Australian crew take World Flying Fifteen title in final race thriller

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World on 15 Jan 2009
The Australian crew of Grant Alderson and Dean Mcaullay, won the World Flying Fifteen World Championship sailed on Port Philip Bay, Williamstown, this afternoon.

Going into the final race if the seven race series Alderson/Mcaullay were tied on points with the British crew of Barry Parkin and Tim Hall, setting the scene for a match race end to the regatta.

Racing was delayed from the original start time of 1100 hrs until around 1330hrs as race officials waited for the dying breeze to settle in direction and for the sea breeze to build. It was an excellent decision, and racing got underway after a couple of general recalls, postponements and then the imposition of the Black Flag by PRO, David le Roy.

The two lead boats made their intentions known on the first start both being in close proximity and locked in each others rangefinders. However a general recall put paid to that games, and on the second start Alderson/McAullay were able to do a wriggle at the start getting an advantage over Parkin/Hall, and that was pretty well the race.

After being back in the fleet a little, the Australian crew worked their way through to third, with the Britsih safely tucked away several places astern.

Parkin and Hall made a final bid for the world title, heading out to the left or eastern side of Port Philip, away from the body of the fleet.

Alderson and Mcaullay spotted the British break out and covered. It was well they did as Parkin and Hall lifted themselves up into fourth position, one place behind the Australians, but still not enough for them to secure the title - which went to Alderson and Mcaullay by just one point - the differential of the last race.

While all this was going on a ding-dong battle was taking place for the lead between Steve Goacher and Phil Evans (GBR) and the New Zealand crew of Aaron Goodmanson and Alister Rowlands. For most of the race and the first half of the final beat, the Britush were ahead of the New Zealanders who played the shifts and tactics perfectly to get their bow in from on a port starboard cross, with about 500metres left to sail.

Once in front, the Kiwis kept their foot, both feet in fact, firmly on the throats of the British, who could not break back, despite an enthusiastic tacking duel. Eventually the Kiwis worked the British out to the starboard layline and then left them be, and sailed for the finish.

While the win gave the New Zealanders bragging rights for the day, it was not sufficient to give them a podium place on the points table, and aalthough they won the race the New Zealanders finished fourth overall five points behind Goacher and Evans.

Unluckiest crew of the regatta were the defending world champions, Mike Hart and Richard Rigg, who finished fifth in the final race, which would have been more than sufficent for them to easily take the world title, had they not had a DSQ in Race 3 over a port and starboard incident soon after the start.

The next world championship will be sailed at Hayling Island, England in 2011.

