Rock Solid’s long-awaited nationals victory
Rock Solid has faced 16 consecutive Adams 10 Australian championships and finally the Middle Harbour Yacht Club boat owned by Mitch Miller and Andy and Ben Gunton prevailed at Lake Macquarie, by the slimmest margin.
The new Australian Adams 10 national champion beat the defending champion – Tom and Belinda Braidwood and Backchat – on a countback, Rock Solid’s three wins to Backchat’s two across eight races the decider.
Adams 10 Australian Championship 2021 results.
Video highlights thanks to Beau Outteridge https://youtu.be/6v7qUBkVJuk
Driving back to Sydney, Mitch and Andy said: “We held off some top competition from Tom on his home turf, Allen Stormon from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Rob Brown doing tactics on Organised Chaos and a bunch of great sailors. We didn't get any help unbolting the trophy from Lake Macquarie Yacht Club!” Miller laughed, “we had to get our own tools to get it off the wall.”
On his former co-owner Matt Gunton (Ben’s father), who passed away suddenly in 2013, Miller shared the emotion behind the long-awaited victory: “Matt was just as passionate as I was to win the Adams 10 national championship. He was my best mate”.
Rock Solid’s crew included Damien Bassett, Warren Gray, Geoff Piper and Olympic gold medallist Nathan Wilmot. Miller paid tribute to Wilmot’s input: “It took someone like Nathan coming on board, someone who can see further than 20 metres in front of them, to make the difference. He was happy to sail with us numpties. We’ve done well before with the same core guys but got pipped by a point and finished up second or third. It’s nice it went our way this time.”
Miller and his crew enjoyed the fact the Melges 24 state title ran concurrently to their Australian title, sailed off the host club at Belmont in a full range of breezes. “There was plenty of banter after the racing.”
On locking horns with Rock Solid, Tom Braidwood said: “Mitch is such as gentleman. He’s been working away at it for a while, bought new North Sails, got Nathan to do tactics and won it.”
Braidwood is passionate about Adams 10s, describing sailing in the class as “the most fun you can have sitting down, without the arms race”. He regularly twilight sails on his 1989-built Adams 10 at Lake Macquarie with family and mates and once a year takes the good sails out for the national title. His 12-year-old son Eamon joined the Backchat crew for the three-day series, February 6-8.
Gezzabelle, skippered by Commodore of the RPAYC Allen Stormon, finished third overall, three points off the two front-runners.
Garry Gudmunson’s Organised Chaos finished sixth overall and took out the Teak Seater division, for Adams 10s built pre-1991 with teak seats.
The next event for the Adams 10s is Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Harbour Regatta March 6-7, where Rock Solid’s crew will aim to defend their 2020 class victory.
Adams 10 Australian president Anthony Poiner says “Adams sailors are mostly a bunch of old skiffies and the class is Corinthian in nature. We encourage fun and inclusivity….esprit des corps…and getting people owning boats and sailing at regattas, even with those ridiculous Hawaiian shirts. This regatta delivered on every one of those counts – 15 boats, over 100 sailors and a truly great time had by all, on and off the water.”
By Lisa Ratcliff
Photos by Beau Outteridge
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Photos by Damien Boldyrew
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Lazy Dog claims the win for MC38 Act 1
Three races in a light to moderate south easterly concluded the MC38 Class Act 1 at Middle Harbour Yacht Club today.
While the sunshine was welcome after yesterday, the breeze varied in direction and pressure to provide a challenge for competitors.
Race 5, the first of the day, saw a clean start and Lazy Dog (Quentin Stewart) stretching their lead as the race progressed.
Race 6 was a different matter, with Lazy Dog and Dark Star (John Bacon) over at the start and Lightspeed (Steve Barlow) ensnared with the start pin. After several unplanned manoeuvres and penalty turns to start the race and a course change for the fleet on lap two, it was Chris Wray and the team on Easy Tiger who presented first to the finish line ahead of Swish (Stephen Proud) and Ginger (Lesley Green). Lazy Dog’s 6th placing was the only blemish on their perfect record for the weekend.
An extra leg to an upwind finish for the final race rounded out the weekend. Lazy Dog was first ahead of Ginger and Infotrack (Indy Beck).
With Quentin Stewart on the helm this weekend while co-owner Shaun Lane was away, Lazy Dog finished on top of the results table in the seven race Act 1 with a margin of seven points from Ginger and Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan another five points back.
The next MC38 Regatta is the Australian Championships on March 19-21, again hosted by MHYC.
