WA State titles Flying 15s - Less glamour, more grind

by Chris Nelson on 8 Apr 2012 Day 2 -It was a tough day on the water for all concerned in the 50th WA Flying 15 State championships. Light and shifty breeze was the order of the day with long delays getting underway and between races adding to the frustration of most boats on the water, including the start boat.

Onshore prognostications proved better than those made on the course (at least for the correspondent) with consistency seeing Greg Tonnison and Steve Roberts on 'Spot the Difference' staking a claim for the state title. They won race 4, leading home a small pack that made a break on the bulk of the fleet sailing away in consistent pressure.

Grant Alderson and Dean McCaullay on 'El Toro' made their move on the leader board with a second and Christopher Wells while Sarah Ellis from Esperance Bay Yacht Club scored a well-earned third place.

After a long wait, Race 4 started in an unusual WNW breeze but following a large left hand shift the race was abandonded. The restart saw several recalls with the hoisting of the black flag seeing a clean start to get the fleet away. Dave Tucker and Matt Summer on 'Nuff Said' sailed a text book race, nailing a pin end start, banging the left corner and leading all the way around the course.

Following 'Nuff Said' home were Ron Packer and Peter Mudford with Tonnison/Roberts rounding off another good day with a third.

If there is breeze on Easter Sunday then we can expect a great battle for the title. Tommison and Roberts have consistency on their side while Alderson and McCaullay with state, national and world titles have the experience.
Dave Tucker and Matt Summers have also sailed a good series and can’t be discounted so it’s down to the weather to see how the results will fall.

Current Standings – with one drop

1. Spot the Difference Greg Tonnison/Steve Roberts (10)
2. El Toro Grant Alderson/Dean McCaullay (13)
3. Nuff Said David Tucker/Matthew Summers (14)
4. Escalator Graeme Lillingston/Ed Repsevicius (17)
5. Afrodisiac Ron Packer/Peter Mudford (24)
6. Tuffan Up David Yu/Chris Nelson (26)
7. Glamour Buoys Greg Leaversuch/Peter Barblett (27)
8. FFlashpoint Peter Rooke/Martin Arrowsmith (29)
9. Absolutely Fabulous Philippa Packer/Nick Robinson (29)
10. Storyteller Christopher Paterson/Rupert Leslie (36)