by Rob Kothe
Day 2 - Tight at the Top2010 Musto Etchells Australasian Winter Championship day 2. - A glorious Queensland winter's day and for the many spectators on the sandy shoreline, the sight of the 52 boat Etchells fleet racing around marks laid in the ocean off Mooloolaba beach was exciting.
Its tight at the top and with four races completed in the Series, a fifth race in the morning will allow a worst result drop and a sixth race tomorrow will mean any of the current top three could take the title.
Principal Race Officers, Ross Wilson and Kevin Wilson, set the course at 195 in 13-15 knots of breeze, causing quite a few ocean white caps.
Race 1 of the day was a clear start - the fleet remembered yesterday's black flag action and showed constraint at the line.
However it was not a good start for Peter Coleman and his crew on Mid Gybe Crisis as they became caught on the barging buoy behind the Committee Boat. They arrived at the start line quite late after spending precious time trying to disengage the boat, and as a consequence Coleman reached the first mark in third last place.
Most of the fleet headed left. First to the top mark was David Turton (Harold Holt) followed by 2004 Etchells World Champion Peter McNeill (Absolute Pearler), Brendan Garner (The Moe Szyslak Experience) and Jeff Rose (Fair Bump Play On).
Conditions moderated to 12-13 knots as the fleet headed for the bottom mark.
Yesterday's race leaders were back in the pack; Hong Kong's Mark Thornburrow (Racer X) rounded in 10th, while Alastair Gair (Velsheda) was in 20th place, one spot behind sailing legend John Bertrand (The Stig).
David Turton (Harold Holt) carried his form to the finish and crossed in first place ahead of Dave Clark (Fifteen), Brendan Garner (The Moe Szyslak Experience), Mark Thornburrow (Racer X), Doug Williams (Vertigo), Mark Johnson (Roulette), Peter McNeill (Absolute Pearler) and Graeme Taylor (Magpie). Alastair Gair (Velsheda) was ninth.
After race 1 of the day, Hong Kong sailor Mark Thornburrow had taken top position on the Series leaderboard (1, 2 and 4) with seven points, NSW sailor David Clark (Fifteen) was second (3,3,2,) on eights points, only one point behind.
New Zealand's Alastair Gair (Velsheda) finished the race in around tenth place, the result pushing him down the leaderboard to third.
Conditions had softened considerably for the 13:00 clear start of race 2 of the day. The Race Committee set Course 1 - 2.5 laps at 195.
Respected offshore and Volvo Ocean sailor Tom Braidwood (Fantazia) started on the pin, behind him was New Zealand sailor Lindsay Kennedy (Addiction).
Braidwood headed left, but most of the fleet took the right as their option, however the light conditions soon forced the fleet to cross back.
At the first mark in a very soft five to six knot breeze, 2000 Mooloolaba Winters champion Julian Plante (North Star) held the lead from Mark Richards (Are We There Yet?), Richard Hammond (Alchemist), Mark Johnson (Roulette), David Rose (This will make her scream), Stephen Gunther (Magic Buzz), John Bertrand (The Stig), Alastair Gair (Velsheda), Dave Clark (Fifteen) Mark Dagge (Una Mas), Graeme Taylor (Magpie) and Mark Thornburrow (Racer X).
Tom Braidwood who had stayed left, got dorked and rounded back in the fleet.
At the bottom mark for the first time Plante and his North Star crew were one minute and 55 seconds ahead of Wild Oats X1 skipper Mark Richards, with Mark Johnson third. John Bertrand had made his move up to fourth as had Mark Thornburrow who was now fifth. Dave Clark was 10th and Alastair Gair rounded in 12th.
The conditions were now very soft and Race Officials shortened the length of the remaining legs.
In the dying breeze Julian Plante managed to establish a two minute, five second lead at the top mark for the second time, over his nearest rival Mark Richards.
