46th Sabot Nationals - Diamond sparkles, Crowd controlled

by Peter McIntosh on 4 Jan 2010
46th Australian Sabot Championships report.

Gosford has a pair of new national sailing champions, with Sophie McIntosh and Jordan Makin winning the junior division of the 46th Australian Sabot Championships on Brisbane Water.

And the pair in Double Diamond are also celebrating a third placing in the senior division to teammate Vardon Robson in Thunderstruck after the week-long competition involving 63 seniors and 36 juniors.

McIntosh and Makin, both aged 11, set up an early lead in the championship with wins in the first three races and were second in the next three races. Three other competitors, including teammates Blake and Ashleigh Robson in Black Pearl, managed to beat them in other races but were unable to match their consistency.

Going into the seventh of nine races on Sunday, they managed to fight back from fourth position to win that critical heat and nail the championship with a total score of 10 points. Second place, four points behind, went to late challengers Lily Geck and Carlton Smith, from South Queensland, in Kid Blast, who managed three wins, and Black Pearl was third overall on 16 points.

McIntosh has been sailing Sabots since she was five but Makin only started sailing last season and the pair have already enjoyed NSW State and NSW Sprint title victories.

The wind throughout the event ranged from light to moderate with regular showers proceeded by stronger breeze which led to some races being shortened as the breeze faded.

In the senior division, James Brewer in Crowd Control from Southern NSW swept past leaders Victorian Oliver Kalpokas in Tenacious and Gosford's Vardon Robson in Thunderstruck, thanks to two wins in the final day's thee races.

Teammate Kirk Mitchell in Easy Tiger was fifth and also scored the ballot prize for the top 10 seniors winning a charter 4.7 Laser to sail in during the next youth nationals. Bradley Leicester in Final Edition won the handicap honours, with a fourth, sixth and third placing personals highlights.

Asked if it was advantageous having his dad Hugh Leicester in the impartial position of principal race officer Bradley said: `I don't like it, I couldn't talk to him half the time.'

Matt Lang was just outside the top 10 in 11th spot, followed by Kurt Hansen (12th) and Henry Makin (16th).
Meanwhile in Sabot Week, a parallel regatta for competitors not involved in the nationals, South Queensland's Conquistador, Zane Comadira, dominated the 40-strong senior fleet winning all but one race.

That went to second overall Sabot Week competitor and teammate Nick Eutick.

South Queenslanders also dominated the junior section with Stephanie and Ben Markey winning over Hugo and Anton Van Buuren. Handicap honours went to South Queenslander Seamus Byrt whose crew Danielle Hughes lives at Teralba.

The championships were sponsored by Robson Civil Projects, Performance Sailcraft Australia, Zhik and Ronstan.

Full results: http://sabot.au.com/blog/?page_id=410