Please select your home edition
Edition
Sydney International Boat Show 2024

Benidgo Bank Blackwood River Challenge - Spills and thrills

by Jenny Honeybun on 6 Apr 2015
Bendigo Bank Blackwood Challenge winners Louis Proksch, Steve Dickenson, Bendigo Bank Manager Nigel Jenkins, Steve Heywood, AYC Commodore Peter Johnson, Brenton Air, Bruce Quail, Steve Flower, Kate Hunt, Morgan Flower and front: Eoin Lindsay, Finian Demou, Dean Cowan and Rebecca Hunt Joan Embry
Augusta Yacht Club hosted the Bendigo Bank Blackwood Challenge, a popular annual series attracting sailors from Augusta, Dunsborough and Perth.

The big smoke team of GP14 sailors conquered the Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club GP14s in gusting conditions up to 20 knot winds. Unfortunately Perth sailors Linda Harris and Anna Spinks of Mounts Bay Sailing Club had gear breakage at the start of the first race knocking them into spectator seating. The reigning champions Bruce Quail and Steve Heywood in La Rousse were fairly well beaten by Louis Proksch and Steve Dickenson in Cocktail Cherry after gaining ascendancy in the spinnaker duels on the downwind legs. Dunsborough’s Blackadder crew Steve Flower and Dean Cowan got the laughs but, with club compatriots Morgan Flower and crew Finian Demou outperform the leaders from Perth.

Augusta club members held their regular Club handicap races at the same time, and three DBYC Splash dinghies also raced. The vagaries of the land and offshore breezes and gusty conditions provided exciting challenges for the two Hunt sisters, Rebecca and Kate, who had not experienced landlocked sailing conditions before, so there were plenty of thrills and spills – with experienced international Youth Laser sailor Caelin Winchcombe serenely sailing through it all on one of the Splash dinghies.

Saturday saw plenty of spill and thrills but, unfortunately, high winds and rough conditions on Sunday resulted in the cancellation of racing. The two wins for Cocktail Cherry on Saturday gave them the trophy and a Big Smoke win in the Teams’ event yet again.
North Sails Performance 2023 - FOOTERCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERBoat Books Australia FOOTER

Related Articles

Armstrong Midlength FG Board redefines foiling
Armstrong Midlength FG Board gives you the freedom to define how you ride. The choice is yours Armstrong Foils have announced the new Midlength boards, they are epic for wing and prone surf among many other things. The Armstrong Midlength FG Board Range truly redefines when and how you can go foiling.
Posted today at 8:42 am La Grande Motte International Regatta preview
Final dress rehearsal for the Cats and Skiffs ahead of Paris 2024 The Nacra 17 World Championship along with the 49er and 49erFX European Championships is attracting 148 teams to La Grande Motte in the South of France for six days of racing.
Posted today at 8:28 am SailGP: Spectacular on board video of USA capsize
USA SailGP team has released spectacular on-board video coverage of their capsize in Bermuda USA SailGP team has released spectacular on-board video coverage of their capsize in Bermuda in Friday's third Practice session. Surprisingly given the violence of the capsize, none of the crew were injured.
Posted today at 2:18 am SailGP: Kiwis push back at Media Conference
Burling disagrees that the Kiwis were gifted the season lead by an Australian snafu in Christchurch New Zealand driver Peter Burling has disagreed that the Kiwis were gifted the season lead by Australia's Christchurch penalty, arguing ‘we have earned our right to be here'.
Posted today at 12:35 am Antigua Sailing Week Day 5
Classic conditions on Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Race Day Racing at Antigua Sailing Week came to a spectacular finale with Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Race Day. Full trade winds blasted across the race area, bathed in sunshine.
Posted on 3 May SailGP: Tense times in Bermuda
A capsize in Practice, along with the effect of season points penalties puts big pressure on teams The NZ Black Foils are determined to keep hold of top spot as Australia looks to bounce back from Christchurch horror show. The pressure comes on all the teams to secure a place in the $2 million Championship Final Race in San Francisco in July
Posted on 3 May The Swarm Podcast Episode 13: Jordan Roberts
The man behind the lens at all major WASZP events Jordan is the man behind the lens at all of our major events at WASZP. General Manager Marc Ablett joins Jordan to discuss what we try and achieve through our coverage.
Posted on 3 May Cape 31 Australian Nationals Preview
To be held at Hamilton Island Race Week in August With the fifth Cape 31 recently arriving in Australia, the Cape 31 Class are excited to announce the first National Championship Down Under! A big achievement for the guys who have been working on getting the class started.
Posted on 3 May McIntyre Ocean Globe Race update
Translated 9 defeat the odds to finish They just kept coming! Nothing could, or would stop them. The McIntyre Ocean Globe has truly shown the depth of human stories over the past eight months and this story is a classic.
Posted on 3 May Translated 9 successfully completes the OGR 2023
Winning the first two legs and dominating the subsequent two until sustaining hull damage Winning the first two legs and dominating the subsequent two until sustaining hull damage, and managing to restart twice, Translated 9 provided everyone with unique emotional experiences and demonstrated the value of determination and resilience.
Posted on 3 May
This site and its contents are Copyright © 2024 Sail-World Sail-World Australia and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved. Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph contact the photographer directly.
If you have any questions about advertising or editorial then please contact our team. If you encounter any technical issues then please email techsupport@sail-world.com
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy