Stevie Brewin leads A Class Catamaran Australian Championship

by Robert Griffits on 4 Jan 2017 After six races, Stevie Brewin leads the Australian A Class Championship, which are being sailed out of the McCrae Yacht Club on Port Phillip Bay.

49 boats have entered the series, and so far competitors have enjoyed moderate to fresh winds. Brewin has dominated the racing with an impressive scorecard of 2-1-2-1-1-1 placings..

Darren Bundock sits in second overall with 1-2-3-2-2-8. Brewin and Bundock have extensively trained together, and both have been testing and evaluating the foil developments that continue to evolve from the Polish builder of the Exploder design.

Queensland's Brad Collett occupies third overall with a consistent performance, and placing of 4-5-1-6-4-3.

Hydrofoils have been a feature of the class for the past four years, and the evolution in hydrofoil technology together with skill development has meant that boats now foil readily downwind in breezes as low as 7 knots, and the top sailors have been able to coax their boats to now foil upwind.

Foiling boats now constitute the majority of the fleet, and they dominate the performances in all but the light winds. The foiling skill levels vary across the fleet. The top ten sailors have mastered the techniques, but the skills have also improved in the mid fleet to that evident 12 months ago. The top non-foiling boat, which has been sailed very well by David Parker sits in 13th overall place.

A further six races are planed over the next three days.