SB20 Tasmanian Championship - Former Olympic sailor and his crew wins
by Stephen Catchpool on 6 Mar 2015
Red, helmed by Glen Bourke, wins the SB20 Tasmanian Titles - Photo Dane Lojek Sam Teidemann
World champion and former Olympic sailor Glenn Bourke (Red) and his crew of Rob Jeffreys and Jake Lilley have taken out the SB20 Tasmanian Titles at the Derwent Sailing Squadron (DSS) in Hobart today.
In what was described as very challenging sailing conditions, Bourke was first across the line in two of the three race series finishing the regatta ahead of Tasmanian sailing identity Nick Rogers (Karabos) with crew Simon Burrows and Cole Dabney, and fellow Tasmanian Michael Cooper (Export Roo), with Matt Johnson and David Chapman, in third.
Day One saw a number of boats incur significant damage leading to retirements in both races. Hughie Lewis (Nautilus Marine Insurance) broke a boom; Victorian competitors Stephen Fries (WYSIWYG V) and Mark Wolfenden (Still Out of Control) both broke poles; and Scott Brain (Ronald Young Builders) broke his rudder but still managed to finish the race. With rapid repairs undertaken overnight most boats were back in the water for the final day of racing on Thursday.
Tasmanian SB20 Class President Scott Brain was disappointed with the weather but conceded that consistent sailing is the key to success. 'We had to deal with some pretty unfortunate weather conditions yesterday and today with strong north westerlies gusting to 35 knots – pushing 40 knots at times,' said Brain.
'The Tasmanian crews were competitive with former world champion Dragon sailor Nick Rogers coming in second place, but our new State Champion Glenn Bourke sailed extremely well in each race to take out this year’s title,' said Brain.
Bourke, a resident of the tropical Hamilton Island, had the edge over the local fleet, with today’s success placing him as favourite for the Australian Nationals, an event he won in 2011 in Hobart. 'The conditions were very testing with the breeze up and down and shifting a lot. We had a good start, we sailed a really tactical clever beat, and from there we made sure we didn’t make any mistakes – sailing conservatively around the course after that.' said Bourke.
But while Tasmania’s blustery conditions were a challenge, Bourke was full of praise for the DSS and the SB20 fleet in Tasmania. 'What’s terrific is to see so many boats down here in Tassie. I spent many years sailing in the UK where we had very big fleets – in Australia we just haven’t had fleets of any great size. What you have here in Tasmania is phenomenal – it is such great racing,' said Bourke.
The 2015 State Titles is the lead-up event to the SB20 Nationals (also hosted by the DSS), which get underway on the River Derwent this Saturday.
The weather is looking much better with a little breeze on Saturday and light and variable conditions forecast for both Sunday and Monday, but there will be scores to settle out on the water, with Bourke predicting very tight racing.
'The Nationals are always a close and hard fought event. Sailing in a colder breeze makes it feel much windier (than I am used to in the tropics) which makes it a fun event on the one hand, but extremely challenging on the other,' said Bourke.
There will be 25 SB20s out on the water on Saturday morning for the first of the 12 race series. Designed by Tony Castro, the exciting SB20 One Design Sports Boat boasts a fleet of 700 worldwide. The Hobart SB20 fleet consists of 21 boats, the largest SB20 fleet in the country. The locals are hoping that this commitment will stand them in good stead to bid for the 2018 World Championships.
And State Champion Bourke is incredibly impressed with the on and offshore support and full of admiration for the DSS which is hosting both events.
'The hospitality shown to my crew and to the other interstate boats has been terrific. Yesterday we broke our spreader base and within five minutes someone had brought us new gear and everyone pitched in to help us get the boat out of the water and fit the new gear. I haven’t experienced a regatta with such a warm ambiance for some time,' said Bourke.
The first warning signal for the first race (Day One) in the Australian Championships is scheduled for 10:45 am this Saturday.
Series Results:
Glenn Bourke (Red) – 4 points; Nick Rogers (Karabos) – 11 points; Michael Cooper (Export Roo) – 14 points;
(David Graney – Wedgewood - was tied on 14 points but lost on count back)
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