The big improver was Tom Braidwood who had managed to sail himself into third place from 12th on the last beat.
John Bertrand was next, then Mark Thornburrow and Mark Johnson.
Alastair Gair was back in 21st position, while Dave Clark was nowhere to be seen.
As Plante turned back up the final beat his lead had dwindled to just a minute and five seconds ahead of the fast moving Richards. Up into third was Mark Johnson, followed by Tom Braidwood, Peter McNeill and John Bertrand.
Mark Thornburrow was back in ninth place while Gair, who was clearly not having his best sailing day, was in 11th place.
Plante (North Star) held off the attack from a determined Richards (Are We There Yet?) to cross the line first. Mark Johnson (Roulette) was third, Tom Braidwood (Fantazia) fourth, John Bertrand (The Stig) was fifth, Jake Gunther (The Boat) moved up in the mix to be sixth.
Series leader Mark Thornburrow (Racer X) managed tenth place, Alastair Gair (Velsheda) finished 13th. Surprisingly Dave Clark (Fifteen) was nowhere to be seen, finishing back in 28th.
Mark Thornburrow from Hong Kong holds the 2010 Musto Etchells Australasian Winter Championship Overall Series lead and has a six point buffer going into the final day, tomorrow. Mark Johnson is now second overall, ahead of New Zealand's Alastair Gair.
Quotes of the DayAlastair Gair (Velsheda), leading the field yesterday but with a 9,13 day is now third. 'We were struggling up wind today ... it was a minefield really.
'Other guys were just doing it better than us. We had some good moments but really just not good enough.'
Big boat skipper Mark Richards (Are We There Yet?)- 34, 2 today. 'After a disaster this morning the second across the line in this afternoon's race was very welcome - we had a few nice shifts and a good race, it's not often two boats split from the fleet like that. I'm gradually getting rid of the rust.'
Mark Thornburrow (Racer X) from Hong Kong and Overall Series leader after 4,10 today. 'We hung in there today; we were pleased to climb up to fourth in the first race of the day, definitely a keeper in this fleet, and we were deep in the second race and improved on the runs, the crew did a really great job.
'I bought this boat, Racer X, after it won the Worlds and when it's tuned right is very quick - looking forward to tomorrow.'
John Bertrand (The Stig) - 17,6 today. 'Terrific racing ... . what a wonderful winter's day. It is just great to be on the water in this very active and expanding class.'
Julian Plante (North Star) - 13,1 today 'Half way up the first beat, we went harder right than most; we kept getting lifted up, we thought we were in the top 10, then the top five, then suddenly we were well clear. We made a good gain on the run, we got better and better pressure. However going back through the fleet, we got really bad air ... we hung in there, we were getting nervous but eventually we were clear and we kept a loose cover on Ricko (Mark Richards) to the end.
'We've not had the regatta we'd hoped for up to now but today's win reminded us why the front of the fleet is so great. The air is clean, the boat speed is better, decisions are easier.'
Mark Johnson (Roulette) - 6,3 today. 'What a glorious day. It was crazy out there today. For a while on the first beat, in the second race we thought we were minutes ahead and we came around third.
'But to be second overall at this stage is good. Our combination is working very well, Peter (Conde) is looking after the rig and the boat speed, Nik (Burfoot) has his head out of the boat - we hope we will get two races tomorrow.'
Dave Clark (Fifteen) - 2,28 today. 'We were very pleased with our second this morning, but we were buried this afternoon. Assuming we can drop that 28, we have 3,3,2 - so its all going to come down to two final races.'
