Crew work on the winner ’Barry’ during Race 5 - Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.
by Rob Kothe
Going into the last day of the 2009 series Mark Johnson and his Roulette team were leading the regatta with 10 points ahead of Dave Clark’s Fifteen with 14 points and Damien King’s Barry. New Zealand’s Alastair Gair, the Day 1 leader, went into the day with 2,1 and a Black Flag.
The number permutations and combinations of races sailed and who could finish where were considerable, but everyone except Johnson, wanted a five race series.
Race 4 sponsored by Musto, started this morning in bright sunshine and a 12-14 knot north easterly.
Race officials had intended to set a 1.8 nautical mile leg length, but stopped short at 1.4 nautical miles on a north-nor-west heading, after the top mark boat ran into a segment of baited long line. (They thought they had struck the jackpot and had a shark on the line, however it later turned out to be an anchor.)
The 54-boat fleet had a clean start and 80 per cent of the fleet headed left towards the beach and came up on the port lay-line.
Matthew McCann’s Carabella IV was first around, followed by Jervis Tilly’s Bushfire, with Ross Lloyd’s The Nurse in third. David Clark’s Fifteen was sixth; series leader Mark Johnson (Roulette) rounded in 11th place. The big surprise was Alastair Gair (Velsheda) the Day 1 leader, who only managed 24th position.
At the top mark for the second time Lloyd had moved into first place, with King now up in second, Tilley was third with Johnson sixth. Gair was 16th. Those places held to the finish.
The pressure was now on King and his Melbourne crew; they needed another top result to win the regatta.
Race 5, again sponsored by Musto, had a sensational start when series leader Johnson was involved in a start line incident and withdrew from the race.
Gair’s Velsheda was leading at the top mark with King and his ‘Barry Boys’ hot on his tail. The leaders stayed close but at the top mark for the last time, Gair came in from port, but King and Mark Bradford sailed through him.
King came storming home across the finish line ahead of Mark Bradford’s Roni, Nigel Nattrass’ Two Speed, Gair’s Velsheda and Graeme Taylor’s Magpie.
Race 4 start. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.
What had happened to the series leader at the start of the final race?
A dejected Mark Johnson said 'We foolishly tried for the perfect Committee Boat end start. We were a bit slow and were port boat in a port starboard and were pushed into the Committee Boat. We did our 720 and we looked up and realised for our score to count, we had to do better than sixth. We could not possibly do it from there so the only thing we could do was to sit and watch the last race.
‘Unfortunately we left a pretty good boat out on the course and they beat us with their final race win.
‘But hey we had no expectations at all so we are very happy with our second overall.’
Overall Barry (Damien King and crew James Ware, Simon Cunnington and Andrew Butler) won the regatta from Roulette (Mark Johnson, Nik Burfoot and Christian Allen) and Velsheda (Alastair Gair, Anna De Fluiter, David Ridley and Derek Scott). Gary Smith (Tusk) was fourth with Peter Hollis (Heaven Can Wait) fifth and Jervis Tilly (Bushfire) sixth.
Dockside there was some big grins.
Damien King. ‘This is our first ever big regatta win. Great for us after our Melbourne Worlds second. Even better in a chartered boat.
‘We don’t often focus on trying to win a race, but we certainly did that in the last race. We LOVE Mooloolaba!!
The Kiwis on Velsheda finished third overall. Image copyright Sail-World.com/AUS.
Third placed Alastair Gair said ‘Race five we had a nice start, the big shift benefited the boats on the left, then on the last run we thought the right would work but it turned to custard, we finished fourth and that put us third overall.
‘We know we did our best and so we have to be happy with that.’
