Schweppes Little Wheel Youth Match Racing Regatta - Overall report
by Bernie Kaaks on 16 Jan 2015
Matt Jerwood and his experienced crew revelled in the fresh conditions. Bernie Kaaks
It was a case of deja vu at South of Perth Yacht Club on day two of the Schweppes Little Wheel Regatta. Big winds across the course were challenging for the BW8's being sailed, and although the experienced and world ranked skippers like Matt Jerwood (who heads the leader board after two days) and Sam Gilmour handled the tricky conditions with ease, less experienced helmsmen were not quite so fortunate and even before the first race had been sailed, a spinnaker had been torn in practice.
Regulars to this column might remember the sequence of photos of a wild broach last year when one of the yachts buried its bow and broached wildly.
This year it was Will Boulden's turn. Struggling for control in a downwind leg, he finally lost it and broached wildly to starboard. In the process, the spinnaker passed inside the forestay, effective locking off the halyard at the top of the mast.
Two crewmen finished up in the water and were quickly retrieved by support craft and the struggling yacht was surrounded but still drifting quickly towards the Kwinana Freeway.
Eventually the rescue boat pair of Graeme Monkhouse and Ken Booth attached a line to the bow of the yacht and turned it head to wind, making it possible to regain control
For the record, Jerwood leads the competition ahead of Sam Gilmour, with Lachy Gilmour third and Will Boulden fourth.
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