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Reports & Results

 


RS Aeros at the RS Classes Australian Championships 2017, AUS
01/04/2017 - 02/04/2017
 

Write-Up

RS Aeros at the RS Classes Australian Championships - Black Rock YC, 1/2 April 2017 
by Lisa Ratcliff
 
The last time Chris Brain sailed competitively was 34 years ago on a Minnow, the same Minnow that brought him out of retirement for the Aero Australian Championship he won off Black Rock on the shores of Port Phillip in Victoria over the weekend of April 1-2, 2017.

Brain explains, “Since 1983 I’ve been windsurfing, surfing and kiteboarding. Last year my father rang out of the blue and said he’d found my Minnow under a shearing shed in the country. It still belonged to our family. We cleaned it up and my son, who was nine at the time, started sailing at our local club at Sugarloaf. With him sailing I thought I’d like to get back into it. I’d never heard of an Aero so I did my research and they seemed to be the outstanding choice, and here we are!”

The night Brain ordered the printing for his son Lachlan’s Minnow, renamed Yoda, he realised he needed to print his own so borrowed the name ‘Jack’ from his old Minnow’s original moniker, Jumping Jack Splash, reflecting his father’s penchant for The Rolling Stones.

On his first RS Aero 5 regatta and series victory by four points over Michael Parks, Brain said, “The boat handled Saturday’s heavy winds with ease, it surfs downwind really smoothly. That was my best day. The ergonomics are brilliant and it’s so quick and easy to rig. It’s a joy to sail.”

Day one of the six-race RS Aero Australian Nationals was sailed in a consistent 15 to 20 knot cold south westerly breeze making for some exciting sailing in the wind and steep waves, classic Black Rock conditions that saw a terrific battle play out for first place.

While there were three different rig sizes in the RS Aero fleet it made little difference at the top mark with some of the five rigs right up with the seven and nine rigs. Out of the ten boats that completed all three races four were juniors and three were female sailors.

After day one of the Black Rock Yacht Club Skiff Regatta and RS Nationals Brian Case held the lead in the RS Aero 7, recording two firsts and a second, a set of results he was able to consolidate on Sunday April 2 when he cleaned up the national championship by three points from Nick Collis-George of Sydney.

“It was a terrific event and the talent was incredible,” Case said. “I never once made the top mark in first place and I owe my results to having a slight edge on the downwind legs. The most important thing this year was having sailors from three states attend, that was the big step up in competition and a great indication of where the class is going. Plus there are so many juniors nipping at our heels.”

On his 18 months in an Aero Case said his “favourite thing is the ease of sailing, and I can walk the next day”. The ease of rigging up and the ergonomics plus the opportunity to sail fast in a modern lightweight boat make the class an ideal choice he added.

Sunday saw a much more pleasant day with a 10-12 knot sou’easter greeting the sailors as they arrived at the host club. This swung more to the east prior to racing and picked up in strength as the day progressed, averaging 15 to 18 knots with the gusts peaking at 22 knots. With flatter water the differences between the 5 and 7 rigs was more obvious but the classes still enjoyed some tight racing.

Class spokesperson Richard Furneaux commented that the standard of race management provided by BRYC was of the highest order. While there were 23 Aeros entered, conditions kept a number of the inexperienced sailors ashore. The 16-strong fleet enjoyed a closely fought regatta which bodes well for the continued growth of the class domestically. The first RS Aero Worlds in France later this year includes three Aussies.
 
Photos by Alex McKinnon are in the Gallery


Results

RS Aero 5                        
Place Sail Name Boat Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Total Net
1 1393 BRAIN, Chris Jack Sugarloaf SC, VIC 1 1 1 -3 1 2 9 6
2 1386 PARKS, Michael Swoosh Black Rock YC, VIC 2 3 2 1 2 -12 22 10
3 1680 DANKS, Philippa AeroDynamic Blairgowrie YS, VIC 3 -4 4 2 4 1 18 14
4 1388 LOKUM, Jacqui Elsecaller Black Rock YC, VIC -4 2 3 4 3 3 19 15
5 1681 JOHNSON, Katie Bubbles Blairgowrie YS, VIC -5 5 5 5 5 4 29 24
6 1687 CHAMBERS, Garry ZUKI Blairgowrie YS, VIC 6 -12 12 12 12 12 66 54
7 1185 STINSON, Clifford Selchidh Port Melbourne YC, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
7 1191 MCCALLUM, Nanette Mr Magoo Port Melbourne YC, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
7 1385 CHAMBERS, Oliver The KraKen Blairgowrie YS, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
7 1683 GALLETLY, Kendra TBA Blairgowrie YS, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
7 1684 CLELAND, Flynn Aero Dynamic Blairgowrie YS, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
                         
RS Aero 7                        
Place Sail Name Boat Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Total Net
1 1 CASE, Brian Rocky Royal Geelong YC, VIC 1 1 1 2 1 -3 9 6
2 1284 COLLIS-GEORGE, Nick B2 Balmoral SC, NSW 2 2 -3 1 3 1 12 9
3 1200 STEPHINSON, Peter Glide Free 2 Middle HarbourASC, NSW -4 3 2 3 2 2 16 12
4 1189 FERGUSSON, Ron Kelpie Albert SC, VIC 3 5 5 4 4 -12 33 21
5 1194 GILES, Andrew Tijuana Taxi Lake Boga & Cullulleraine -5 4 4 5 5 4 27 22
6 1679 MCALISTER, Ken Nimbus Black Rock YC, VIC -12 12 12 7 7 5 55 43
7 1291 GONZALVO, Gus Black Sheep Port Melbourne YC, VIC -12 12 12 6 6 12 60 48
8 1074 CHAPLIN, Brendan None The Wiser Black Rock YC, VIC -12 12 12 8 12 12 68 56
9 8 HUNN, Richard TBA Safety Bay YC, WA -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
9 1290 FAULDER, Geoff Nifty 52 Port Melbourne YC, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
9 1696 CLELAND, Dean Rash Decision Blairgowrie YS, VIC -12 12 12 12 12 12 72 60
                         
RS Aero 9                        
Place Sail Name Boat Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Total Net
1 1188 REFFOLD, Simon Skanky Royal MotorYC, NSW -2 2 2 1 1 2 10 8




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