Australian International A Class Championships 2012

PREVIEW 2012 A CLASS CATAMARAN AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE BATTLE OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONS

The John Cootes Furniture Australian A Class Catamaran National Championships will be a unique event for the Australian summer of sailing . The event will bring together three current World Champions to race at Wangi, on the waters of Lake Macquarie.

 

Current World Champion Steve Brewin

Tom Slingsby is the current  World Laser champion (2011 now making three World Titles) and just crowned ISAF World champion in Perth a few weeks ago, and he is continuing to win virtually every International Laser event in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics.

Nathan Outteridge is the 2011 champion in both the 49ner and International Moth Class, and is also looking good for a medal at the London Olympics after winning Gold for the 49er class at the ISAF Worlds in Perth. These two will be pitted against Steve Brewin, whom recently secured the 2011 A Class Catamaran World Crown in Aarhus, Denmark.

 

The form guide for this regatta will also be complicated by the infusion of a number of the AC 45 sailors who will be heading down under for the Christmas break in their AC 45 campaigns .

Team Oracle will be very well represented. James Spithill will bring along his tactician John Kostecki, and trimmer Dirk de Ridder. Darren Bundock and Tom Slingsby will represent the other Oracle AC 45.

Glenn Ashby and Adam Beashel will fly the flag for Emirates Team Zealand.

 

 

Life at the top will be tough, as these sailor will be racing against other Australians whom filled the top six  places in the Danish Worlds. The Aussie Titles will be a true "Champion of Champions " contest.

Around 70 boats are expected to contest the event ,which will be hosted by the Wangi (RSL)  Amateur  Sailing Club , under the direction of  PRO Tony Outteridge, during the first week in January Zhik will be the other major sponsor,in addition to John Cootes Furniture.

 

Simon McKeown, a long time A Cat sailor and current Australian of the year has indicated that he is very much looking forward to competing in the regatta.

 

Interest in the regatta is very strong and we have received numerous enquiries from people who sail other classes of boats seeking to charter boats for the event

 

One thing for sure this event is going to be big and is going to take world class skill to just finish inside the top 20.

 

Cannot wait 'Game On'.

Sail Sydney Regatta 2011

Last week we had the all classes Sail Sydney Regatta down on Botany Bay. This regatta I had the first chance to test out my new rig (Fibrefoam) and sail (Brewin). The great thing about the weekend were the conditions as we had 8-10kts over the weekend which gave me perfect conditions to test over a range of wind speeds.

Me rigging for the first race.

The out come was the new set up was very fast in the 8-12kt range and with a little work will also be fast in the stronger conditions.

The weekend saw 11 boats racing with another Harken sponsored sailor Jack Benson from the NT coming down to race along with Harken supporter Steve Brewin.
Steve is the current World Champion and Jack is number 2 in the World, so the the sailing level was very high.

On the left higher and faster

With my old rig I use to sail around just behind these guys but just not with them. Bring in the new rig and I now race on top of them and can be in front of them now. So I'm one very happy camper.

The end results saw Stevie take the win with Jack 2nd, Andrew Williams 3rd and myself 4th.

Steve Brewin top mark rounding

Jack Benson top mark rounding

New Boat Updates Coming Soon

Over the last couple of months I have changed a few systems on the boats, I will get a few photos over the next few weeks and post them as soon as I can.

Back soon.

Sealink F18 National Photos

A few photos of Katie & myself on Team Harken at the Nationals.

Pre race fun

Katie getting interviewed

Big wind, big waves = big rides.

The three Wild Cats going for the lead in race 11

Sealink F18 National Titles

Racing on the final day of the Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Championships, being sailed as part of Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week 2011, commenced at 10.00am on Cleveland Bay.

Jason Waterhouse's Team Wildcat Australasia were the team to beat going into the final day. Coming into the championships after competing in various events on the European circuit, the 19 year old skipper's recent competition experience was clearly showing.

RO Stewart 'Jock' Ross was aiming to complete four races on the final day and right on time, at 10.00am, Race 9 of the Series commenced.
With the wind registering eight to ten knots and in bright sunshine, 21 F18s lined up eager for the start.

Ian Simpson (Cruel & Heartless) claimed the pin. Just up from him sat Katie Spithill (Team Harken), Adam Beattie (Nacra No 1) and Michael Guinea (Nacra NQ) with Grant Rogers (Bent & Twisted) further up the line.

