Tasar Nationals - All had a turn at the front

by Nicole Douglass on 8 Jan 2011 On the second last day of the Tasar Nationals yesterday it was all about persistance, and a little luck on the side. You could never say die, and even when you did everything right, sometimes it did just not go your way. Two more heats of the ten race series were sailed in variable easterly conditions, with the occassional raining cloud.

Heat seven, which was the most difficult race of the regatta so far, was started in a 4 to 8 knot north-easterly gradient breeze. The dacron jib boat 'Flembuoyant' with Paul Robertson and daughter Jade was off to a flying start, rounding the top mark in first with Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway in second on 'Ridgididge', and Rob and daughter Nicole Douglass sailing 'Coollit' in third. Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway and the Douglass's were soon fighting it out for the lead, until the lower third of the run, when the breeze died in the middle of the course. The fleet caught the leaders from either side, with Aaron Linton and Jamie Jochiem who caught and passed the leaders in 'AA Team' leading around starboard gate.

A raining cloud approached the course from the east that heated things up yet again. Those who went hard right early, and who chose to take the port gate had the biggest gains, reaching into the top mark with a lot more pressure in an a fifty degree shift. Even with the massive changes in positions, Paul and Jade Robertson again rounded the top mark in first the second time and were never headed to take their first National Title heat win. Peter and Gillian Wilson sailing 'Magic Pye' rounded second which they held to the finish, the Douglass's sailing 'Coollit' took third from Chris Darby and Darryl Bentley sailing 'Pigs Can Fly' on the fast reach into the finish pushing them back to fourth.

Heat eight got away in a 4 to 15 knot easterly after one false start with the fleet slow to recognise the outgoing tide. The race committee was quick to fly the black flag after the four false stars in heat six. Not surprisingly, the fleet behaved themselves in round two, with most opting to tack just pre-start or post-start onto port. Racing up through Shark and Point Piper again, Rob and Nicole Douglass on 'Coollit' just lead from Kevin and Yvonne Wadham on 'Yes Darling' and Aaron Linton and Jamie Jochiem on 'AA Team' around the top mark. Craig McPhee and Gill Berry on 'Roll Your Own' rounded in fourth. Just after the top mark 'Yes Darling' fell back to fourth after gybing into a dying puff.

The places did not change significantly in the top four until the top third of the second work. After many tacks interweaving with each other the 'AA Team' got on the inside of a nice left hander and took the lead from 'Coollit'. These places remained the same until the finish, Aaron Linton and Jamie Jochiem took the gun, Rob and Nicole Douglass took second after a tidy day in tricky conditions. Craig McPhee and Gill Berry on 'Roll Your Own' finished third with Kevin and Yvonne Wadham on 'Yes Darling' holding fourth. Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway on 'Ridgididge' sailed a great race to sail through the fleet to fifth.

With two races yet to sail in the regatta a lot could change in the major and minor placings today.

The regatta commenced on the second of January from Woollahra Sailing Club.

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