2015 Australian Hansa Class Championships - Frustrating Day 2
by Shauna Phillips on 6 Apr 2015
Morning Session Day 2 Sam Tiedemann
On day two of the Australian Hansa Class Championships at Derwent Sailing Squadron showers and light, inconsistent winds frustrated competitors and race management. The Hansa 2.3 fleet and the 303 Doubles were the first sailors on the water in the morning session with both divisions completing three races.
In the Doubles, Wynyard sailors Chris Symonds and Neal Rodwell continued their good form to take the first two races, however they failed to make it a perfect scorecard for the regatta, coming third in the last race behind Victoria’s Bruce James and Christine Elliott and South Australia’s Paul Linden and Kenneth Hibbert. The Wynyard pair’s dominance on the first day puts them 6 points clear of the Victorians, with the South Australian pair a clear third.
In the 2.3 division, there was a change to the leaderboard, with overnight leader Allister Peek having to settle for two seconds and a third in the day’s three races, dropping him into second place overall. Winning the first two races of the day, Victoria’s Mark Thorpe now holds a one point lead over the Canberran. Launceston’s Rob Eadie – who notched up his second win for the regatta by taking out the last race – is a further two points behind in third place.
By the afternoon session, the wind had lightened further, causing postponements and frustration for those on the course, and allowing only the completion of two races.
In the Hansa 303 singles, it was again Chris Symonds on top of the leaderboard. Symonds took out both the day’s races from Victoria’s Bruce James with South Australia’s Kenneth Hibbert and another Wynyard sailor, Michael Darby, tied for third place.
The Liberty division is looking very close, with many experienced campaigners in the fleet. NSW sailor Bob Hamilton has taken the lead by one point from South Australia’s Jocelyn Neumueller, who scored two bullets today to move her into second place, tied with fellow South Australian Bob Schahinger.
Competitors will be hoping for better winds on the final day of competition.
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