It was a clear start and the fleet headed to the top mark for the first time.
Adam Beattie led them around followed by Warren Guinea (Team Magic Marine), Series leader Jason Waterhouse (Team Wildcat Australasia), Michael Guinea, Dale Mitchell (Ullman Sails), Luke McMullen (Overdrive) and Katie Spithill.
Jason Waterhouse cranked up a notch and was never headed, finishing ahead of Warren Guinea and Rob Lattimore (Gash).

F18s all in a row. Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Championships part of Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week 2011 -  Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week Media   Click Here to view large photo

By the start of Race 10 the conditions had built to around 16 knots with increased chop. The Race Committee set the race leg length to 1.2 nautical miles.Michael Guinea, Adam Beattie, Jason Waterhouse and Leigh McNally (Sneak 'N' Round) were well placed off the line.


Waterhouse took the lead and continued his domination of the championships by taking the win from Michael Guinea and Adam Beattie. Leigh McNally was fourth, then Warren Guinea, Rob Lattimore, Dale Mitchell, James Ogilvie and Luke McMullen. Katie Spithill finished tenth.
After ten races and with the second drop coming into play, it was clear Team Wildcat Australasia had a vice-like grip on the 2011 Australian Championships holding a thirteen point margin over Team Nacra NQ.

By Race 11 of the Series the breeze had increased to around 18 knots.
Waterhouse was six boats up from the pin at the start. Further up the line sat Adam Beattie, Ian Simpson and Dale Mitchell, all well placed.
Adam Beattie got the best start and mid way to the first mark held a good lead over Jason Waterhouse. The two leaders went left and rounded in an increasingly choppy seaway.
Down the run to the finish Beattie cleared out and was well ahead of Waterhouse. Third placed Dale Mitchell took a sudden swim, a nose dive into a wave ending his chance of a podium finish. Leigh McNally seized his opportunity and came through ahead of James Ogilvie (Durepox Paints), Grant Rogers (Bent & Twisted), Gary Gornall (Goose Marine) and Warren Guinea (Team Magic Marine).

Adam Beattie took the gun from Michael Guinea, Dale Mitchell and Luke McMullen. Jason Waterhouse finished fifth. James Ogilvie, Warren Guinea, Grant Rogers, Gary Gornall and Rob Lattimore completed the top ten.
The battle was on for second place on the podium with just four points separating Michael Beattie and Adam Beattie.

17 starters lined up for Race 12, the final race of the championships.
Grant Rogers was closest to the pin with James Ogilvie and Adam Beattie next. Michael Guinea sat six up from the pin, then Dale Mitchell, Warren Guinea and Gordon Beath (Edge2Edge). At the gun most of the fleet went right, six F18s went left. Shortly after the start Rogers retired from the race. At the top mark for the last time Adam Beattie led the fleet with Mick Guinea close behind. Dale Mitchell followed, then Luke McMullen, Warren Guinea, James Ogilvie and Katie Spithill.

Just 15 F18s headed to the finish after Peter Lane (Silver Fox) also retired from the race.
Adam Beattie took the final race from Mick Guinea with Luke McMullen third. Dale Mitchell was next, from James Ogilvie, Rob Lattimore, Katie Spithill, Gary Gornall and Ian Simpson.
Jason Waterhouse (Team Wildcat Australasia) chose not to start the last race having already secured the 2011 Championship title.

The Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Champions are Team Wildcat Australasia, Jason Waterhouse and Josh McNight.
Michael Guinea (Nacra NQ) held out Adam Beattie (Nacra No 1) for second.
Jason Waterhouse was smiling and commented ‘Overall it was a great series, an absolute glamour.
'We concentrated on making the least number of mistakes. We sailed conservatively on the first two days in the rough conditions, then we arc'ed it up as the breeze dropped.
‘Yesterday particularly, we pushed the boat in case and it was light and shifty today.
'Adam (Beattie) sailed very well but without much luck, with gear failure costing him two races. We were very even; between us we won all the races but Mick Guinea was keeping us both honest too.