Provisional Overall Results at end of Day 2Pl B# Crew From 1 2 3 4 Tot
1 51 Mark Thornburrow, Martin Mok, Gray Gibson & Simon Cook Hong Kong 1 2 4 10 17
2 04 Mark Johnson, Nikolas Burfoot & Peter Conde Sydney 6 8 6 3 23
3 22 Alastiar Gair, Stuart McKinven, David Ridley & Derek Scott Gulf Harbour 2 1 9 13 25
4 15 David Clark, Sean Leonard & Andrew Smith Sydney 3 3 2 28 36
5 07 Julian Plante, Michael Dunstan & Nick Garland Pittwater 11 19 13 1 44
6 55 Graeme Taylor, Steve Jarvin & Grant Wharington Mornington 18 6 8 12 44
7 43 Peter McNeill, Greg Torpy & David Gleadhill Lake Macquarie 24 10 7 7 48
8 08 Brendan Garner, Tim Clark & Michael Schilt Geelong 23 5 3 22 53
9 09 Chris Hampton, Bucky Smith & Warwick Hill Melbourne 13 12 22 11 58
10 11 Gunther Jake, Tony McPhail & Stuart Skeggs Melbourne 7 20 28 5 60
11 31 Ian Johnson, Tim Ede & Phil Smidmore Melbourne 14 17 23 8 62
12 16 Richard Hammond, Roger Gain & Chris Allen Sydney 4 33 14 17 68
13 33 David Rose, Taylor Jane Rose & Todd Anderson Gold Coast 12 31 20 9 72
14 37 David Turton, David Biggar & Trent Rowell Mooloolaba 16 23 1 35 75
15 35 Mark Richards & Gary Smith Pittwater 31 9 34 2 76
16 47 Mark Bulka, David Lorimer & Oliver Tweddell Melbourne 27 22 11 16 76
17 41 John Bertrand, James Chilman & Gary Van Lunteren Melbourne 53\BFD 7 17 6 83
18 21 David Healey, Ashley Deeks, Timothy Robba & Rachael Pocock Brisbane 9 32 24 18 83
19 24 Noel Paterson, Sarah Board, Curtis Skinner & Paul Wyatt Brisbane 25 29 10 19 83
20 48 Donald Wilson, Jason Browne & Brent Connor Gosford 37 18 16 14 85
21 23 Gary Smith, Michael McAullay & Brad Sheridan Perth 33 4 21 31 89
22 20 Gary Boyd, John Boyd & Anthony May Lake Macquarie 8 11 37 34 90
23 38 Stephen Gunther, John Collingwood & Christopher Maxted Melbourne 15 24 12 42 93
24 03 Peter Gardner, Richard Allanson & Stephen Barlow Sydney 20 39 19 15 93
25 10 Jeff Rose, Craig McCallum & Craig Rainy Brisbane 19 15 15 47 96
26 36 Thomas Braidwood, Ayden Menzies, Ben Lamb & Ryan Menzies Pittwater 53\BFD 13 35 4 105
27 39 Lindsay Kennedy, Philip Pride & Trevor Swinburne Auckland 32 34 18 21 105
28 29 Simon Ellis, Gary Grey & Sutton Sa Mooloolaba 5 38 29 37 109
29 45 Steve O'Rouke, Steven Backhouse & Burke Melia Cronulla 10 26 32 45 113
30 26 Andrew York, Trevor Martin & Matthew Ramaley Mooloolaba 41 16 26 30 113
31 17 Ian Audsley, Graham Flatman & Jan Van Der Schalk Pittwater 17 40 36 20 113
32 06 Douglas Flynn, David Baker & Calvin Gardner Sydney 34 25 27 33 119
33 52 Guyon Wilson, Paul Darcy & James Wilson Geelong 21 21 42 36 120
34 28 Robert Hanna, Jake Newman & Stephen Peel Geelong 28 44 33 24 129
35 34 Tom Woods, Clyde Freeman & Keith Jensen Sydney 53\BFD 14 31 32 130
36 05 Jan Muysken, Steve Langton & Michael Stovin-Bradford Sydney 30 27 46 29 132
37 32 Doug Williams, Adrian Kiely & Darren Cooney Sydney 42 45 5 41 133
38 02 Mark Dagge, Matthew Hansen & Joshua Willis Brisbane 29 30 51 25 135
39 13 Glen Norton, Peter Rattray & Peter Wilkinson Melbourne 22 51 40 26 139
40 30 Nigel Nattrass, Andrew Coates & Hugh Leicester Sydney 26 28 52 39 145
41 19 John Savage, Glenn Ferguson & Gary Wilson Melbourne 53\BFD 35 30 27 145
