Easy Tiger Racing wins F18 Masters at 2013 Australian Championships

by Lulu Roseman on 29 Jan 2013 Sheeting rain and 30 knot gale force nor ‘east winds caused the final day of racing in the 2013 F18 Australian Championships at Lake Macquarie to be abandoned today.

Jason Waterhouse and Brett Goodhall (NSW) were declared the winners followed by Brett Burvill/Ryan Duffield (WA) and Adam Beattie/Jamie Leitner (VIC) in third place.

Rod Waterhouse and Chris Way of Easy Tiger Racing held off seven other teams to take out the Masters Divisions and finished in 12th position overall.

'We’re happy with our results at this shortened regatta. It’s disappointing we couldn’t have had more racing but the east coast low and forecast winds would have made it treacherous. I’m pleased to see Jason and Brett are on form for this season and the upcoming AC45 youth racing in San Francisco next week,' Skipper Rod Waterhouse said.

'Today was just miserable. We all de-rigged and packed up in pouring rain and strong winds and then the wind abated for a while, so we could have had a race or two. However the PRO definitely made the right call with gale force winds and flood waters heading down the coast from Queensland,' said Chris Way.

'We won the Masters and ended up in 12th place overall which just qualifies us for the 2013 F18 Worlds at Marina di Grosseto, Tuscany Italy in July where Australia has 13 places. That was our goal this weekend and we achieved it despite having to endure the wet and at times kamikaze conditions,' he added.

'In the end these Nationals were a bit of a frustrating event with only five races held, but the race committee did the best they could considering what the conditions were like. So that's another Nationals Team Tiger has racked up.'

Since finishing second in the Masters Division at the F18 Worlds in Long Beach last September, the Easy Tiger F18 Racing Team has been working hard on increasing their fitness and overall physical strength.

'As soon as I got back from Long Beach I joined a gym and engaged a trainer who is an ex-Naval diver and with his military background he takes no prisoners. He has got me doing some pretty hardcore training that includes crawling along the ground with 80-kilogram weights attached to me with ropes. It’s all designed to strengthen the back muscles. Rod has gotten me into stand up paddle boarding and that is great for the core strength,' Way said.

'The combined crew weight in the F18 class is a minimum of 150 kilograms and we are targeting that for Tuscany. Being light really helps our speed. Some of the crews at this regatta weighed in at over 180 kilograms so I reckon we had a pretty good weight advantage over them.'