Tricky conditions for Victorian Championship
by Jane Moffat on 16 Apr 2013
Tess Lloyd & Eilza Solly - 2013 OAMPS Victorian Youth & Junior Regatta Steb Fisher
McCrae Yacht Club hosted 130 sailors over the weekend of 13 and 14 April for the 2013 OAMPS Victorian Youth and Junior Regatta. The regatta is the final event in the Victorian Sailing Cup series.
The Melbourne autumn weather was it’s usual changeable self with a 10 to 15 knot northerly breeze and a challenging shore break on Saturday and a warm sunny Sunday with less than five knots.
Junior sailors had the opportunity to rub shoulders with the top youth sailors in Victoria. A number of members of the Australian Sailing Squad including McCrae member Thomas Vincent and Sandringham sailor Tess Lloyd, were on the water and both finished as the top Victorians in their class.
Australian of the Year, McCrae member and past World Speed Sailing record holder Simon McKeon was on hand on Sunday to talk to the sailors about handling pressure. The clubrooms were packed as McKeon described his sailing experiences and inspired the next generation of sailors to challenge themselves.
Despite the tricky conditions the race management team delivered a series with the youth sailors completing five races and the juniors three.
Yachting Victoria hosted three days of coaching for the sailors in the lead up to the event and with competitors from as far afield as News South Wales and regional Victoria participating.
In the 29ers Tess Lloyd and Eliza Solly were second to Jim Colley and Shaun Connor from NSW. McCrae member Thomas Vincent won the Laser Radial class with four bullets from five races. Mornington sailor Rhett Gowans took the Laser 4.7 class convincingly, with bullets in all five races.
The 420 class, which is having a resurgence in Victorian, saw ex International Cadet sailors Alice and Grace Endersbee take first place finishing on four points with bullets in all five races
In a reversal of the Minnow State Championship result Laura Harding finished ahead of twin brother Hayden. Louis Schofield and Peter Allen from RYCV won the International Cadet Class. James Grogan took first in the Optimists finishing on six points just one point ahead of Hugo Llewelyn.
Presentation was interrupted with the sighting of an orange flare, which turned out to be a boat that had broken down, the Coastguard was called and for many sailors it provided one of the biggest talking points of the weekend.
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