Superstition the winner at Audi Etchells practice

by Rob Kothe on 18 Nov 2006
Victory for 2004 Australian champion Mark Bulka in postcard sailing conditions for the 2006 Audi Etchells World Championship practice race today. Great sunshine and 15 knot breezes greeted competitors. Briton's Ante Razmilovic finished in second and the 2006 Australian champion Rob Brown in third.

2004 Australian champion Mark Bulka, who is starting his third week on Cockburn Sound after winning the Syd Corser regatta in mid-October and coming third in last week's 2007 Slam Australian Etchells Championship, won the practice race confirming his Championship form.

Behind him Briton's Ante Razmilovic, Jez Fanstone and Stuart Flinn held off the 2006 Audi Australian champion Rob Brown with Bruce Wookey and Garry Gudmunson. Fourth was North American champion Jud Smith.

However it seems that superstition was really the winner today. Nineteen skippers, including double world champion Stuart Childerley who led the field after the first lap and 2007 Audi Australian champion Skip Lissiman followed the tradition of not troubling the scorer in a practice race, by finishing wide outside the pin.

With 28 International crews competing this year, many sailors consider this to be the strongest fleet in many years and these titles, which will be contest over the next eight days, will be one of the toughest to win

Australia has produced the Etchells World Champion six times in the last two decades and is 'odds on favourite' to do the same this week. Two of those past champions Peter McNeill who won in Mooloolaba in 2004 and Cameron Miles who triumphed on Pittwater in 1999, are part of the strong Australian contingent.

The 1983 Australia II crew has contributed three skippers with a serious chance of winning the Etchells crown this year; the America’s Cup winning skipper himself, John Bertrand, Skip Lissiman who won the 2007 Slam Australian Championship on Sunday and the 2006 Audi National Champion Rob Brown.

For the record, here are the results from today's practice race. You can pick the superstitious ones.

Final Results for 17/11/2006 Practice Race
Position - Bow No - Boat Details - Skipper/Crew

