Sunshine Coast Inter-School Dinghy Regatta at NYRC + Videos

by Yachting Qld on 21 Apr 2010

The Sunshine Coast Inter-School Dinghy Regatta has been hailed another huge success story for the Noosa Yacht & Rowing Club, hosting their 11th running of the event.

This year 28 crews, up from 16 last year, from schools around the Sunshine Coast competed over the April weekend with conditions ranging from shifting SE to ESE breezes varying from 10 to 20 knots.

Crews Fleet raced in 3 pools with 3 heats each on Saturday in the Vagabond MKII 3.7m dinghies with the top 3 in each pool after day 1 going straight to the final series. This left the rest to battle out the repechage series of another 3 races on Sunday morning to try and secure the only wildcard spot remaining in the final series. The Home Schooling crew of Natasha Steiger and Brendan Williams securing the final spot available with a run away win in the semi final.

A great format designed by the NYRC meant that crews changed boats after every race meaning a Le Mons style transition on the beachfront keeping everyone on their toes with only minutes available for new crews to check their boats and make any adjustments before re-entering the course for the often too soon coming five minute race sequence.

The course, on the beautiful Noosa River in front of the NYRC, being the perfect caldron for this fast turn around race schedule with family and friends watching proceedings from both the river front and the clubhouse deck right on top of the start line.

NYRC build and distribute the Vagabond MKII and consider this class of dinghy to be the most versatile dinghy available for the ongoing pounding that sailing school boats receive and the NYRC should know as they currently operate possibly the largest youth development program in the country averaging around 250 lessons each week and bringing over 35 Yachting Australia Assistant Instructors through the program during the last 15 months.

With the 10 finalists sorted the final series began around lunchtime on Sunday with close tactical racing showing that South East Queensland has a great future in sailing for years to come.

Crews from Noosa Pengari Steiner, Sunshine Coast Grammar, Mountain Creek State School, St Thomas More Primary, Noosa Districts State School, Good Shepherd Lutheran College and a crew that is Home Schooled making up the fleet.

The 3 race lowest score final format was a battle to the end with 3 different race winners and numerous different place getters keeping everyone captivated whilst the on water judge, Kai Timm, was kept busy keeping all crews honest around the track with buoy room and port/ starboard rules constantly being pushed to the limit in the heat of battle.

Finals heat winners were Josh Burns & Dylan Baguley from Mountain Creek State School, Blake Thomasson & Gus Gillanders from Noosa District State High School and Toby Pearce & Ryan McVey from Sunshine Coast Grammar School.

Consistency, as always, was the key with Noosa Districts, Thomasson & Gillanders, finishing the final series in first Place with a 3, 1, 2 (6) score card pipping Sunshine Coast Grammar crew of Elliott Clayton & Jessica Vercoe with 2, 3, 5 (10) into second place with another Grammar crew of Toby Pearce & Ryan McVey with 4, 6, 1 (11) in third place.

The Primary School Trophy was won by St Thomas More Primary for the second year running with Charlie Blundell(11yr) & Will Safe(9yr) being the only primary school crew to make it to the final series finishing eighth overall, a fantastic effort considering these Primary School kids were mixing it with crews from years 11 and 12.

Hugh Ramsay, Senior Partner of Stratogen Chartered Accountants, who are the long term sponsors of the annual event, commented on the dramatic increase in the standard of sailing this year compared to previous years.

This high level of sailing will certainly qualify these young sailors to target the highest National and International podiums throughout their forthcoming sailing careers.

NYRC Sailing Coordinator, Paul Blundell commented that the high level of sailing rules and tactical knowledge from such a young group of sailors was the major ingredient in making the regatta a huge success. Sunshine Coast Sailing Clubs, Coaches, School Sailing Masters and Parents deserve a great deal of credit for being instrumental in raising the bar and helping keep kids sailing on the Coast. Blundell said that it is now game on to have over 40 crews enter for next year’s event.

Sunshine Coast Interschool Sailing Regatta 2011 Day 2 from Jayden Allen on Vimeo.