42 14 Greg Eddy, David Hall, Rodney Moore & Robert Topping Gosford 35 48 41 23 147
43 18 Paul Minter, John Minter & Peter Edwards Pittwater 44 41 25 43 153
44 25 Mark Sanders, Daniel Belcher & Scott McInally Gold Coast 36 37 50 38 161
45 01 Peter Coleman, Wayne Dixon & Iain Gartley Melbourne 43 42 45 40 170
46 50 Michael Hiatt, Jamie Bennet & Mathew Johns Melbourne 53\BFD 36 38 48 175
47 27 Bryce Johnson, Rodney Verstegen & Peter Johnson Sydney 38 50 44 44 176
48 40 Patrick Meehan, James Hallam & Brendan Sneddan Brisbane 39 43 47 50 179
49 49 Charles Piggott, Warren Myles, Toby Pearce & Reece Baguley Melbourne 45 49 39 49 182
50 46 Gregory Forgan-Smith, Bruce Pitt & John Willey Gold Coast 40 47 49 46 182
51 44 Nev Willis, Edward Tait & Ian Staples Brisbane 47 46 43 51 187
52 42 Chris Larsen, Neil Hudson & Mark Jamison 46 52 48 52 198
Day 1 - sensation at the start of race one, then a very unusual set of podium results in today's two racesRace 1The fleet started in eight to ten knots of breeze from 170, under cloudy but clearing skies. A number of boats were a little too eager and jumped the start causing a general recall.
On the second start John Bertrand (The Stig), John Savage (Black Knight), Tom Braidwood (Fantazia), class new comer Michael Hiatt (Baby Doll) and Tom Woods (Echo Beach) were all black flagged; their hopes of winning the regatta now shattered as this is a five race, no drop regatta.
At the top mark for the first time, Mark Johnson (Roulette) was first, followed by Simon Ellis (MoJo), Mark Thornburrow (Racer X), David Clark (Fifteen), Jake Gunter (the Boat) and Alastair Gair (Velsheda).
At the bottom mark for the first time, Dave Clark the NSW Champion (Fifteen) was leading, from New Zealand's Alastair Gair (Velsheda) with David Healey (Rapscallion) third.
On the second beat Gair was doing well on the right which appeared to be favoured. Although the sun is out, the breeze has dropped to five to six knots and PRO Ross Wilson is shortening the last run down to a mile.
Under blue sky at the top mark for the second time, Hong Kong sailor Mark Thornburrow the led the 2010 Musto Etchells Australasian Winter Championship race one, from New Zealand's Alastair Gair. The first Australian boat was Richard Hammond (Alchemist), followed by Dave Clarke, Simon Ellis, Mark Johnson and Gary Boyd (B Squared).
Observing the fleet at the top mark and sailing outside the course was John Bertrand, who smiled ruefully but declined to offer a comment on the start of the 2010 Championship
Down the run Thornburrow held a handy ten boat lengths lead over Gair.
As the fleet ran down to the finish line, the boats on the right came down with a new breeze and Dave Clark made the most gains. As the finish line loomed he was locked in a battle for second place with Alastair Gair.
In the end, Thornburrow won comfortably from Gair, the fast finishing Clark and Richard Hammond.
Race 1 winner Mark Thornburrow commented 'The pressure was up and down, it was hard to stay in phase, but we are pleased with the result.'
Alastair Gair's post-race comment was simply ... 'It was pretty tricky.'
