Audi Etchell Worlds 2006 Race One - Jud Smith wins first race

by Rob Kothe on 18 Nov 2006 Reporting live from the water, off Fremantle WA. The first race has been won by North American sailor Jud Smith ahead of Kiwi Alastair Gair. Best Brit was Andy Beadsworth in 4th, then Ante Razmilovic 10th.

Leading finishing positions (provisional)
Pos Skipper - Boat Name - Sail No - Fleet

1 Jud Smith Feng Shui USA 1061 Fleet 12
2 Cameron Miles Fast Harry AUS 1357 Pittwater
3 Alastair Gair Velsheda NZL 950 Ghef
4 Andy Beadsworth GBR 1187 GBR 1187 Cowes
5 Murray Smith AUS 866 AUS 866 Swan River
6 Mark Bradford Una Mas AUS 1317 Brisbane
7 Chris Busch Happy Ending USA 969 Fleet 13
8 Craig Healy I Love My Wife USA 946 Fleet 12
9 John Bertrand Triad AUS 1321 Melbourne
10 Ante Razmilovic Swedish Blue GBR 1333 Cowes

Will the Bridesmaid catch the bouquet? Jud Smith, three times North American champion has finished second on four occasions. Up the second beat he has sailed through the 1999 Etchells World Champion Pittwater Cameron Miles, to lead by 26 seconds.

Miles has not finished off the Podium in the last six Etchells Worlds. He reminded the fleet of this fact this afternoon, when he was fifth around the top mark in the first race of the 2006 World Championship off Fremantle, but stormed down the run to lead at the bottom gate.

Briton Andy Beadsworth, is in second placed ahead of Perth local Murray Smith, with Jud Smith and Alistair Gair only twenty seconds off the lead. More soon.

On water race report

12:35 Course 245 10/15. The breeze is generally building but it’s far from settled. Whitecaps one minutes, breeze dropping next. Lots of boats anxious for a good start. General Recall.

12:45 A small course correction, the course is 235. Clean start on the starboard. One boat was called over at the start and has not returned.

Another boat, helmed by dual world champion and current European champion, Britisher Stuart Childerley, was not called over but he ducked back anyway losing 50 metres x 2, but is now sailing up the course with a clear conscience.

The breeze was wobbling all over the place just before the start, but as Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson has just confirmed, 'it co-operated when it mattered.'

The first beat will be 2.75 miles, the second 2.25 miles. A third of the way up the first beat, the bulk of the fleet, went left there have been a couple of little right handers and now the fleet is starting to peel back towards the centre of the course.

Wind is now building 15-17 now and phasing 10-15 degrees, with roosters and feather dusters all over the course swapping roles every five minutes.

With the fleet less than 800 metres from the top mark, the wind is now gusting to 20. A course change to 225 has been signalled.

Swan River fleet sailor Murray Smith leads the fleet from British Olympian Andy Beadsworth second; ahead of 2006 New Zealand National champion Alistair Gair.

More cream at the top with Jud Smith fourth ahead of Cameron Miles, Craig Healy, Mark Bradford, John Bertrand and Rob Bird. Childerley is in the back third of the fleet after ducking back unnecessarily.

1999 Etchells World Champion Pittwater Cameron Miles sailor has not finished off the Podium in the last six Etchells Worlds. He reminded the fleet of this fact this afternoon, when he was fifth around the top mark, but stormed down the run to lead at the bottom gate by nine seconds.

Briton Andy Beadsworth, who won the 2006 Europeans is in second placed, just a boat length ahead of Perth local Murray Smith, with Jud Smith close behind, and Alistair Gair now thirty seconds off the lead.

Up the beat for the second time, the breeze is moving between 220 and 225. Miss a shift and you'll be out the door in these pressure cooker conditions.

Mark Bradford sixth at the bottom gate is looking good up the work. 2004 World Champion Peter McNeill is 11th; Rob Bird the 2005 World Masters champion is 14th.

Will the Bridesmaid catch the bouquet? Jud Smith, three times North American champion has finished second on six occasions. Up the second beat he has sailed through the 1999 Etchells World Champion Pittwater Cameron Miles, to lead by 26 seconds.

In third place is Kiwi Alastair Gair, with Andy Beadsworth now fourth, four boat lengths ahead of Mark 'Squark' Bradford.

John Bertrand is now 12th, Michael Manford 13th, Rob Bird 17th, Mark Bulka 18th and Skip Lissiman 24th.

The fleet behind the leaders had scattered across the Sound on both the runs, coming together at the bottom gate in a rush.

Up the last beat, Smith and Miles, Gair and Beadsworth have sailed away from the following fleet.

Unofficially across the line it was Jud Smith first ahead of Alastair Gair, Andy Beadsworth was next. Cameron Miles missed a shift and fell into fourth place ahead of Bradford.