2.4 mR Australian Championship - Champion sailor’s yacht holed

by Peter Campbell on 31 Mar 2013 In the 2.4mR National Championship, defending Australian champion Matt Bugg had his London Paralympic Games yacht Moshi holed in a collision in race four on the River Derwent.

Another yacht speared its bow through Bugg’s boat, forcing the Tasmanian to retire from the race. Fortunately, he had a replacement boat and he went on to win race six, also lodging a protest over the collision.

Conditions today were ideal, with a 10-12 knot breeze and flat water resulting in close finishes in all races. The first race saw just two minutes between first and last, with just 48 seconds between the first seven boats.

The conditions enabled Derwent Sailing Club ran four races to bring the championship back on line after strong winds caused havoc on Good Friday.

Six races have now been completed for the 15 competitors from NSW, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania.

Tasmanians dominated yesterday’s four races, with 15-year-old youth sailor Jock Calvert winning two races in Joey, Lisa Blackwood making a strong comeback to win one race in Addicted, and Matt Bugg taking out race six with the replacement Moshi.

Lisa Backwood won race four today from Matt Bugg and Jock Calvert, with young Calvert winning the next two races, but crashing to an eighth in race six.

In race four Calvert won from Blackwood and Sydney 2000 Paralymic sailor Peter Thompson sailing Morna III, while in race five Bugg returned with the replacement boat to finish second to Calvert, third place going to Blackwood.

Bugg was back to top form in race six, the final of the day, winning from veteran Canberra sailor Peter Russell in Jeelka, third place going to Thompson.

After six races, with one discard, Bugg heads the leader board with seven points, Blackwood is on 13 points, Calvert 14.5, followed by Russell on 16 points and Thompson on 23 points.