Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments 2024 Leaderboard

Macquarie Access Worlds - Tasmanians benefit from heavy winds

by Di Pearson on 12 Apr 2012
Julie Pearson on the race course - Macquarie Access World Championships 2012 Andrea Francolini Photography http://www.afrancolini.com/
Macquarie Access World Championships penultimate day, at Middle Harbour Yacht Club, got underway in 10-12 knot south-westerlies.

If anyone has been in a position to reap the benefits of the heavy winds experienced on Sydney Harbour, it has been the Tasmanian team.


The Tasmanian team of three Access 303 sailors and two Access 2.3 competitors are certainly no strangers to the big winds and gusts of Tuesday and Wednesday, which many others found trying.

Rod Viney, an able-bodied sailor, demonstrated this with his second place in Race three and a win in Race four in the Access 303 class on Tuesday, when 26 knot winds and big gusts hit the race area at Middle Harbour, near the entrance to Sydney Heads.

Viney, who was in third place going into racing today, and only four points off the lead, was disappointed by the improving weather, calling today’s 10-12 knot south-westerly 'too quiet.'

Those competing in the 2.3’s however, found the winds a bit harder to handle due to their body weight being lighter. Julie Pearson said she had found herself in similar circumstances in Hobart.

Pearson, who is eighth overall going into today’s two races, described herself as 'getting stuck in irons' (head-to-wind and going nowhere). When faced with Tuesday’s big winds at the Macquarie Access Worlds, she said, 'I was left with the choice to limp back to shore or to continue on.' She chose the latter.

Now that the Tasmanian knows she is capable of getting free she feels she’ll be much more confident in the future.

The Tasmanians, though, have struggled with the big swells experienced at Middle Harbour, which is just inside Sydney Heads. Often, their small craft filled with water and they were forced bail, along with the rest of the 115 competitors.

At one point, Pearson found her 2.3 completely full after a deeper than expected nose-dive. 'So I was sitting with my legs floating off in opposite directions while I was trying to bail out the boat. A big gust then tipped me to the side,' she said, laughing.

The Tassies found the traffic experienced on the Harbour during Easter, 'a bit of a hindrance at times,' when there was an increase in 'idiots' on power boats carving their way through the course, their wakes causing disturbance to the sailing boats.

Well-known Hobart offshore yachtsman, Craig ‘Esky’ Escott, who is sailing in the Access 2.3 single person event in his first major competition, said: 'In Tassie everyone knows each other, so they don’t try and run you over - if they do - they’re dead when they get to shore,' he laughed.

Currently in ninth place overall, Escott still remembers being hit by a car at Airlie Beach years ago. It resulted in many injuries, including some to his head, which has robbed him of his short term memory, but not his competitive spirit, or his sailing skills.
Macquarie Access World Championships website

Zhik 2024 DecemberMaritimo S SeriesV-DRY-X

Related Articles

Rolex Fastnet Race: IRC Two Preview
With 73 entries in IRC Two, the Rolex Fastnet Race is set to deliver a striking display. Could two new JPK 1050s upset the apple cart in IRC Two? Jean-Pierre Kelbert has a habit of breaking the mould in IRC racing, and his new 34-footer may well be a game changer in this competitive division with 73 entries.
Posted today at 10:36 am
Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay overall
Tight Racing and Tactical Brilliance The final day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup brought sunshine, shifting breeze, and two exciting races that kept the championship wide open until the very last run.
Posted today at 8:13 am
Seldén Rodkicker 50 - manual rigid vang
Specifically sized for yachts between 50 and 55 feet A Rodkicker rigid vang is designed to enhance sail handling during reefing and allows for greater sail trim control.
Posted today at 8:00 am
WASZP Games 2025: Talent & fun descend on Weymouth
Poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history The 2025 International WASZP Games, set to take place from July 19–25 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, are poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history.
Posted today at 7:23 am
Transpac 2025 Update: Moon River Tonight!
The magic of offshore racing in the 2025 Transpac A vast ocean separates Los Angeles, California, from Honolulu, Hawaii, but the boats racing in this year's Transpac have now crossed the halfway mark. Race leaders are in the tradewinds and making their approach to the Aloha State.
Posted today at 12:26 am
20 Canadians set for Long Beach Grand Slam Event
The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta will be held July 12-20 20 Canadian sailors will take part in the fourth and next-to-last event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta, to be held July 12-20 at one of the two Olympic venues for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Posted on 10 Jul
All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects!
Posted on 10 Jul