Lake Macqarie Summer of Sailing continues

After a very successful Australian A Class National Championship held earlier this month at Wangi, , another high quality fleet of A Cats assembled for the Mannering Park Catamaran Regatta on the southern extremity of Lake Macquarie on the Jan 28/29 weekend.

12 A Cat sailors competed. Whilst this number was considerably smaller than the 69 boats in attendance at Wangi, the fleet included six of the top ten National Championship placegetters ( Nathan Outteridge, James Spittall, Steve Brewin, Darren Bundock, Steve Brayshaw, Andrew Williams) ,all of whom were eager for another close and determinedly fought contest. These six sailor consistently fought for top postions during the regatta, with Grant Pellow and Mark Johnson often also joining the mix.

After weeks of heavy rain, the weather gods once again granted the lake a small reprieve from the inclement weather, with the final heavy rain shower completed 2 hours before the first start .

Six races were competed over the two days, with the three races on day 1 separated by a lunch break , whilst the final three races on day 2 completed in a prompt “back to back” fashion, in a style that certainly tested physical fitness and endurance.

The racing was held up for approximately one hour on the first day until a north east breeze of between 8 to 10 knots settled in for the first race, later increasing up to 12 knots for the remainnder of the day. The north east wind direction allowed optimal utilisation of the bay, permitting 1 nautical mile length legs, which the A Cats promptly devoured in ideal low drag flat wter, and moderate wind propulsion.

Upwind/downwind trapezing is now standard procedure for the top sailors, although some of we older sailers fell more content to sat it out of the back beam in a more conservative, safer, if slower style. Downwing trapezing is not without its down side, and impressive wipe outs have now also become a standard expections in A Cat regattas

.Day 2 once again dawned with little wind, but the north east breeze had returned by the time of the 10:00am start, and the three races were reeled off in quick succession. By the time of the final race, the breeze had built to around 16 knots, and the bows were now starting to bury when pushed hard downwind. Nathan Outteridge pitch poled his boat in spectacular style whilst he was approaching the finish to lose an almost certain 1st place in that race (See the amazing photo).

The overall honours for the regatta went to Darren Bundock , with Nathan Outteridge once again finishing 2nd, edging out Steve Brewin into third place.

Whilst the number of NSW A Cat cat sailors remain smaller than those of Victoria and Queensland, the quality of the fleet and sense of comradary is high, with the top sailors free in providing coaching tips to other fleet members.

The Mannering Park Amateur Sailing Club conducted thhe series in a competent and very friendly manner, and were all look forward to returning to this fine venue for the NSW State A Cat Titles in March.

Unfortunately James Spittall, Tom Slingsby, and Darren Bundock will not be able to compete, as they will shortly be resuming their overseas America’s Cup or Olympic commitments . The Bundock and Spittal boats will shortly be resuming their overseas container voyage, this time to San Fransico. Sadly the Slingsby DNA will not be making the voyage. Tom lent his boat out for the Mannering Park regatta, but unfortunately it crossed paths with a very solidly built Maricat during the regatta which severed off the port bow of the A Cat with almost surgical expertise.

We hope to see Nathan Outeridge compete in further Australian A Class events until his departure overseas in April for his 49ner Olympic campaign.

We wish Nathan and Tom every success for the London Olympics, and there will be many A Cat sailors following their progress, and in spirit sailing with them in their quest for Olympic gold.

Bob Griffits.

Fresh after the Australian National Championships, we announce another regatta, this time a little further south down the lake, at the Mannering Park Sailing Club on the weekend of 28/29 January.
See NOR below:

John Cootes Furniture
Warehouse
Open Catamaran Regatta
&
The 2012 NSW
Nacra State Titles

28th – 29th January 2012

The John Cootes Furniture Warehouse Open Catamaran Regatta 2012 in conjunction
with the New South Wales Nacra Association State Titles will be conducted on the
waters of Southern Lake Macquarie on the 28th – 29th January 2012. Owners and
charterers of eligible boats are invited to enter the regatta on the conditions of this
Notice of Race. The races are organised and conducted by the Mannering Park
Amateur Sailing Club in conjunction with the New South Wales Nacra Association.MPASC Open Cat Regatta 2012 NOR final

