Tasmanian J24 and Dragon Championship - Stiff competition in Hobart

by Peter Campbell on 7 Apr 2013 Tasmanian J24 and International Dragon Championship 2013 - Hobart yachtsman Greg Rowlings yesterday completed a hat-trick of wins in the International J24 keelboat class, taking out a hard-fought series on the River Derwent.

Three skippers notched up wins over the five races, sailed in a light breezes that changed from a morning northerly of eight knots to an afternoon south-easterly sea breeze of 10 knots.

Rowlings is Yachting Tasmania’s Tackers training co-ordinator, teaching youngsters aged seven to twelve to sail and enjoy sailing in Opti dinghies; yesterday he enjoyed sailing himself in his J24, Another Toy.

'It was a long, but great day of sailing against stiff great competition in this one-design class,' Rowlings said after clinching victory with a score of eight points, four points clear of Divine Madness (Paul Turner) on 12 points, with third place going to Street Car (Peter Bingham) on 13 points. Bingham won one race, as did James Anderson, sailing Storm Petrel.

Rowlings’ winning crew comprised champion Victorian sailor Sean Bly, Peter Pangas and Adrian Clark.

The J24 PHS scorecard saw Poop Seas (Dylan Banks) finish on 12 points, Divine Madness (Paul Turner) on 13 points and Another Toy on 15 points.

The State championship for the International Dragon class also was sailed yesterday from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, with Stephen Shield sailing the Tasmanian-built boat, Ridgeway. to victory, again with stiff competition.

Shield, a past Prince Philip Cup winner, won three of the five races to finish with nine points, two points clear of Leander (Andrew Blakney) on 11 points with Aquila (Peter Watson) on 15 points.

Leander won two races in the one-design championship and also won the PHS trophy with 11 points, second place going to Ridgeway, third to Aquila (Peter Watson).

The summer yachting season will end next Saturday with the Barnes Bay Regatta, comprising a morning passage race fro Hobart down to Bligh Point on Bruny Island, followed by a round-the-buoys race in Barnes Bay and an a big night ashore to celebrate the end of the J24 Australia