Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship – A Big Day Out

by Rob Kothe & Al Constable on 7 Jun 2009
Going into the last day of the 2009 series Mark Johnson and his Roulette team were leading the regatta with 10 points ahead of Dave Clark’s Fifteen with 14 points and Damien King’s Barry. New Zealand’s Alastair Gair, the Day 1 leader, went into the day with 2,1 and a Black Flag.

The number permutations and combinations of races sailed and who could finish where were considerable, but everyone except Johnson, wanted a five race series.

Race 4 sponsored by Musto, started this morning in bright sunshine and a 12-14 knot north easterly.

Race officials had intended to set a 1.8 nautical mile leg length, but stopped short at 1.4 nautical miles on a north-nor-west heading, after the top mark boat ran into a segment of baited long line. (They thought they had struck the jackpot and had a shark on the line, however it later turned out to be an anchor.)

The 54-boat fleet had a clean start and 80 per cent of the fleet headed left towards the beach and came up on the port lay-line.

Matthew McCann’s Carabella IV was first around, followed by Jervis Tilly’s Bushfire, with Ross Lloyd’s The Nurse in third. David Clark’s Fifteen was sixth; series leader Mark Johnson (Roulette) rounded in 11th place. The big surprise was Alastair Gair (Velsheda) the Day 1 leader, who only managed 24th position.

At the top mark for the second time Lloyd had moved into first place, with King now up in second, Tilley was third with Johnson sixth. Gair was 16th. Those places held to the finish.

The pressure was now on King and his Melbourne crew; they needed another top result to win the regatta.

Race 5, again sponsored by Musto, had a sensational start when series leader Johnson was involved in a start line incident and withdrew from the race.

Gair’s Velsheda was leading at the top mark with King and his ‘Barry Boys’ hot on his tail. The leaders stayed close but at the top mark for the last time, Gair came in from port, but King and Mark Bradford sailed through him.

King came storming home across the finish line ahead of Mark Bradford’s Roni, Nigel Nattrass’ Two Speed, Gair’s Velsheda and Graeme Taylor’s Magpie.

What had happened to the series leader at the start of the final race?

A dejected Mark Johnson said 'We foolishly tried for the perfect Committee Boat end start. We were a bit slow and were port boat in a port starboard and were pushed into the Committee Boat. We did our 720 and we looked up and realised for our score to count, we had to do better than sixth. We could not possibly do it from there so the only thing we could do was to sit and watch the last race.

‘Unfortunately we left a pretty good boat out on the course and they beat us with their final race win.
‘But hey we had no expectations at all so we are very happy with our second overall.’

Overall Barry (Damien King and crew James Ware, Simon Cunnington and Andrew Butler) won the regatta from Roulette (Mark Johnson, Nik Burfoot and Christian Allen) and Velsheda (Alastair Gair, Anna De Fluiter, David Ridley and Derek Scott). Gary Smith (Tusk) was fourth with Peter Hollis (Heaven Can Wait) fifth and Jervis Tilly (Bushfire) sixth.

Dockside there was some big grins.

Damien King. ‘This is our first ever big regatta win. Great for us after our Melbourne Worlds second. Even better in a chartered boat.

‘We don’t often focus on trying to win a race, but we certainly did that in the last race. We LOVE Mooloolaba!!

Third placed Alastair Gair said ‘Race five we had a nice start, the big shift benefited the boats on the left, then on the last run we thought the right would work but it turned to custard, we finished fourth and that put us third overall.

‘We know we did our best and so we have to be happy with that.’

Mooloolaba Etchells Fleet
Musto Etchells Australian Winter  Championship 2009
4th - 7th June
Series Summary, Final

