Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Championships day 1- Survival Time!!

by Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week media on 3 Sep 2011 Tradewinds of 16-18 knots with gusts up to 24 were forecast for the first day of the Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Championships, being sailed as part of the 2011 Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week.

But the weather gods conspired and as the F18s prepared for their first race start out on Cleveland Bay, the sky darkened and the conditions deteriorated, the wind building and the swell increasing.

Conditions were tough out on the Bay and Principal Race Officer Stewart 'Jock' Ross after just two races of the planned four were sailed, postponing further racing until tomorrow.

Adam Beattie onboard Nacra No 1 took the two lap Race 1 from Jason Waterhouse (Team Wildcat Australasia) and Mick Guinea (Nacra NQ). Then followed Luke McMullen (Overdrive), Gary Gornall (Goose Marine), James Ogilvie (Durepox Paints), Dale Mitchell (Shady), Warren Guinea (Team Magic Marine), Brett White (Feral Cat) and Gordon Beath (Edge2Edge).

The big swell deterred many of the F18s from starting Race 1. A number sat unrigged on the beach, while there were at least three retirements from the race.

In the heavy swell and tough conditions Katie Spithill (Team Harken) finished back in the fleet in 11th. As she predicted yesterday the heavy conditions were not in the lightweight Team Harken’s favour.

Jason Waterhouse went one better in Race 2 taking the honours from Dale Mitchell, with Mick Guinea third. Adam Beattie was fourth followed by Luke McMullen, Brett White, Grant Bow (High Roller) and Gary Gornall.

The Overall Series leader is Jason Waterhouse from Team Wildcat Australia, two points ahead of Adam Beattie's Nacra No 1 with Mick Guniea's Nacra NQ one point further back.

FNQ F18 representative Mick Guinea (Nacra NQ) explained ‘It was tough out there. In the first race we were fifth at the top mark, second at the bottom mark for the first time, but Jason got us on the second work.

‘But there was serious drama for us in race two. We were first to the top mark and we led all the way.

‘We were just coming to the finish line when Viv Hayden, my crew, fell off the back of the boat. He was in the water with the kite sheet pulling him under the water for about 30 seconds. I dumped the spinnaker halyard, the kite went into the water and that capsized us and Viv surfaced. He was OK. We got the boat back up and finished third --- and most importantly I still beat my brother Warren, so that was the key thing' he smiled.

Series leader Jason Waterhouse (Team Wildcat Australasia) said ‘When we first went out on the water, it seemed like survival, but we settled down. It was a matter of keeping the boat together.

‘In the first race we went cautiously but were still fifth at the top mark. We have a Hobie Wildcat and we are faster upwind than the Nacras but slower down wind, so we had to work hard to grab places on the second beat and pushed up into second place and held on to finish behind Adam Beattie, who had led from the bottom mark to the finish.

‘We broke the tiller extension right off the start line. I could just reach it, trapezing, crouching forward. We were second place all the way round.

‘We had expected to have Adam in front of us from the second start but he had broken his jib car system just after the start and then he capsized at the top mark, so his fourth place showed just what a good sailor he is.’

RO 'Jock' Ross brought the fleet ashore after two races. Ross said 'It was really hard work out there. We started the first race in 20 knots and one and a half metre seas, the second in 22 knots with two metre seas but we had gusts to 25 knots and conditions were worsening. We needed to bring everyone in to preserve the fleet as we had seven retirements between the two races and less than 10 finished the second race.'

F18 Australian Championships

Series Results [F18] up to Race 2

Place	Ties	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	From	Sers Score	Race 2	Race 1
1		211	Team Wildcat Austral	Jason Waterhouse	RPAYC	3.0	1.0	2.0
2		AUS9	Nacra No1	Adam Beattie		5.0	4.0	1.0
3		AUS26	Nacra NQ	Mick Guinea	TSC	6.0	3.0	3.0
4	2.0S	1484	Shady	Dale Mitchell	WSC	9.0	2.0	7.0
5		1470	OVERDRIVE	Luke McMullen	DSC	9.0	5.0	4.0
6		1021	Goose Marine	Gary Gornall		13.0	8.0	5.0
7		276F	Feral Cat	Brett White	SPASC	15.0	6.0	9.0
8		1082	High roller	Grant Bow		22.0	7.0	15.0
9		AUS10	Durepox Paints	James Ogilvie	KCC	30.0	24.0S	6.0
10		1459	Team Magic Marine	Warren Guinea	DSC	32.0	24.0F	8.0
11		AUS1	Edge2Edge	Gordon Beath		34.0	24.0F	10.0
12		183	Team Harken	Katie Spithill Pelle	RPAYC	35.0	24.0F	11.0
13		1430	sneak'n'around	Leigh McNally	CYC	36.0	24.0S	12.0
14		AUS619	Cruel and Heartless	Ian Simpson		37.0	24.0F	13.0
15		7	Bent & Twisted	Grant Rodgers	YBSC	38.0	24.0S	14.0
16		207	Silver Fox	Peter Lane	KCC	48.0	24.0C	24.0C
16		1491	Allbroke	William Lucas	TSC	48.0	24.0C	24.0C
16		1023	Flying Fish	Leanne Gould		48.0	24.0C	24.0C
16		1483	Bogan Entry	Martin Webb		48.0	24.0S	24.0F
16		AUS96	Wet Stuff	Paul Whyte	KCC	48.0	24.0S	24.0F
16		826	Gash	Rob Lattimore	CYC	48.0	24.0S	24.0F
16		1244	Uptown Girl	Mark Leitner	CYC	48.0	24.0C	24.0C
16		750	Magical	Kyle Amadio	PBSC	48.0	24.0C	24.0C