To view the MC38 Act 1 Results - click here
Many thanks to all the MHYC volunteers for race management and to photographer Marg Fraser-Martin who was on the water rain and shine.
Day Two (Action Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin)
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Day One (Action Photos by Marg Fraser-Martin)
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Chaos at Bedlam Point!
Phil Clinton Photo
There was Chaos at Bedlam Point today during the annual running of the MHYC Feature Race to Abbotsford and return for the Chaos Cup and Bedlam Point Cup, this year sponsored by Telstra Business Technology Centre.
Sydney put on a beautiful sunny day with a moderate south westerly for the 11am pursuit start. As forecast, the breeze moderated and became flaky before building again in the south-east. It was at its flakiest when the fleet bunched up and arrived at the Bedlam Point turning mark. It is reported that there was a great deal of discussion between boats at this point!
Winner of the Chaos Cup for first boat in the spinnaker fleet to cross the line was Ian Box’s Toy Box 2. Toy Box 2 was the Division 1 winner ahead of Little Nico (Adrian Walters) and Khaleesi (Sandy Farquharson). Division 2 winner was Brian Lees’ Contentious from Farr ‘n Away (Chris Lee) and Alliance (Ben Thompson).
Winner of the Bedlam Point Cup for the first non-spinnaker boat home was Tim Horkings and Carl Crafoord on Sail Exchange.
The Jeanneau Cup Series, supported by Performance Boating, included today’s Division 3 racing. The winner was David Ferguson's Starstruck, ahead of Galan (Mike Gallagher) and Ca Va (Peter Lewis).
Winners of the Cock of the Club Teams Trophy were Team #3 – Kayimai (Rob Aldis), Contentious (Brian Lees) and Galan (Mike Gallagher).
Thankyou to Telstra Business Centre for their support of the Chaos and Bedlam Point Cups. The Telstra Business Centre North Sydney will focus on a complete technology solution for your business. Visit them at 53 Berry Street North Sydney or call 9900 9900.
To view the race results – click here
To view the Cock of the Club Teams Trophy Results – click here
Marg Fraser-Martin was an eye in the sky today, getting some great images from a very different perspective. A big thankyou once again Marg!
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Some great racing lights up a grey day
While it was something of a grey (and sometimes damp) but mild Sydney day, a moderate to fresh nor' nor' easterly and a variety of competitive events made for some great yacht racing today.
MHYC is hosting the MC38 Class Act 1 of their 2021 season this weekend and kicked off with four races on The Sound. Quentin Stewart and the experienced team on Lazy Dog, last year's National champions and series winners, were fast in race one and just seemed to get faster, taking a clear win in every race. Lindsay Green and Ginger were the next best performed boat, with Marcus Blackmore and Hooligan third after today's races. Three more races will complete the Act tomorrow.
The MHYC Inshore PHS Series continued today with a course set between Manly Point and Chowder Bay. Rumba (Carr / Cook / Burke) were the Division 2 winners from Galan (Mike Gallagher) and Wailea (Neil Padden). Marc Tromp's Waterborne Again claimed the Division 3 win ahead of Dania (Peter Charteris) and Plan B (Brett & Ken Churcher). Chris Lee at the helm of Ace was the best of the J/24 One Designs.
A number of the MHYC boats went offshore rather than inshore today to contest the CYCA Short Ocean Pointscore Series, also conducted by the MHYC Race Team this afternoon. In Division 1 IRC, Toy Box 2 (Ian Box) was 1st, Khaleesi (Rob Aldis) 2nd and Samarkand (Walter Carpenter) 3rd. In Division 2 IRC, the sole MHYC boat Stormaway (Jack Stening & Colin Gunn) took the win. A dominant show by MHYC crews.
Congratulations to all the club boats who competed today.
To view the MC38 Act 1 Results - click here
To view the Inshore PHS and One Design results - click here
To view the CYCA Short Ocean Pointscore results - click here
Marg Fraser-Martin was back on the water today and captured some great photos under difficult conditions..........
MC38 Act 1 Day 1
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MHYC Inshore Series
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A Perfect Day for the January Cup
The January Cup kicked off MHYC’s Saturday sailing for 2021 today under sunny skies and a moderate south-easterly - a lovely day to be on the Harbour. A Two-Handed Race was held in conjunction with the January Cup, attracting ten entries across the two divisions.
Well done top David Ross and Kukukerchu for taking the double in Division 1. Second in the January Cup was Advanced Philosophy (Peter Sorensen) with Stormaway (Jack Stening & Colin Gunn) third. In the Two-Handed, Kayimai (Rob Aldis was second, ahead of Anitra May (Dion Hart).
