Kris Fay and Morgan Frew dominate NSW Cherub State Championships

by Rolf Lunsmann on 12 Mar 2012 Kris Fay and Morgan Frew, sailing Wally, capped off an outstanding season in the Cherub class by securing the 2011-12 NSW State Championship.

While the pair from Belmont 16ft Sailing Club went in to the final round of the State Championships sailed at Queens Lake Sailing Club with a commanding lead, they did not take things easy and demonstrated their superiority over the fleet with a further two wins and a second in the three races of the final round.

Over the eleven races of the Cherub States, sailed at six different venues in four rounds, Fay and Frew, who are the current Cherub National Champions, showed their superiority over the fleet in both light and heavy conditions. Thirty five boats contested the series.

The final round of racing took place on the idyllic waters of Queens Lake near Laurieton on the NSW mid north coast. The flat water of the lake together with the 10-15 knot south-easterlies that blew on both days of racing made for top conditions for both the front end of the competition and for the less experienced crews further back.

Race Nine of the series was sailed on Saturday in the lightest breeze of the weekend. Fay and Frew found themselves well back early on and had fight hard to make it through to the leading group. Enough Rope, sailed by Ryan Clifton-Smith and Tom Drury, established an early lead by picking the best of the tricky windshifts close to the first top mark. They led Wally, Thrill me…Tiger (Kirk Mitchell and Michael Kurts) and local Queens Lake boat The Scream sailed by Rohan Nosworthy and Sophie Holt. As the race progressed Enough Rope and Wally fought out a two boat duel with Wally slipping through Enough Rope’s cover on the last work to edge them out for the win.

Race Ten, saw Fay and Frew in Wally put on a sailing demonstration for the rest of the fleet. Following a safe start they built a small lead over The Black Pearl, Lawrence Wakefield and Ollie Jones from Drummoyne at the first mark. They then sailed away from the fleet for a comfortable win.

The final race was run to a long format in 15 kts of south-easterly on Sunday. Tim Harrington from Lane Cove12ft Sailing Skiff Club in Cauchemar, sailing with stand in crew Nigel Blatchford, for the second year in a row dominated the final race of the aeries. Leading from the start they built up an unassailable lead and were never headed.

The handicap trophy for the series went to Jen Pagett and Andrew Stephenson from Drummoyne in Everything Zen and the Woman’s Skipper honours went to Claire Lunsmann from Lane Cove in Alchemy.

Photos by Ian Oxenford can be found at :
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