1 22 AUS 1277 - Critical Balance (VIC) Mark Bulka/Stewart Nichols/Steve Young
2 41 GBR 1333 - Swedish Blue Ante Razmilovic/Jez Fanstone/Stuart Flinn
3 39 AUS 1326 - Steampacket VI (NSW) Rob Brown/Bruce Wookey/Garry Gudmunson
4 77 USA 1061 - Feng Shui Jud Smith/Dirk Kneulman/Andrew Wills/Thomas Saunders
5 38 AUS 1254 - North Sydney (NSW) Julian Plante/Michael Coxon/Nick Garland/Matt Day
6 14 IRL 1015 - Matatu Durh Richard Burrows/David Burrows/Peter Coad
7 16 AUS 1124 - Roulette (NSW) Mark Johnson/Robert Bishop/Nik Burfoot
8 26 AUS 1320 - Rhapsody in Blue (WA) Rob Bird/Graeme Johnson/Nic Gray
9 46 AUS 1215 - Boat X (VIC) Noel Drennan/Peter Ahern/Bill Browne
10 20 AUS 117- Fast Harry (NSW) Cameron Miles/Phil Smidmore/Dave Samson
11 17 AUS 1131 - Humpback (NSW) David Clark/Stephen Barlow/Andrew Smith
12 73 USA 946 - I Love My Wife Craig Healy/Kieth Stahnke/David Gruver
13 53 AUS 866 (WA) Murray Smith/Brad Sheridan/Barrie Sturgeon
14 56 AUS 915 (NSW) Peter McNeil/Peter McLachlan/Rick Maxwell
15 36 NZL 1314 - Addiction Lindsay Kennedy/Trevor Swinburne/Peter Waters
16 30 AUS 1317 - Una Mas (QLD) Mark Bradford/Graeme Taylor/Steve Jarvin
17 47 AUS 1356 - The Croc (WA) Michael Manford/Dean McAullay/Richard Rowell
18 55 AUS 1321 - Triad (VIC) John Bertrand/Ian Johnson/Tim Ede
19 70 BER 1249 Tim Patton/Mark Thomas/Simon Wilder
20 19 AUS 939 - Power & The Passion (WA) Gordon Blaauw/Andrew Short/Peter Kernot
21 18 HKG 105 - Quest Mark Thornburrow/Gray Gibson/Mark Parker
22 50 AUS 1160 - Liquidity (WA) Dirk van der Struyf/Reid Fleming/Torvar Mirsky
23 28 AUS 963 - The Rat (WA) Grantham Kitto/Brad Moore/Simon Shaw
24 12 AUS 1088 - Sun Tzu (NSW) Roger Hickman/Phillip Endersbee/Peter Inchbold
25 82 AUS 1191 - Rangoon Tiger (NSW) Gordon Hinds/Peter Bellingham/Steve Ingate
26 52 AUS 781 - Abracadabra (WA) Gordan Lucas/Geoff Chambers/John Gardiner
27 51 AUS 1289 - Two Palms & a Hammock (WA) Peter Chappell/Sam Gill/Michael Hughes
28 34 AUS 1143 - Squid (SA) Chris Pratt/Nick Paterson/Mark O Brien
29 54 AUS 916 - Daylight Robbery (WA) Alastair McMichael/Richard Edinger/Andrew McAullay
30 21 AUS 1056 - Upbeat (WA) Peter Godley/Rod Godley/Geert Buters
31 63 GBR 1009 - Mayhem Tim Daughton/Keith Tippell/Charlotte Lamport/Jonathon Halliday
32 65 AUS 1273 - North Sydney Station (NSW) Richard Coxon/Ed Mc Carthy/Graeme Spence
33 32 AUS 1119 - Feathers Chalk Beans (NSW) Michael Jones/Bill Sykes/Roy Ditmarsch
34 40 NZL 1240 - Waiwera Infinity John St Clair Brown/Robert Croft/David Healy
35 33 AUS 1022 - Screaming Plum (WA) Doug Kerr/Greg Kerr/Luke Paterson
36 74 GBR 1325 - Festina2 Barry Parkin/Mike Till/Bill Masterman
37 62 AUS 1082 - Enigma (VIC) Mary Hanna/Ben O Brien/Brendon Garner/Jock Sinclair
38 25 AUS 872 - Count Boris Secret Rendezvous (VIC) Nick Knezic/John Coates/Rod McIntosh
39 43 AUS 1117 - Seven P s (WA) Ian Anderson/Peter Vos/Gus McBrair
40 80 AUS 1136 - Bohica (SA) David Royle/Peter Royle/Jon Ward
41 15 AUS 1150 - Dragon Lady (WA) Bill Steele/Rob Rooke/Geoff Reilly
42 81 USA 1177 - Life is Good Chris Clark/Tom Dawson/Dick Hodgson
43 72 AUS 1276 - Etch (NSW) Jan Muysken/Richard Bryson/Ben Grauer
44 60 GBR 937 - Evelina Chester Maudslay/Paul Kelsey/Guy Manners-Spencer
45 57 AUS 1311 - Mystery Taxi (SA) Paul Henshall/Bruce Henshall/Lyall Milford
46 10 AUS 1188 - Jaloralee (WA) Dave Roberts/Brett Shoebridge/Christian Christiansen
47 66 AUS 826 - Hustler (QLD) David Healey/Noel Paterson/Gary van Lunteren
48 48 AUS 617 - Nopropellis (WA) Frank Van Ruth/Thor Schoenhoff/Daniel Wadsworth
DNF 23 AUS 1312 - Squeaky Clean (VIC) Rob Davis/Andrew Baker/John Gibson
DNF 11 AUS 1244 - Dr Evil (VIC) Jake Gunther/Russell Tyson/Richard Ironmonger
DNF 59 GBR 1036 - Esprit Robert J Elliott/Sam Richmond/Andrew Yates
DNF 13 GBR 1187 - Anam Chara Andy Beadsworth/James McHugh/Simon Fry
OCS 58 AUS 924 - Barry White (VIC) Damien King/Simon Cunnington/James Ware/Andy Butler
DNF 35 AUS 891 - Bandwagon (WA) Skip Lissiman/ Ben Durham/Kane Williamson
DNF 45 GBR 1332 - Gerlert David Bedford/Phil Lawrence/Jonathon Taylor
OCS 42 GBR 1329 - Selection Box! Martin Payne/Jonathon Mortimer/Steve Birbeck
DNF 61 GBR 1067 - Slieve Elva David Franks/Graham Sunderland/Mark Watson
DNF 37 AUS 883 - Tusk (WA) Gary Smith/Mark Lovelady/Mick McAulley
DNF 68 USA 1315 - Lost in the Fog John Gilmour/Andrew Minkwitz/Terry Dobell
DNF 24 GBR 992 - China White Andrew Cooper/David Heritage/George Cooper
DNS 29 NZL 950 - Velsheda Alastair Gair/David Ridley/Carl Peters/Derek Scott
DNF 27 USA 969 - Happy Ending Chris Busch/Rod Hagebols/Willem van Waay
DNF 75 USA 1234 Kers Clausen/Kjeld Hestehave/Matt Noble
DNF 69 USA 1283 - Down Under Andrew Whittome/Jim Gregory/John Callahan
DNF 78 USA 1153 - Junkyard Dog Joseph Bainton/Ched Proctor/Tod Raynor
DNF 64 IRL 13330 - Fraculator Dan O Grady/Paul Reilly/Brian Hammersley
DNF 76 GBR 987 - Bedrock Stuart Childerley/Simon Russell/Roger Marino
DNF 67 GBR 1165 - Wobbegong Doug Flynn/Mark Cartwright/Tim Powell
DNF 31 AUS 925 - Oxygen (QLD) Rod Jones/Bucky Smith/Gregor McAllan-Smith

Past Winners

Year World Champion Venue

2005 Tito Gonzales, San Francisco, CA, USA
2004 Peter McNeill Mooloolaba, Australia
2003 Ken Read Long Island Sound, CT, USA
2002 Stuart Childerley Gulf Harbour, New Zealand
2001 Stuart Childerley Lymington, England
2000 Vince Brun San Diego, CA, USA
1999 Cameron Miles Pittwater, Australia
1998 Dirk Kneulman Marblehead, MA, USA
1997 Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen, Hong Kong
1996 Adam Gosling Cowes, England
1995