17th Flying Fifteen World Championships - Final Results (provisional) Sail Yacht Skipper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total Placing 3833 No Bull Grant Alderson 2 2 12 [12] 1 1 3 21 1 3911 **** Barry Parkin [6] 1 5 3 4 5 4 22 2 3821 Tba Steve Goacher 1 3 13 6 3 [16] 2 28 3 3739 Ffortune Aaron Goodmanson 5 6 [11] 7 6 8 1 33 4 3905 Secret Ingredient X David McKee 9 [18] 8 8 5 11 6 47 5 3917 Art Gekko Mike Hart 3 36 [81] 1 2 2 5 49 6 3781 16 David Tucker 15 5 1 5 11 [33] 13 50 7 3840 Ffrenetic Murray Gilbert 11 17 3 4 16 4 [18] 55 8 3931 N/a Alan Bax 8 4 [40] 2 9 23 10 56 9 3923 Ff Charles Apthorp 4 7 [81] 34 14 3 7 69 10 3661 Fizz Gavin Dagley [43] 9 16 18 12 9 17 81 11 3823 Ffoto Finish Brett Willcock 10 15 21 15 8 14 [29] 83 12 3881 I'd Swap This For A Bundy Adam Hawkins 7 [23] 10 16 19 10 22 84 13 3799 One Under Veronica Falat 23 20 2 19 22 12 [50] 98 14 3670 Escalator Graeme Lillingston 29 16 14 11 25 [38] 12 107 15 3910 Yes Brad Sheridan 25 [46] 26 13 26 7 16 113 16 3832 Blowffish Craig Coulan [58] 10 4 23 36 21 25 119 17 3796 Ffatigaos Javier Chacártegui 21 [81] 35 21 21 19 8 125 18 3717 Glamour Buoys Greg Leversuch 16 [65] 28 41 15 17 11 128 19 3914 Defying Gravity Adrian Tattersall 20 42 [42] 20 13 15 20 130 20 3903 Elise Ian Cleaver 36 21 19 [43] 29 13 19 137 21 3718 Fully Active Board Ashley Smith 14 22 [48] 10 33 18 46 143 22 3883 Boat John Lavery 38 11 9 24 [81] 61 9 152 23 3641 F'feckin'Eegit Andy Martin 22 31 15 [47] 27 30 33 158 24 3662 Wings John Tracey 28 12 36 39 23 22 [49] 160 25 3909 Skandia Gavin Gourley 12 25 45 42 10 26 [54] 160 26 3907 Foreign Affair Phil Quinn [56] 29 23 27 7 52 23 161 27 3743 Spot The Difference Greg Tonnison 33 34 34 14 17 [50] 31 163 28 3619 Affrodisiac Ron Packer 27 28 [39] 22 31 32 24 164 29 3525 Freodoctor Doug Cooksey 42 [51] 6 28 30 24 36 166 30 3754 Business Ian Morley [54] 30 7 30 35 36 30 168 31 3880 Where The Bloody Hell Are You Craig Rainey 30 [40] 18 31 34 31 32 176 32 3572 Relience 17 Hamish Carnachan 18 [49] 33 37 24 25 41 178 33 3890 If Only..... Geoff Bayliss 13 35 29 [54] 42 39 21 179 34 3851 Ffuk Ian Linder 19 38 51 32 32 20 [55] 192 35 3541 Snafler Richard Guy 59 37 24 17 [81] 45 15 197 36 3930 Aussie Falcon Dale Collings 41 [81] 27 44 41 6 39 198 37 3611 Smooth & Stoned Steve Douthawaite 37 8 20 51 40 [65] 43 199 38 3861 Supertoy Plays On Brian Carroll 31 45 44 38 28 [48] 14 200 39 3879 Aussie Way Kim Peaker 47 26 47 29 [48] 34 27 210 40 3818 Ffizzy Gill Browning 44 13 [81] 46 38 29 40 210 41 3897 Kooigjug Ken Dumpleton 32 32 32 [81] 55 28 38 217 42 3928 Got any lettuce? Howard Green 26 33 [81] 33 20 64 45 221 43 3800 Saltheart Rupert Leslie 35 19 [63] 26 53 37 51 221 44 3797 Changing Lanes David Swan 49 14 31 36 [56] 44 47 221 45 3527 Just Looking Peter Milne 17 64 46 [81] 18 57 28 230 46 3786 Sans Culottes Christopher Harris 51 43 25 45 [67] 42 26 232 47 3835 Sucking Feagulls Andy Goddard 46 24 81 9 [81] 49 35 244 48 3062 Good Thing David Meldrum 45 54 22 25 58 40 [58] 244 49 3878 Ffast Lane 2 John Wilson 40 [53] 37 52 50 47 34 260 50 3854 Relience Ffenty Ffoo William Shand 50 52 30 40 [63] 43 48 263 51 3095 Fiddle-de-dee Adam Semple 53 27 50 48 46 51 [62] 275 52 3169 Skinffull Robert Anderson 52 55 [55] 50 43 41 37 278 53 3822 Ruffians John Crosby 81 56 17 58 44 27 [81] 283 54 3774 Rollercoaster Tom Murphy 39 [62] 59 57 39 53 42 289 55 3259 Celtic Pride Chris Hall 48 57 43 60 47 35 [66] 290 56 3616 Ffunnily Enuff Stephen Leiceter [64] 44 41 62 57 46 44 294 57 3775 Absolutely Ffabulous Philippa Packer [81] 39 53 49 37 62 63 303 58 3814 Comited to conffusion John Wallace 24 66 57 55 45 [66] 59 306 59 3087 Iff Sally Garrett 55 48 38 [61] 54 56 57 308 60 3902 Blue Flame Peter Hogg 34 61 54 [64] 51 54 60 314 61 3893 Ffrig It Peter Lawson 62 41 [81] 56 49 67 53 328 62 3815 Passing Wind Athol King 57 59 60 35 60 [69] 64 335 63 3767 Bubbles Ken Bubb 58.59999847 63 62 53 52 [63] 52 340.6 64 3709 Ghost Magic ronald walker 60 58 52 [69] 61 59 65 355 65 3088 Ffirst Offspring Fred Price 63 47 68 [74] 62 70 56 366 66 3063 Stress Free Zone Kevin Griffiths 65 [72] 56 59 65 68 61 374 67 3846 Demon 3 Alan Carson 61 70 64 63 [81] 60 68 386 68 2823 Diffino Murray Latham [81] 50 61 71 71 74 70 397 69 3859 Gannin Tappy Lappy Michael Clark 71 69 69 70 64 55 [75] 398 70 3761 Grumpy Old Woman John Hassen 68 67 58 68 69 [71] 69 399 71 2825 Happy Days Jennifer Sims 70 [75] 74 67 70 58 72 411 72 3745 Splash Tom Ruut 67 68 49 65 81 81 [81] 411 73 3876 Kerfuffle Carlyon Knight-Evans 81 60 66 73 [81] 72 67 419 74 3722 Noisy Forefather Joseph Nelson 69 71 65 66 73 76 [77] 420 75 3836 Effeffex Peter Bradford [81] 77 67 75 59 75 74 427 76 3442 Lean & Mean Doug Bell [81] 74 71 72 68 77 71 433 77 3012 Sunday Session Jennifer Richardson 66 78 70 77 70 [81] 73 434 78 3887 Affa Robert Chaffe 74 73 73 76 66 73 [76] 435 79 3309 Clockwork V11 Denis Buckley 72 76 72 78 74 [81] 78 450 80