Challenger Harbour Optimist Clinic and Inaugural Junior Australia Cup

by Yachting WA - www.wa.yachting.org.au on 16 Dec 2009
Seventeen Optimist sailors with varying experience pioneered the first major dinghy event held at Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Challenger Harbour. Built on the Indian Ocean in Fremantle for the 1987 America’s Cup Defence, the facility will be upgraded for use in the 2011 ISAF World Sailing Championships.

The Optimist clinic was coached by Australian Optimist Coach/ Royal Perth Yacht Club Coach Diego Figueroa and New Zealand’s National Optimist Coach Riley Dean who flew in from Auckland. The Clinic which demanded long training periods on the water commenced after school on Thursday, 26th November in 25 – 30 knot sea breeze with a wave chop often twice as high as an Opti is long. Spectacular broaches, nosedives and wetting tactics did nothing to deter the intrepid young sailors who used the opportunity to enjoy some amazing wave surfing.

Friday’s session from midday saw a slightly tamer sea breeze allowing the coaches to put the fleet through endless drills, closely contested starts, huge upwind beats and, by popular demand the attractive downwind surfing competitions until sunset when the waves again became the dolphin's domain.

The clinic continued throughout Saturday initially in light winds until the sea breeze came in during the afternoon when the sailors grasped the intricacies of team racing. Between sessions the sailors swam through the marina, jumping off the highest pylons and had fun with lawn games that included bobbing apples and a range of skills that had nothing to do with sailing but lots to do with team building.

As the sun set over the Indian Ocean, the troop of parents packed the fleet onto trailers and roof tops to be returned to Crawley for Sunday morning’s Optimist display on Perth Waters.

On Sunday morning in the shadow of the Perth skyline 41 Optimists accepted the Swan River Sailing invitation to sail the inaugural Junior Australia Cup, a four race regatta modelled on the Bermudan Junior Gold Cup raced in Opis along side the Bermuda Gold Cup Grade One Match Racing Championship. It was a real thrill for the juniors to race on the same course as the world’s elite Match Racing crews and a delight for the spectators enjoying the close up action along the foreshore.

Optimist sailors from Fremantle Sailing Club, Hillarys Yacht Club, Perth Flying Squadron Yacht Club, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Royal Perth Yacht Club and South of Perth Yacht Club competed the windward and return races in the freshening sea breeze on the tight course with the following results:
1st Sam Blackburn, 2nd Douglas Campbell, 3rd Lachy Gilmour, 4th Nia Jerwood and 5th Thomas Blaauw.