Queensland Youth Week 2014 - Clear skies and light winds on final day
by Miles Ruge on 12 Jul 2014
Sophie Mcintosh from Gosford Sailing Club pushes her 420 into the typical Moreton Bay chop. Andrew Gough
Clear skies and calm seas greeted sailors on the last day of competition at the Australian Midwinter Youth Championships, Manly, today.
After missing competition yesterday due to wild conditions on Waterloo Bay the doublehanders headed out early to make the most of the fading South-westerly winds. Speaking in the rigging yard, 29er series leader Kurt Hansen discussed his strategy leading into the final day.
'Probably try and play it a lot safer, not take too many risks and just try and get ahead at the start,' he said.
After a day ashore the 29ers got a clean start across the breeze in the first race of the day. Hansen sailed mid-fleet in the first work, again struggling with his speed off the mark. It was a return to the tactical sailing of earlier in the week, with competitors searching for the pressures and working the shifts in the variable gusts. John Cooley lead the fleet early, with Hansen and Ezra Pritchard chasing leeward under spinnaker towards the reach mark. Hansen’s decision to delay dropping spinnaker allowed him to make up ground on his competitors and eventually sail to victory well ahead of the fleet. In race three, Ameila Stabback lead early before Hansen eventually caught her on the gate. In barely two knots Hansen and Stabback were inseparable creeping towards the revised finish line ahead of Tash Bryant. Racing was cancelled shortly after with Hansen taking a clean sweep of racing across the week to win the series unchallenged on nine points.
In the 420s, it was also a day of tactical sailing with competitors hoping to sail through ten races so that another drop would come into play. In the first race Tom Cunich lead under spinnaker toward the reach mark on Alpha course, followed by Charlotte Griffin and Alec Brodie. The fleet struggled in the midpoint between the top and reach mark to hold their spinnakers with the gusty breeze blowing across the course upward of ten knots. Later in the day Nicholas Sharman sailed to a convincing win over Brodie and Laura Harding, with Dana Tavener sailing well down the fleet after promising form earlier in the week. The 420s were sent to wait for another race in the hope of increasing winds, which did not eventuate. After a solid run of placings throughout the week and some tactical sailing Sophie Mcintosh claimed second place over Dana Tavener, with Brodie celebrating his win on the water.
'It was really tough, the wind was shifting around a lot, but you just had to focus on your own race,' he said of the fading conditions on the final day.
Tom Crockett extended his lead in the Flying11s, sailing ahead to leads of over ten lengths across the day. Emma Jones and Stephen Hancock chased for placings with Simon Murnaghan sailing well down the field after success earlier in the week. On the final day of racing Thomas Steenson and Finlay Crisp emerged from the fleet to place with some fine sailing, but it was Crockett who remained well clear of the fleet on nine points at the end of sailing.
In stark contrast to the conditions they sailed in the day prior, the Laser classes struggled in the barely manageable breeze that they faced in their two races on day four. Jordan Makin again continued his form on the last day of sailing, but it was Sam King, Noah Taylor and Marlena Berzins that sailed at the top of the fleet in the testing conditions. The last race of the Laser 4.7 series was abandoned with competitors barely moving in the windward work. Makin that took the series on thirteen points.
In the Radial Class Richard Maher took the series on fourteen points ahead of Stuart Plenderleith and Finn Alexander. The final day of racing saw wins to Plenderleith and Rhett Gowans and solid sailing from Jacinta Ainsworth and Blake Selley in the dying winds across the bay.
After braving the wild conditions in the middle of the week, the juniors contested the final day in barely any wind on the inner bay. Racing in the Optimist Open Fleet unfolded at a crawl with boats spread across the course attempting to maximise the little wind on offer. The series leaders raced down the fleet on the final day, with Nicholas Joal leading the in the early afternoon over Matt Meaney and Tom Green. However, a late surge by Archie Cropley lead to a convincing win and affirmed his position at the top of the series with Tom Green. Cropley eventually took the series on count back after two drop scores.
Speaking about the week of racing, which saw 322 young sailors compete across three courses on Waterloo Bay, Club Sailing and Regatta Manager Josh Belsham deemed the 2014 event an overwhelming success.
We’ve had a lot of happy sailors and a lot of happy parents. We’ve already had people booking in for next year, which is a good sign I think, Belsham said.
The Australian Midwinter Youth Championships will be held again in 2015 at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron from Monday 6th Friday 10th July. Camping will be available to all competitors. Those interested in competing can contact Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron via their website, or Club Sailing and Regatta Manager Josh Belsham.
Series results:
29er
1 Kurt Hansen - 8
2 Ezra Pritchard - 22
3 Harry Lawson - 29
420
1 Alex Brodie - 20
2 Sophie Mcintosh - 20 [After count back]
3 Dana Tavener - 25
Flying11 – Unchanged
1 Tom Crockett - 9
2 Stephen Hancock - 26
3 Emma Jones - 27
Laser 4.7
1 Jordan Makin - 13
2 Sam King - 19
3 Noah Taylor - 22
Laser Radial
1 Richard Maher - 14
2 Stuart Plenderleith - 17
3 Finn Alexander - 25
BicTechno
1 Jacob Whitford - 12
2 Emma Baillie - 16
Optimist Open Fleet
1 Archie Cropley - 34 [After count back]
2 Tom Green - 34
3 Joshua Vanroon - 37
Optimist Inter Fleet
1 Charlie Piacun - 30
2 Patrick Roos - 38 [After count back]
3 Zac Heyes - 38
Sabot
1 William Wallis - 20
2 Henry Larkings - 22
3 Will Bridge - 28
Sabot 2-Up
1 Luke Richmond - 7
2 Seisia Mair - 15
3 Eve Peel - 20
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