ASBA Sports Boats Take to the Harbour
by Darren Spence on 6 Jan 2015
David Ellis’’s The Stig’’s Audi Driving Cousin. Photo; Beth Morley Teri Dodds
http://www.teridodds.com
Like kids in a candy store, sailors from around the country will be taking to Sydney Harbour over the coming four days for their 2015 National Titles.
Being conducted from the Cruising Yacht of Australia (CYCA), the eighth ASBA National Titles has produced one of the largest fleets in arguably the most photogenic location.
Not concerned with just looking good, the competition for the Title will be amongst the hottest ever. With two previous Champions, Evergreen (Mike Green - 2010) and Zippier (Andrew Waugh - 2013), lining up for more sultana’s on their home race track.
Two time Melges 24 National Champion, Bandit (Warwick Rooklyn), has teamed up with the Nixon family in a combination that won the M24 Division Sydney Harbour Regatta in March 2014.
Then there are the foreigners.
David Ellis (The Stig’s Audi Driving Cousin) has won every event they have sailed in the last 16 months taking out the Queensland State Title twice, the New South Wales State Title and the their home state title in Victoria. They are previous winners over the CYCA course in winning the 2014 NSW State Title March last year.
No pressure or anything.
Octopussy (Rees Howell) from Perth has not finished outside the top three in the last three National Titles and has left his boat on the East coast (moved a crew member as well) over the last twelve months to try and pick up those extra seconds and a few ladder rungs.
The Leigh-Smith family have been successfully campaigning trailerable boats around the country since the JOG days. Viper QLD took out Airlie Beach Race Week in 2013 and finished a close second to Raptor at the Festival of Sails in Geelong in 2014.
The J70 is the fastest selling Sports Boat in the world at the moment and they have pulled out all stops to have six boats on the start line. They will not only be competing for overall and Division 2 honours but will have their own set of results based on their elapsed times.
For the first time ever, ASBA has included a Female Sailor Division and Perpetual Trophy with eight boats hitting the water with at least one female crew member helping their machine around the course.
Courses will be predominately windward/leeward courses but broken up with a 'Harbour Cruise' on Friday before wrapping up with the presentation at the CYCA on Saturday afternoon when the Winner’s Gill Jacket is presented.
ASBA receives outstanding support from it’s partners - Gill Australia, 3 Oceans Winery, Hogs Breath Cafe and Yacht Racing Services (managers of the SMS & AMS rating systems).
All the event information can be found in the Regatta Pages of the ASBA web site - www.asba.org.au or on the ASBA Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/sportsboatsaus
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