After their first two races were cancelled due to strong winds, the Bundaberg Sports Boat ASBA National Championship fleet was eager to get out on the water today. Flat water and blue skies heralded a promising start to day two, helped by a steady 8-10k easterly breeze which held true for most of the afternoon.
With 21 entrants representing every state in Australia, the quality of the Skandia Geelong Week sports boat competition is high. Reigning Bundaberg Sports Boat champion Chris Williams has sold his winning Thompson 7 Team GUE and is 'hitching a ride' this year in Geelong steering John Williams’ T 7 Salsa Lou, the renamed former Geelong Week winner Foam Fast.
Airlie Beach regatta winner Graham Sherring’s Quantum Sails is another hot favourite for this years’ title and Heath Townsend from Dunsborough in Western Australia has been lured back once again, this time racing What Tha, a Melges 24 One Design. Another well-travelled Melges OD is Heath Walters’ Mako Melges from Sydney and Perth sports boat stalwart Steve Battley returns to Geelong for the fourth time.
Former Geelong Week sports boat champion Paul Heyes will crew for Greg Scherwinski on the T7 Ronstan/Ray White, a boat which is literally straight out of the moulds and racing for the first time. Another former winner at Geelong and former National sports boat champion is Julian Newton from Adelaide and his Elliot Espx Game Over and local skipper Cam Rae, well-used to racing on Corio Bay with his Bendigo Private crew, could also feature on the podium when the 8-race series is complete.
Interesting boats in the fleet this year include Top Gear from Tasmania. Royce Salter has completed a magnificent restoration of an insurance write-off which is attracting a lot of attention dockside, along with the distinctive red Bohica from South Australia. Most of the sports boats will follow the eye-catching and extremely quick Bethwaite 8 Vivace around the track. Noel Leigh-Smith and his crew are fresh from their success at the recent Sports Boat Sunday regatta in Brisbane and keen to win, the Australian Sports Boat Association National Championship title along with the famous 'Bundy Blue' Henri Lloyd jackets in Geelong.
Heath Walters’ Mako-Melges took first place on handicap in Race one, edging out John Lloyd’s T7 Salsa Lou with the Egan 6 Quantum Sails from Queensland third. Fourteen seconds separated fourth placed Bendigo Private from the Egan 6 and out of the placings the battle of the T7’s saw Ronstan/Ray White ahead of Bruce Hollis’ Zip and Steve Battley’s Road Warriors. Two Delphia Sport 24’s Splash 1 and 2 enjoyed a great one design battle with only seconds separating the first from the second.
Race two in a slightly lighter breeze saw John Lloyd and Salsa Lou at the top of the list in a lighter breeze with Heath Walters Mako Melges second. Hindered by some crew concerns in race one, Road Warriors sailed far better later in the afternoon to secure third.
A two way tie at the top of the series shows Salsa Lou and Mako-Melges at three points apiece with What Tha snapping at their heels. Three Thompsons locked together ten points away from the leaders will set the scene for another great day of Sports Boat action at Geelong tomorrow.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น