Pl	B#	Crew	From	1	2	3	4	5	Tot
1	11	D. King, J. Ware, S. Cunnington & A. Butler	Melbourne	7	2	(12)	2	1	12
2	49	M. Johnson, N. Burfoot & C. Allen	Sydney	5	3	2	6	(55\DNF)	16
3	30	A. Gair, D. Ridley, D. Scott & A. De Fluiter	Gulf Harbour	2	1	(55\BFD)	15	4	22
4	15	D. Clark, S. Leonard & A. Smith	Sydney	3	6	5	(10)	8	22
5	46	P. Hollis, B. Smith & J. Warlow	Mooloolaba	8	(44)	1	11	6	26
6	47	J. Tilly, P. Davidson & J. Arnold	Sydney	(27)	9	3	4	12	28
7	32	V. Prentice, D. Hutchison, N. Brehrens & P. Manning	Brisbane	13	4	4	(14)	9	30
8	44	M. Bulka, S. Young & P. Bulka	Melbourne	9	(13)	10	5	13	37
9	41	N. Nattrass, C. Brook & A. Elliott	Sydney	10	22	11	(26)	3	46
10	43	J. Sheehan, R. West & R. Vidgen	Pittwater	15	7	14	13	(25)	49
11	54	M. Bradford, P. Merrington & G. Torpy	Brisbane	12	15	(55\BFD)	25	2	54
12	37	P. Gardner, S. Barlow & R. Allanson	Sydney	19	8	16	12	(55\DNF)	55
13	39	D. Rose, S. Backhouse & T. Rose	Brisbane	23	11	15	7	(55\DNF)	56
14	22	R. Lloyd, M. Turner & P. Dowdney	Melbourne	18	21	17	1	(40)	57
15	35	G. Taylor, G. Wharington & S. Jarvin	Mornington	6	32	(55\BFD)	16	5	59
16	19	C. Hampton, B. Morrison-Jack & M. Toner-Joyce	Melbourne	4	(40)	7	28	22	61
17	34	T. Woods, P. McNeill & D. Gleadhill	Lake Macquarie	17	14	25	9	(55\DNF)	65
18	33	N. Paterson, S. Board & J. Chilman	Brisbane	(39)	10	23	17	23	73
19	02	G. Boyd, J. Boyd & A. May	Lake Macquarie	30	27	6	(45)	11	74
20	28	S. Gunther, J. Collingwood & B. Jones	Melbourne	20	16	20	(30)	18	74
21	38	M. McCann, N. Wittey, S. Quigley & J. Strong	Sydney	11	24	(55\BFD)	3	38	76
22	52	C. Williams, P. Heyes & N. DeBerque	Gosford	14	(47)	21	22	21	78
23	26	M. Thornburrow, G. Farrell, M. Chew & A. Service	Hong Kong	24	19	(55\BFD)	19	16	78
24	20	J. Muysken, P. Grundy & A. O'Connell	Sydney	25	12	28	(47)	14	79
25	16	D. Lawrance, R. Browne & B. Hawkes	Blairgowrie	16	33	9	23	(34)	81
26	18	J. Plante, M. Dunstan, N. Garland & C. Barratt	Pittwater	22	48	(55\BFD)	8	10	88
27	05	D. Healey, A. Deeks & G. Van Luteren	Brisbane	(44)	18	13	34	26	91
28	24	P. Minter, J. Minter & R. Bull	Sydney	(50)	35	30	18	17	100
29	09	S. Ellis, J. Dudok Van Heel & J. Brinkley	Hong Kong	26	5	29	41	(42)	101
30	23	M. Dagge, M. Hansen & J. Willis	Brisbane	1	37	(55\BFD)	33	31	102
31	12	B. Sheridan & B. Moore	Swan River	21	34	(55\BFD)	24	24	103
32	17	I. Audsley, G. Flatman & J. VanDer Schalk	Pittwater	28	25	33	(37)	20	106
33	50	D. Wilson, R. Leslie & J. Browne	Gosford	33	30	27	(40)	19	109
34	13	G. Smith, B. Shoebridge & R. Smith	Swan River	(46)	26	26	31	28	111
35	10	R. Coxon, D. Ritchard & I. Winter	Sydney	32	(41)	32	20	29	113
36	53	S. O'Rourke, S. Backhouse & J. Torpy	Cronulla	37	39	8	(43)	30	114
37	21	N. Knezic, D. Bretherton & M. Robertson	Melbourne	29	23	(55\BFD)	27	36	115
38	08	T. Martin, G. Thomson & P. Braithwaite	Mooloolaba	40	51	(55\BFD)	21	7	119
39	40	L. Kennedy, R. Bassett & T. Swinburne	Gulf Harbour	31	38	19	35	(55\DNF)	123
40	04	D. Williams, D. Cooney & A. Kiely	Lake Macquarie	38	28	24	(39)	33	123
41	29	L. O'Connor, B. Averay & L. Steers	Melbourne	41	(43)	31	38	15	125
42	14	M. Sanders, J. Sill & S. McInally	Southport	34	20	34	(44)	43	131
43	27	D. Hardy, B. Northcote & J. Northcote	Sydney	36	31	(55\BFD)	29	35	131
44	03	P. Coleman, W. Dixon & I. Gartley	Melbourne	35	29	35	(36)	32	131
45	42	J. Denton, L. Birch & P. Bailey	Gosford	(43)	36	37	32	27	132
46	55	G. Forgan-Smith, G. Wakefield & B. Foot	Gold Coast	(53)	17	36	48	39	140
47	48	D. Biggar, M. O'Brien & Matt Johns	Mooloolaba	42	42	18	42	(44)	144
48	31	C. Piggott, W. Myles & G. Black	Mooloolaba	47	49	22	(55\DNC)	55\DNC	173
49	45	P. Meehan, J. Hallam & B. Sneddon	Brisbane	49	46	40	(50)	41	176
50	07	J. Ward, D. McCaughey & M. Roberts	Adelaide	45	45	(55\BFD)	46	45	181
51	36	J. McLean, S. McClure, R. Caldwell & J. McLean	Brisbane	52	(55\DNF)	38	51	46	187
52	51	N. Hudson, J. Curry & M. Jamison	Gold Coast	(54)	50	41	52	47	190
53	25	A. Telford, S. Schafer & G. Smith	Melbourne	51	52	39	49	(55\DNC)	191
54	01	J. Middleton, N. Willis & T. Robba	Brisbane.	48	(55\DNF)	55\BFD	53	37	193