Race 2The Committee set Race 2 at 175, under brilliant blue skies and with breeze of 11-12 knots blowing along the picturesque Mooloolaba coastline.
Eagerness again forced a general recall and black flag start, but on the restart all boats werwe clear with no transgressors.
On the Committee Boat end 'Spiderman' David Rose (Fair Bump Play On) had speed, lifted early and led the right hand side of the fleet as they headed towards Point Cartwright.
Rose acquired his new nickname after being discharged from hospital only last night, following a redback spider bite on the foot during the week.
First to the top mark for the first time was Hong Kong sailor Mark Thornburrow (Racer X) coincidently ahead of New Zealand's Alastair Gair (Velsheda), who in turn was ahead of Lake Macquarie based Gary Boyd (B Squared).
In the end the right did not pay for 'Spiderman' Rose and he was around the mark in about 20th place.
Heading down the run in glorious sunshine with 10-12 knots of breeze, the day was turning out to be a very Australasian affair.
At the bottom mark for the first time, Thornburrow, Gair, Boyd, Mark Johnson (Roulette), Brendan Garner (The Moe Szyslak Experience ) and John Bertrand (The Stig) all rounded in quick succession.
The breeze had shifted 10 degrees to the right so the Committee moved the course back to the top mark, as the pressure dropped back to eight to ten knots.
As they headed down to the finish line, Gair got through Thornburrow, while Clark moved into third.
They crossed the finish line in that order, and after day one of the 2010 Musto Etchells Australasian Winter Championship, Alastair Gair, the Kiwi sailor and Mark Thornburrow from Hong Kong, lead the championship on equal points.
Dockside Alastair Gair, who finished third in this event in 2009 said ' We had two good starts and good pace. We've been sailing a lot with our Auckland Etchells fleet over the last few months and that time on the water has proven worth-while.
Hong Kong skipper Mark Thornburrow, the top gun in Asian Etchells sailing was all smiles as he stepped off his chartered boat Racer X, which the was the boat that won the 2009 Etchells Worlds
'We were fast off the line in both races and in a big fleet like this the clear air made the difference. It's a great feeling to be up there, but there will be another three tough races. '
Dave Clark, the current NSW Etchells Champions 'We pleased with the overall result, but we disappointed to only get third, we thought we were doing better on the second run. In the last race we had a terrible start, were around 15th a top mark for the first time and we just kept pushing and again were third.
Day One Provisional ResultsPlace Bow # Skipper and Crew From Race 1 2 Total
1 22 Alastiar Gair, Stuart McKinven, David Ridley & Derek Scott Gulf Harbour 2 1 3
2 51 Mark Thornburrow, Martin Mok, Gray Gibson & Simon Cook Hong Kong 1 2 3
3 15 David Clark, Sean Leonard & Andrew Smith Sydney 3 3 6
4 04 Mark Johnson, Nikolas Burfoot & Peter Conde Sydney 6 8 14
5 20 Gary Boyd, John Boyd & Anthony May Lake Macquarie 8 11 19
6 55 Graeme Taylor, Steve Jarvin & Grant Wharington Mornington 18 6 24
7 09 Chris Hampton, Bucky Smith & Warwick Hill Melbourne 13 12 25