Musto Etchells Australian Winter Championship 2009
4th - 7th June, Series Summary, Final
Pl B# Crew From 1 2 3 4 5 Total points
1 11 D. King, J. Ware, S. Cunnington & A. Butler Melbourne 7 2 (12) 2 1 12
2 49 M. Johnson, N. Burfoot & C. Allen Sydney 5 3 2 6 (55\DNF) 16
3 30 A. Gair, D. Ridley, D. Scott & A. De Fluiter Gulf Harbour 2 1 (55\BFD) 15 4 22
4 15 D. Clark, S. Leonard & A. Smith Sydney 3 6 5 (10) 8 22
5 46 P. Hollis, B. Smith & J. Warlow Mooloolaba 8 (44) 1 11 6 26
6 47 J. Tilly, P. Davidson & J. Arnold Sydney (27) 9 3 4 12 28
7 32 V. Prentice, D. Hutchison, N. Brehrens & P. Manning Brisbane 13 4 4 (14) 9 30
8 44 M. Bulka, S. Young & P. Bulka Melbourne 9 (13) 10 5 13 37
9 41 N. Nattrass, C. Brook & A. Elliott Sydney 10 22 11 (26) 3 46
10 43 J. Sheehan, R. West & R. Vidgen Pittwater 15 7 14 13 (25) 49
11 54 M. Bradford, P. Merrington & G. Torpy Brisbane 12 15 (55\BFD) 25 2 54
12 37 P. Gardner, S. Barlow & R. Allanson Sydney 19 8 16 12 (55\DNF) 55
13 39 D. Rose, S. Backhouse & T. Rose Brisbane 23 11 15 7 (55\DNF) 56
14 22 R. Lloyd, M. Turner & P. Dowdney Melbourne 18 21 17 1 (40) 57
15 35 G. Taylor, G. Wharington & S. Jarvin Mornington 6 32 (55\BFD) 16 5 59
16 19 C. Hampton, B. Morrison-Jack & M. Toner-Joyce Melbourne 4 (40) 7 28 22 61
17 34 T. Woods, P. McNeill & D. Gleadhill Lake Macquarie 17 14 25 9 (55\DNF) 65
18 33 N. Paterson, S. Board & J. Chilman Brisbane (39) 10 23 17 23 73
19 02 G. Boyd, J. Boyd & A. May Lake Macquarie 30 27 6 (45) 11 74
20 28 S. Gunther, J. Collingwood & B. Jones Melbourne 20 16 20 (30) 18 74
21 38 M. McCann, N. Wittey, S. Quigley & J. Strong Sydney 11 24 (55\BFD) 3 38 76
22 52 C. Williams, P. Heyes & N. DeBerque Gosford 14 (47) 21 22 21 78
23 26 M. Thornburrow, G. Farrell, M. Chew & A. Service Hong Kong 24 19 (55\BFD) 19 16 78
24 20 J. Muysken, P. Grundy & A. O'Connell Sydney 25 12 28 (47) 14 79
25 16 D. Lawrance, R. Browne & B. Hawkes Blairgowrie 16 33 9 23 (34) 81
26 18 J. Plante, M. Dunstan, N. Garland & C. Barratt Pittwater 22 48 (55\BFD) 8 10 88
27 05 D. Healey, A. Deeks & G. Van Luteren Brisbane (44) 18 13 34 26 91
28 24 P. Minter, J. Minter & R. Bull Sydney (50) 35 30 18 17 100
29 09 S. Ellis, J. Dudok Van Heel & J. Brinkley Hong Kong 26 5 29 41 (42) 101
30 23 M. Dagge, M. Hansen & J. Willis Brisbane 1 37 (55\BFD) 33 31 102
31 12 B. Sheridan & B. Moore Swan River 21 34 (55\BFD) 24 24 103
32 17 I. Audsley, G. Flatman & J. VanDer Schalk Pittwater 28 25 33 (37) 20 106
33 50 D. Wilson, R. Leslie & J. Browne Gosford 33 30 27 (40) 19 109
34 13 G. Smith, B. Shoebridge & R. Smith Swan River (46) 26 26 31 28 111
35 10 R. Coxon, D. Ritchard & I. Winter Sydney 32 (41) 32 20 29 113
36 53 S. O'Rourke, S. Backhouse & J. Torpy Cronulla 37 39 8 (43) 30 114
37 21 N. Knezic, D. Bretherton & M. Robertson Melbourne 29 23 (55\BFD) 27 36 115
38 08 T. Martin, G. Thomson & P. Braithwaite Mooloolaba 40 51 (55\BFD) 21 7 119
39 40 L. Kennedy, R. Bassett & T. Swinburne Gulf Harbour 31 38 19 35 (55\DNF) 123
40 04 D. Williams, D. Cooney & A. Kiely Lake Macquarie 38 28 24 (39) 33 123
41 29 L. O'Connor, B. Averay & L. Steers Melbourne 41 (43) 31 38 15 125
42 14 M. Sanders, J. Sill & S. McInally Southport 34 20 34 (44) 43 131
43 27 D. Hardy, B. Northcote & J. Northcote Sydney 36 31 (55\BFD) 29 35 131
44 03 P. Coleman, W. Dixon & I. Gartley Melbourne 35 29 35 (36) 32 131
45 42 J. Denton, L. Birch & P. Bailey Gosford (43) 36 37 32 27 132
46 55 G. Forgan-Smith, G. Wakefield & B. Foot Gold Coast (53) 17 36 48 39 140
47 48 D. Biggar, M. O'Brien & Matt Johns Mooloolaba 42 42 18 42 (44) 144
48 31 C. Piggott, W. Myles & G. Black Mooloolaba 47 49 22 (55\DNC) 55\DNC 173
49 45 P. Meehan, J. Hallam & B. Sneddon Brisbane 49 46 40 (50) 41 176
50 07 J. Ward, D. McCaughey & M. Roberts Adelaide 45 45 (55\BFD) 46 45 181
51 36 J. McLean, S. McClure, R. Caldwell & J. McLean Brisbane 52 (55\DNF) 38 51 46 187
52 51 N. Hudson, J. Curry & M. Jamison Gold Coast (54) 50 41 52 47 190
53 25 A. Telford, S. Schafer & G. Smith Melbourne 51 52 39 49 (55\DNC) 191
54 01 J. Middleton, N. Willis & T. Robba Brisbane. 48 (55\DNF) 55\BFD 53 37 193
Musto Mooloolaba Etchells Winter Championships 2009
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