Crown Series - Paper Tigers out in force

by Peter Campbell on 24 Feb 2012 A fleet of a dozen Paper Tiger catamarans will provide an added spectacle to this weekend’s Crown Series Bellerive Regatta, to be sailed on Hobart’s River Derwent.

It will be the biggest fleet of Paper Tigers seen at the regatta, which opens this evening with a twilight race for keelboat divisions and sports boats, including the SB3s.

The biggest twilight racing fleet ever on the Derwent has the promise of perfect sailing weather.

Off-the-beach classes, including the Paper Tigers, will join the bigger boats on Saturday and Sunday. Entries now total close to 200 sailing craft.

There are 111 keelboats, sports boats and trailable yachts entered along with 83 off-the-beach dinghies, sailboards and catamarans – and late entries expected.

With Hobart’s temperature forecast to soar to 35 degrees on both days, Bellerive Yacht Club officials have urged all competitors to use block out sun cream, wear hats or caps, and take extra water on the water.

'We have vast supplies of block out at the club; we don’t want any severe cases of sun burn or, worse, heat stroke,' the official warned.

Heading the 12-cat contingent of Paper Tigers, all from Lauderdale Yacht Club, is Bruce Rose, a former international and national champion in these fast, 4.3m LOA catamarans.

For Rose and two other sailors from Lauderdale club, the Crown Series Bellerive Regatta is an important tune-up for the Paper Tiger International, a contest between Australian and New Zealand teams of 10 boats each, to be staged at McRae Yacht Club on Port Phillip over Easter.

Rose has gained a place in the official Australian team, while fellow club members Sean Keady and Steve Price have been invited to sail in the International, bringing to 40 the total number of Paper Tigers in that fleet.

'They are all very enthusiastic about sail in the Crown Series Bellerive Regatta this weakened,' Rose said today. 'There is something really exciting in being part of Tasmania’s biggest regatta.'

Rose will be trying out a new boat, called The Apprentice, and its new sail in preparation for the International. 'I sailed the boat in the nationals at Lake Macquarie, NSW, but being an ‘old-new’ boat, the hull and foils hull needed some work to bring it up to scratch,' he added.

Paper Tigers are a one-person catamaran, 14ft (4.3m) in LOA carrying 100 square feet single sail on a flexible mast. Foils are a key factor in top performance.

A good standard second hand boat can be bought for $3,500 but a brand new, professionally built foam sandwich boat cost up to $15,000.

At the recent nationals, five of the top placed boats had foam sandwich hull and five were home-built plywood hulls, 'exceptionally well crafted boats,' said Rose.

Lauderdale Yacht Club conducts races for Paper Tigers and other catamarans each Sunday with the TasCat Regatta and State championships to be sailed there over the March long weekend.