8 11 Gunther Jake, Tony McPhail & Stuart Skeggs Melbourne 7 20 27
9 08 Brendan Garner, Tim Clark & Michael Schilt Geelong 23 5 28
10 07 Julian Plante, Michael Dunstan & Nick Garland Pittwater 11 19 30
11 31 Ian Johnson, Tim Ede & Phil Smidmore Melbourne 14 17 31
12 43 Peter McNeill, Greg Torpy & David Gleadhill Lake Macquarie 24 10 34
13 10 Jeff Rose, Craig McCallum & Craig Rainy Brisbane 19 15 34
14 45 Steve O'Rouke, Steven Backhouse & Burke Melia Cronulla 10 26 36
15 23 Gary Smith, Michael McAullay & Brad Sheridan Perth 33 4 37
16 16 Richard Hammond, Roger Gain & Chris Allen Sydney 4 33 37
17 38 Stephen Gunther, John Collingwood & Christopher Maxted Melbourne 15 24 39
18 37 David Turton, David Biggar & Trent Rowell Mooloolaba 16 23 39
19 35 Mark Richards & Gary Smith Pittwater 31 9 40
20 21 David Healey, Ashley Deeks, Timothy Robba & Rachael Pocock Brisbane 9 32 41
21 52 Guyon Wilson, Paul Darcy & James Wilson Geelong 21 21 42
22 29 Simon Ellis, Gary Grey & Sutton Sa Mooloolaba 5 38 43
23 33 David Rose, Taylor Jane Rose & Todd Anderson Gold Coast 12 31 43
24 47 Mark Bulka, David Lorimer & Oliver Tweddell Melbourne 27 22 49
25 24 Noel Paterson, Sarah Board, Curtis Skinner & Paul Wyatt Brisbane 25 29 54
26 30 Nigel Nattrass, Andrew Coates & Hugh Leicester Sydney 26 28 54
27 48 Donald Wilson, Jason Browne & Brent Connor Gosford 37 18 55
28 26 Andrew York, Trevor Martin & Matthew Ramaley Mooloolaba 41 16 57
29 17 Ian Audsley, Graham Flatman & Jan Van Der Schalk Pittwater 17 40 57
30 05 Jan Muysken, Steve Langton & Michael Stovin-Bradford Sydney 30 27 57
31 03 Peter Gardner, Richard Allanson & Stephen Barlow Sydney 20 39 59
32 06 Douglas Flynn, David Baker & Calvin Gardner Sydney 34 25 59
33 02 Mark Dagge, Matthew Hansen & Joshua Willis Brisbane 29 30 59
34 41 John Bertrand, James Chilman & Gary Van Lunteren Melbourne 53\BFD 7 60
35 36 Thomas Braidwood, Ayden Menzies, Ben Lamb & Ryan Menzies Pittwater 53\BFD 13 66
36 39 Lindsay Kennedy, Philip Pride & Trevor Swinburne Auckland 32 34 66
37 34 Tom Woods, Clyde Freeman & Keith Jensen Sydney 53\BFD 14 67
38 28 Robert Hanna, Jake Newman & Stephen Peel Geelong 28 44 72
39 13 Glen Norton, Peter Rattray & Peter Wilkinson Melbourne 22 51 73
40 25 Mark Sanders, Daniel Belcher & Scott McInally Gold Coast 36 37 73
41 40 Patrick Meehan, James Hallam & Brendan Sneddan Brisbane 39 43 82
42 14 Greg Eddy, David Hall, Rodney Moore & Robert Topping Pittwater 35 48 83
43 18 Paul Minter, John Minter & Peter Edwards Pittwater 44 41 85
44 01 Peter Coleman, Wayne Dixon & Iain Gartley Melbourne 43 42 85
45 46 Gregory Forgan-Smith, Bruce Pitt & John Willey Gold Coast 40 47 87
46 32 Doug Williams, Adrian Kiely & Darren Cooney Sydney 42 45 87
47 19 John Savage, Glenn Ferguson & Gary Wilson Melbourne 53\BFD 35 88
48 27 Bryce Johnson, Rodney Verstegen & Peter Johnson Sydney 38 50 88
49 50 Michael Hiatt, Jamie Bennet & Mathew Johns Melbourne 53\BFD 36 89
50 44 Nev Willis, Edward Tait & Ian Staples Brisbane 47 46 93
51 49 Charles Piggott, Warren Myles, Toby Pearce & Reece Baguley Melbourne 45 49 94
52 42 Chris Larsen, Neil Hudson & Mark Jamison 46 52 98
Musto Etchells Australasian Winter Championships 2010