THE JOHN COOTES FURNITURE 2012 A CLASS CATAMARAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: Final Review
The Championships ended the same way that they started five days ago- under clear blue summer skies and with a moderate, building northeasterly sea breeze.
Championship had already been decided in Glenn Ashby’s favour at the end of the previous day. Glenn’s dominance of the event was such that he was able to sit out the final day’s racing.
Before the start of the ninth and final race, Steve Brewin held place second overall, holding a narrow lead from Nathan Outteridge. The final race would be the battle of the World Champions. Brewin is the 2011 A Class World Champ, whilst Outteridge is a dual 2011 World Champ having captured both the Moth and 49ners crowns
The dual Olympic silver medallist Darren Bundock inherited the 9th race lead soon after the first windward mark rounding, and thereafter was never challenged, winning by a clear margin. Andrew Landenberger had his best race of the series to finish 2nd,earning him 7th place overall.
The battle between Outteridge and Brewin was decided soon after the final windward mark rounding, when Brewin lost his footing whilst trapezing downwind. Precariously dangling from his trapeze wire out from rear windward corner of the boat, the laws of physics applied, and the boat was pulled over on top of him.
Nathan crossed the finish line in third place to secure 2nd overall, whilst Brewin’s recovery to a 14th position secured the overall 3rd spot
The arrival of Nathan Outteridge and Tom Slingsby in the class, together with the return of Ashby has lifted the standard of athleticism as well as the boat handling skills required to compete at the top level of the fleet. The top skippers push their boats extremely hard on the downwind legs, to the point that capsizing is now de rigour in the pursuit of ultimate speed downwind. Amazingly, these skippers have the strength and skill to quickly right their boats and lose just a few places. The benefit of trapezing downwind, outweighs the risk of the occasional capsize; at least for the immortals at the top of the fleet. Righting a capsized boat quickly is now an essential racing skill.
The varying conditions encountered during the regatta provided a test of sailing skills across the wind spectrum, and Glenn Ashby was the undeniable and worthy winner. Racing on Days 1 and 2 was held in moderate northeast sea breezes. Day 3 meant that the two races were sailed in light easterly wind, with a gusty moderate and latter freshening southerly on Day 4 testing the ability to constantly change gear and read the shifts.
Ashby, a seven time World A Class Champion described the fleet as the best and most competitive that he has encountered at any level of A Class competition.
Class President was similarly effusive at the presentation, labelling the event the best Nationals that he has attended over the past 30 years.
Wangi Amateur Sailing Club did a superb effort both on and off the water, and earned high praise from competitors and their supporting partners and families. The racetrack is one of the best in the world, and the grassy foreshore of the expansive boat park virtually unsurpassable.
The media interest in our event was huge, with the resulting publicity for the class immense. It is up to the NSW A Class Association build on the renewed interest in the class with backsides in trapeze harnesses.
The stand out boat design for the regatta was the Dutch designed and built DNA, which dominated the results, and with 23 representatives present, was the most numerically common boat.
The Kostecki and Ashby boats have already been unsold within Australian, whilst the de Ridder, Spit hill, and Slingsby DNA’s will soon be making their way to San Francisco Bay.
Boat design for this development class will not stand still. Glenn stated that he has learned many new skills from his involvement in the AC, and that there are some important new catamaran design innovations, which will trickle down to the A Class after their showcase in the next America’s Cup.
James Spithill, John Kostecki, Dirk de Ridder, and Darren Bundock will soon be resuming their responsibilities with the Oracle AC syndicate in San Francisco, and Glenn Ashby will be heading back across the Tasman to Team Zealand.
Nathan Outteridge has flown to Melbourne for the Australian Moth Championships, and will then focus on his 49ner sailing with a view to an Olympic Medal in London.
Tom Slingsby has multiple commitments. Number one goal is a Laser class Olympic medal in London, but along the way there is the Oracle AC 45 involvement, as well as a calling from John Bertrand to help win a second Etchells World Championship in February.
The rest of us will resume our day jobs.
Bob Griffits.

One month out from the 2012 Australian Titles, we already have 44 firm entries for the regatta. Should be another great turn out both in quality and quantity.