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Musto Skiff Australian Nationals at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron - Day 1

by Andy Rice 6 Jan 2018 20:32 PST 6-14 January 2018
Victorian Musto Skiff Championship at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron © Peter La Fontaine / www.lafoto.com.au

Brett Morris shocked even himself by winning the opening race of the ACO Musto Skiff Australian Championship on an extremely hot and sunny Saturday afternoon at Blairgowrie.

It's only Morris's second season in this tricky singlehanded skiff, but some recent secret Tuesday afternoon training sessions at his home club of Port Melbourne paid off today. "I tried to stay in the pressure and it seemed to work," smiled Morris as he came ashore from a light airs race in hot northerly winds. "I can't quite believe it, it just all seemed to come together."

British competitor Jamie Hilton did his customary trick of taking the early lead. "The wind was oscillating quite regularly but I decided not to follow the herd," said Hilton, who often finds himself at the front in the early stages of major Musto Skiff championships. "The start line was favoured to the pin end at start time, but I was pretty sure it was going to shift back to the right, so I started at the committee boat end. And about 40 seconds later it came back for me."

Hilton led for most of the two lap windward-leeward course but just across Port Phillip Bay a new breeze was kicking in from the west, and the breeze changed direction massively on the final run to the finish. Hilton found himself on the wrong side while Morris pounced to take the winner's gun ahead of fellow Aussies Wayne Bates and Richard Ekberg.

With the race committee aware of the big breeze about to arrive, they sent the fleet ashore. Most of the fleet made it but the stragglers were hit by a sudden squall of 50 knots which toppled boats including perennial Musto Skiff competitor Tim Chapman from the UK. As his boat flipped upright from a capsize, his top mast broke above the hounds but Chapman made it safely ashore and appeared unfazed by the excitement. "It is one of those rare days I'd rather have been one of the gin palaces that were blasting around the Bay," said Chapman, who has been in the Musto Skiff class from the very early days.

With the weather in the high 30s, it was oppressively hot and today's wind was always predicted to be unpredictable. Sunday is the concluding day of the Australian Nationals, and then it's day's gap before the ACO Musto Skiff World Championships begin on Tuesday. The weather is set to cool and the wind is forecast to be steadier and much better for good racing.

This evening the sailors enjoyed some barbecue sausages and beer at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, having tied down their boats in the expectation of a strong overnight breeze.

Results after Day 1:

PosSail NoBoat NameSkipperClubR1Pts
1418PEXAJEEBEBrett Morrispmyc11
2554SPUD MUFFINWayne Bates 22
3438BLACK SPOTRichard Ekberg 33
4493UNCLE BOBArthur Brett 44
5117SPACE CADETHayden Brown 55
6444TYSONJamie Hilton 66
7579JETTim Hillpmyc77
8492FAST GIRLJon Newman 88
9379DELTASam Phillips 99
10417T.I.E.Ian Martin 1010
11578HUMMERPaul Newman 1111
12576SCARY PIRATEMarcus Hamilton 1212
13520ULTRA COMPOSITESDave Poston 1313
14553SUZANNEWilliam Phillips 1414
15568WAKTAKONICAndrew Peake 1515
16478KUIPERS NAUTICPaul Dijkstra 1616
17408BLING BLINGMatthias Houvenagel 1717
18372MUSTO SKIFFAlex Knight 1818
19452MAW CIVILRichie RobertsonBYS1919
20513SVENThor Schoenhoff 2020
21574HYDE SAILSJack Grogan 2121
22524LEROYJames Lewis 2222
23233FORWARDWIPAaron Duncan 2323
24459MUSTO SKIFFAlexander Greil 2424
25491SHELL BE RIGHTHayden HardingBYS2525
26565THE MISTRESSRobin DayesSyc2626
27385-Terry Pressdee 2727
28357LIKE A GLOVEPeter Kendall 2828
29556TOUCHINGCLOTH2Steve Robson 2929
30432ROCK BOTTOMJohn Mcafee 3030
31535-David Annan 3131
32550BFFJon Bailey 3232
33423MID LIFE CRISISChris Bick 3333
34440SHES IN CHARGECasey Bates 3434
35555TINKERBELLRichard Ironmonger 3535
36425RUBYDavid Taylor 56C56
36572OWLSJames SlySYC56C56
36521OCHT AYEIain Morton 56U56
36361NED361Huud Ouwehand 56C56
36542MORE STICKY MOMENTSRon Barnes 56C56
36533MUSTOStuart Keegan 56C56
36244TBCMichael Berryman 56C56
36488CHRISS BUSINESSChris PeilePMYC56U56
36218DICKDick Shallcross 56C56
36376DIVADavid Rickard 56C56
36500FIVE HUNDREDTom Conway 56C56
36333LITTLE DEVILTim Chapman 56U56
36472TBCHugh Stephens 56C56
36453MARIO KARTPaul Tadich 56C56
36419MUSTO SKIFFRichard Smith 56C56
36571UPPER MIDLE BOGANBrett Williams 56C56
36380BTR RACINGBryce Reid 56C56
36427THEREISPROBABLYNOGODGilbert Brietzke 56C56
36548BUMBLEBEEGeorge Hand 56C56
36364SAILJUICE.COMAndy Rice 56C56

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