The 3rd Australian
Musto Skiff Championship 2013 - Final Report
Venue : Mounts
Bay Sailing Club - Perth (AUS) This is the venue for
the next World Championships
Report: Chris Sutherland
Photos: Rick
Steuart
See
all the photos here >>>
The Musto Performance Skiff Australian
Championships has been action-packed throughout the
week-long competition. In the end, Will Phillips claimed
the title by tallying one more point ahead of runners-up
Jon Newman and Tim Hill.
Will Phillips is the new Musto Performance
Skiff Australian Champion, he won by one point from
Jon Newman with Tim Hill third. All are from Victoria.
For Will it was a good fortnight, as he
came to Perth the day after winning the 49er National
Championships. The championships over five days, from
January 4 to 8, was sailed on Melville Water Perth from
Mounts Bay sailing club. The significance of sailing
in Perth is that it’s the first time outside Victoria
and reflects the growth in Perth from one to eight boats
in a Year.
Mounts Bay sailing club is on the Swan
River and the race course was Melville water so Andy
Curnow the PRO could set a one nautical mile race course
in flat water. The Fremantle Doctor was not its usual
self. Day Four was actually lost due to lack of Wind.
Despite this Andy got all 10 races in, three were light
and three heavy. On the last day the first race was
light, race two started light before a 25 knot breeze
arrived midway up the work. The sudden jump in breeze
caused some spectacular capsizes including Jon Newman
the regatta favourite’s nose plant at the top mark.
Race one started moderate South west and
race two were slightly stronger, as the course was only
15 minutes sailing from the club the boats were back
on shore after three hours. Just a perfect days sailing.
Pre regatta Favourite Jon Newman won race one but Veteran
Champions Arthur Brett and Denis Jones led early. In
race two again Arthur Brett was out in front early and
Will Phillips was with him, as the breeze picked up,
Ritchie Robertson who held the lead down the run capsized
with 50m to go, Arthur won with Will second, and Will
and the next four boats finished and capsized, Jon Newman
had a bad race capsizing too often.
On day two it was again lighter at 10
– 12 knots , Chris Sutherland and Arthur Brett led the
fleet until Jon Newman pulled a good shift to lead all
the way to the end. In the second race it was a left
hand course and Newman, Phillips and double Contender
world champion Marcus Hamilton all did well, but the
class heavy wind flyer Ritchie Robertson did better
and built a 100m lead that he held to the finish with
Will Phillip’s second and Marcus Hamilton third. race
three on day two was windier and Will Phillips had his
only race win followed by Marcus and Jon Newman.
Day three was lighter and hot, no one
had a great day. In race six, Marcus Hamilton came through
in the end, with Tim Hill second, Arthur Brett managed
a spectacular capsize in Ferry wash. Race seven was
lighter, a North Easterly that swung right 20 degrees,
and died to five knots then less down the last run.
In the end Mark Whittington the young ex Laser champion
from Perth won, followed by Jon Newman and Arthur Brett.
Day four was unusually for Perth abandoned
due to lack of wind, a cyclone to the North made the
weather pattern unusual.
Day five, race eight started light from
the Sea breeze direction at eight knots, Newman and
Sutherland led up the left and in the end Jon Newman
won. Jon was starting to look good after a bad start
to the regatta primarily due to capsizing. Race nine
was the most spectacular of the regatta by far. It started
in 10 knots, 100m before the top mark carnage arrived
in the shape of a 25knot wind increase. Newman led around
the top mark just and nosedived, Tim Hill capsized gybe
setting and the whole fleet sailed at high speed around
the course. In the end Thor Schoenhoff from WA won.
At the start of the last race Will Phillips
had a two point advantage over Jon Newman, with Tim
Hill, Marcus and Mark Whittington close on points for
third. It was right at the Musto top end of 20 plus
knots from the South west. In the end Will Phillips
did what he had to do coming second while Jon Newman
won. third was a more consistent Tim Hill over Marcus
Hamilton.
The new fleet WA was not disgraced, ex
Laser sailors Mark Whittington came fifth and Thor Schoenhoff
sixth and Arthur Brett won race two
This regatta was a test event for the
2015 Worlds to be held from Mounts Bay sailing club
in January 4 to 11. The river is a perfect place to
sail Musto’s being flatter and a little less windy that
offshore Fremantle and Mounts Bay sailing club is an
excellent Venue and can easily cope with the 60 boat
fleet that’s expected.
The final points were first Will Phillips
Vic 21, second Jon Newman Vic 22, third Tim Hill Vic
32, 4th Marcus Hamilton Vic 33, 5th Mark Whittington
WA 35
Full
results are here >>>
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