I14 Australian Championships 2013 - Devine, Furlong regain title

by andrew gough on 7 Jan 2013 The Australian International 14 Championships belongs to the dynamic tandem of Brad Devine and Ian Furlong, who together compiled an impressive score card to bag the title for the second consecutive year.

Past Australian Champions Brad Devine and Ian Furlong have taken out this years Australian International 14 Championships with a impressive score card of 1,1,1,1,1,2,(2).

The final day racing for the Australian Championships here on Waterloo Bay has challenged the 26 strong International 14ft skiff fleet. Fickle conditions causing unusual pressure changes throughout the day, the final race wasn’t going to be sealed so easily for leaders Brad and Footy.

Leading around the first windward mark in a comfortable but shifty 15knot Southerly, Devine and Furlong got caught on the wrong side of a shift as the wind dropped briefly to a light 10 knots.

Picking the right side up the second work paid off for Dave Hayter and Trent Neighbour, who crossed Devine and Furlong, pushing themselves into first place by the next downwind leg. Hayter and Trent led from the second work and never gave it away, to win the final race in style.

The ability to change rig setup efficiently on the water, from rake to tension, is what gives the i14 class a huge advantage in conditions like those on the bay today.

The Australian i14 fleet will now look towards sending a team to the 2013 i14 World Championships in Toronto, Canada, later this year.

Top Ten Overall Places 2012/2013 i14 Australian Titles:
1) AUS 661, Del Boca Vista, B. Devine and I. Furlong
2) AUS 656, Too Late To Stop Now, M. Krstic and A. Wilson
3) AUS 666, El Diablo, D. Hayter and T. Neighbour
4) AUS 659, CST Composites, S. Sloss and B. Lawrie
5) AUS 670, Stealth, D. Lugg and D. Bramley
6) AUS 663, Ronstan/Irwin Sails, L. Irwin and R. Bancroft
7) AUS 657, Do You Get It Yet?, R. Blasse and A. Gilligan
8) AUS 652, Flaunt It, R. Scherwinski and J. Lanati
9) AUS 80, Zero, T. Carr and S. Cole
10) AUS 653, Touring Wombat, D. Alexander and C. McDonald