Ben Thompson’s Alliance also claimed the double win for Division 2 today. Ace (David West) was second in both races, with Innamincka (John Crawford) claiming third in the January Cup and Kaotic (Catherine Rofe) third in the Two-Handed.
To view the January Cup results – click here
To view the Two Handed Race results – click here
Marg Fraser-Martin kept a lens on the fleet from Middle Head today. Here are some of her images…
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Outlaw claims Farr 40 One Design Trophy at MHYC
Tom Quick and the Outlaw crew from CYCA have won the January Farr 40 One Design Trophy regatta at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
Outlaw took three race wins from the fine races sailed, but two fourth placings meant the winning margin was a single point. Joe de Kock's Newcastle team on Good Form were second, with Jeff Carter's Edake just another point behind in third place.
Only one race was completed on Saturday, with a light northerly fading by late morning and racing eventually abandoned. Today's south-sou' easterly was reasonably consistent at 10-15 knots, enabling 4 good races to be completed by early afternoon.
The next Farr 40 Regatta will be the NSW Championships, again being hosted by MHYC on February 27 & 28, before the Australian Championships at CYCA on March 13 & 14.
Many thanks to the MHYC Race Management Volunteers for their great work over the weekend and to Marg Fraser-Martin for today's photos.
To view the results - click here
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Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024 apply from January 1
The 2021-2024 version of the Racing Rules of Sailing will apply from January 1, 2021
Competitors should be aware of a few of the important changes:
Start & Finish Definitions have been amended...
The difference is that previously when any part of a spinnaker or bowsprit or even a crew member hiking out crossed the start or finish line, they started or finished. Now it is only when a part of the hull crosses.
Sailing the Course Definition has been updated...
A boat sails the course provided that a string representing her track from the time she begins to approach the starting line from its prestart side to start until she finishes, when drawn taut,
(a) passes each mark of the course for the race on the required side and in the correct order,
(b) touches each mark designated in the sailing instructions to be a rounding mark, and
(c) passes between the marks of a gate from the direction of the course from the previous mark.
Race Signals have been amended...
Code Flag V has been added - Monitor communication channel for safety instructions. Rule 37 has been added - When the race committee displays flag V with one sound, all boats and official and support vessels shall, if possible, monitor the race committee communication channel for search and rescue instructions.
Rule 40 Personal Flotation Devices and Y Flag has been updated for clarification.
Rule 43 Exoneration has been updated.
Appendix G has been updated to increase the visbility of Sail Numbers...
G1.2 Specifications
(a) National letters and sail numbers shall be:
(1) in capital letters and Arabic numerals,
(2) of the same colour,
(3) of a contrasting colour to the body of the sail, and
(4) of a sans-serif typeface.
In addition, the letters and numbers identifying the boat shall be clearly legible when the sail is set.
There are a number of other important amendments along with a large number of "tidy ups" in this edition of the RRS.
Competitors are advised to download and review the 2021-2024 Study Version of the Racing Rules of Sailing - click here
World Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing Index - click here
Australian Sailing Blue Book 2021-2024 - click here
Read more: Racing Rules of Sailing 2021-2024 apply from January 1
Winners decided in Summer Optimist Regatta
Ben Crafoord (MHYC) and Walter Heeley (WSC) have been presented the Open and Intermediate first place medals today at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.
The second and final day of MHYC's Summer Optimist Regatta was sailed in a moderate north-easterly freshening to 20 knots as the afternoon progressed. Intermediate sailors did well to get around the course in race six.
At the conclusion of the series, Ben Crafoord ( Underdog - MHYC) claimed the Open Division win from Spencer McKay (No Regrets - WSC) and Isaac Freeman (Problem Child - WSC). In the Intermediate division, Walter Heeley (Fish - WSC) finished on top ahead of Levi Harrison (Wallygator - RPAYC) and Angus Griffin (Pixel - MHYC).
Presentations were conducted by MHYC Vice Commodore Youth Alister Copley and Regatta Coordinator Lisa Wilkinson. Many thanks to Lisa and all the parents who volunteered to make the regatta such a great success.
To view the results - click here
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Windy finish for NSW Optimist Championships
The NSW Optimist Championships concluded today at Middle Harbour Yacht Club with Aidan Simmons from Geelong in Victoria winning the Open Championship and MHYC sailor Jacob Marks crowned NSW Champion for 2020.
