing once more. At the end, it was reigning World Champ, Scotty Anderson, simply forward of Chris Cairns with Bruce Woodward again in third. The Open fleet was led by the reigning National Champion Adam Beattie, with Darren Bundock and Ravi Parent.
Race two was a extra conventional affair. Pretty a lot 10 kts all through the race. Much foiling and wild thinging stored all sailors comfortable. This time it was Ravi successful the Open, Adam following and Bundy third. Scotty received once more within the Classics, Andrew Landenberger got here in second with Bruce in one other constant third.
Race three began out so nicely too. Off the road, foiling for the Opens or flat out trapezing within the Classics, off the left hand facet of the course. This was the place the wind had been proven to be finest. Adam led Bundy and chased by Ravi all up the far lefthand facet. The relaxation adopted, however remained barely extra central. Then the bizarre factor occurred. The main 5 boats within the Open fleet discovered some extra wind over to the highest proper of the course and headed there. They all rounded the left hand gate mark (this AUS fleet sail with a gate at each ends of the course, just like the sail GP programs, and discover it provides extra tactical scope to make use of each course sides equally).
They headed downwind once more, holding to the left facet, passing all of the upcoming boats in each fleets, who all of the sudden appear to have stopped in an enormous gap. The outcome was that these 5 all come downhill at the least 10 minutes forward of the main boats from the next pack. But ultimately the wind returned and each fleets lapped the course as one old common A-Cat fleet. At the end, once more it was Adam, Matt Homan and Stevie Brewin. Classics had been one other bullet for Scotty, Richard Howells second and Bruce once more third.
All nice enjoyable although. Sailing that by no means will get boring was right this moment’s lesson and extra tomorrow.