Light and shifty conditions prevailed for the Saturday, challenging race management teams and sailors alike. Open & Intermediate Fleet RO Jeremey Atkinson managed three races on The Sound, while Green Fleet RO Robyn Tames completed four shorter races closer to the club at Chinaman’s Beach.
A moderate north-westerly, forecast to lighten today, instead freshened to 20 plus knots at start time. Green and Intermediate Fleets were unable to race in these conditions and when the Open Fleet lined up for race five, the breeze strengthened further with gusts to 30 knots. Racing was abandoned for the day and prizes were awarded based on the abbreviated program.
Results Summary
NSW Champion – Jacob Marks (MHYC)
Open Boys
- 1st – Aidan Simmons (IHYC/RGYC)
- 2nd – Jacob Marks (MHYC)
- 3rd – Spencer McKay (WSC)
Open Girls
- 1st – Hanako Tomishima (WSC)
- 2nd - Sara Bruce (RPAYC)
- 3rd – Harriet McLachlan (RSYS)
1st 11 Year Old – Callum Simmons (IHYC/RGYC)
1st 10 Year Old – Zara Marks (MHYC)
Intermediate Boys
- 1st – Stirling McKay (WSC/RSYS)
- 2nd – Max Coroneos (WSC)
- 3rd - Rocco Springer (RPAYC)
Intermediate Girls
- 1st – Billie Robbins (RPAYC) and 1st Overall
- 2nd – Pia Hooper (HHSC)
- 3rd - Meg Bates (MHYC)
Many thanks to the race management volunteers and especially the large number of MHYC parents who supported the event.
To view the results - click here
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Summer Optimist Regatta gets underway
Day one of MHYC's Summer Optimist Regatta was warm and sunny with a light east south-easterly shifting north east during the afternoon. Races were held on The Sound between Grotto Point and the Gowlland Bombora for the twenty five strong fleet.
After the three races completed today, Ben Crafoord (Underdog) leads from Will Wilkinson (Rocky) and Miles Greenwood (Rallar) in the Open Division. In the Intermediate division, Levi Harrison (Wallygator) is ahead of Walter Heeley (Fish) and Angus Griffin (Pixel).
A further three races are scheduled for tomorrow.
To view the results - click here
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Thursday Twilights - a Safety Reminder
We are well into the festive season and people are bursting to have fun, especially in our club's famed Thursday Twilight Racing!
Following a couple of "interesting" races with incidents and near incidents recently I would like to remind ALL Skippers and Crew of a couple of things to be aware of during these fun evenings:
Please remember:
- These evenings are for FUN - we are not competing for sheep stations here!
- The starting area is quite congested, both at the Start and the Finish
- Many of the crews, (and skippers) are not necessarily at championship racing skills levels and they may not be able to react instantaneously to developing situations,
- The Racing Rules of Sailing apply, and NOR 16.6 and 16.7 in the Sailing Handbook on page 32 applies.
- NOR 16.6 - The Pumphouse Pre-Start area is defined as the area between the start line and the extension of the A-Arm outer walkway (southern marina arm).
- NOR 16.7 - When the Pumphouse Start Line is in operation, no boat shall enter the Pre-Start Area before her Preparatory Signal unless transiting the area under motor.
- Drink driving laws apply, on the water as well as in your car... (Would you drive down Military Road with a beer in your hand, having just consumed a couple at the bar??)
- SAFETY of crews and boats is paramount on these evenings.
So, the request from the club is….
Be SAFE at all times - put your perceived "rights" aside in favour of caution
DO NOT
- "drink & drive"
- Put your sails up in the Start Area, which is the zone between the Pumphouse start line and D arm
DO
- Abide by the Racing Rules of Sailing
- Stay out of the Pre-Start Area until you are actually starting
- Avoid the following behaviours:
- Pushing people up,
- Barging into "no go" areas,
- Performing risky port / starboard crossings
- Reduce the testosterone levels and put aggressive sailing tactics aside in favour of enjoyment and safety of your crew and the boats around you
- Give people room to manoeuvre
- Provide mark room
- Give room at continuing obstructions
- Stay away from the MHYC jetties - they are expensive AND much harder than your boat and crew!
- After you finish, proceed beyond D arm before dropping your sails and
- Be mindful of other finishing boats when returning to the dock (the dockside celebrations can wait for a few minutes!!)
MHYC treasures the fantastic opportunity to sail in daylight saving twilights - let's keep on making it enjoyable and safe for EVERYONE.
Kind regards,
Geoff Charters
Vice Commodore - Racing