Michael Guinea was happy with his championship and said simply 'Proud to make it into second place in such good company.
'Also representing the Townsville F18 group, we're proud that we were able to get 12 great Fantasea F18 Australian Championship races away at this great venue.’
RO Stewart 'Jock' Ross was smiling too. 'A good series with good racing. 12 races were completed and we had extremely well behaved crews. Never before have I had a regatta with no general recalls.'

Race 9 start. Fantasea 2011 F18 Australian Championships part of Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week 2011 -  Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week Media   Click Here to view large photo

Full results at http://www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au/index.cfm?eid=1859


by Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week media

Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week: F18s attract high profile sailors

Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week, being held from 1st to 6th September, the F18 Australian Championship is attracting international calibre sailors for its national championship.

The championship is the official qualifying event for next year’s F18 World Championship scheduled for July in America and with only about ten slots available to Australian sailors, the pressure will be on to snare one of those slots.

The young team of Jason Waterhouse and Josh McKnight from Sydney, placed 15th in the Worlds earlier this month, will be racing against with father Rod Waterhouse and his crew, Chris Way. Also fresh from the worlds will be Cairns sailor Adam Beattie and Jamie Leitner who finished 21st. Crewing for Warren Guinea will be Dutch women’s match racing team member, Marja Van Helden.

Joining the world championship competitors will be the Sydney team of Katie Pellew-Spithill and husband Grant Pellew. While Grant gets the boat ready, world match racing champion and London Olympics contender, Katie, will be jetting in from America two days before the start of the Magnetic Island having competed in the Grade 1 Match Racing Buddy Melges challenge in Sheboygan.

Both Grant and Katie are experienced in the F18 class and looking forward to again racing as a team. 'I have been sailing F18s for about 11 years. Katie has been racing them, on and off, for about two years. I have an A Class that I steer, but as the F18 is a very physical boat for the crew, it is better to have a strong crew and have the lighter crew member helming. Katie also steers because she is better at it than me. It’s a boat we have fun with and it takes us away from all the other sailing pressures that we have.

'We are hoping to qualify for a world’s slot. We have in fact qualified for the last three years, but haven’t made it to the championship. Depending on the dates of the World Championship and if it doesn’t clash with the Olympics, we might make it this year.'

Class representative and helm of Nacra NQ, Michael Guinea, isn’t surprised by the quality of catamaran sailors travelling to Magnetic Island this year. 'The competition in the class is pretty good which is why I sail them. You go to the world titles and race against this likes of Mitch Booth, Darren Bundock and Carolijn Brouwer – all these names and I am just a club sailor. I have beaten them across the line plenty of times. I don’t think there are many other classes where you can compete on a fairly reasonable budget and be relatively competitive against those guys.'

Guinea expects at least about 25 boats at the Nationals 'with a few more saying not sure and maybe. 'We have a lot of boats in Cairns, Airlie Beach and Townsville.

'Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week, is a well coordinated professionally run regatta and was considered the best place to have the nationals this year.

'The good thing from the north Queensland sailors point of view is that over the last six or seven years they have strongly supported the F18 events at other venues. So this is a bit of thank you from the rest of the fleet to the NQ guys who have done all the miles over the years.'

'The F18 fleet will be an exciting addition to the on-water spectacular as they compete on an adjacent course to the yachts and larger multihulls. Flying around in a series of 16 windward/leeward races with a target total race time of 45 minutes each, the flat water off Magnetic Island should be a perfect venue for these boats. 'These boats are great. In 20 knots of breeze you get them up to 25 knots downwind. The speed is great.'

With such a large fleet of F18 catamarans converging on Magnetic Island, the event organisers have arranged for the fleet to have its own race officer and a large, securely fenced rigging area. Post racing each afternoon the F18 sailors will have the chance to explain to the other Magnetic Island Race Week entrants 'why we sail these great boats. There is always a bit of jovial animosity between the cat and monohull guys,' Guinea said.

Entries close 26 August 2011. For more information, go Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week
http://www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au


by Tracey Johnstone

Out Sailing

Sexy new T2 blocks.

The latest mods I have done the the systems on my DNA A class catamaran

Using 40mm T2 loop blocks in the mainsheet system and 29mm T2 ti lite blocks in the downhaul system.

In the first photo you can see the 29mm T2 using a soft shackle for the downhaul and the neoprene gooseneck protector which stops the downhaul line getting stuck in the gooseneck.

Showing the soft shackle loop for the attachment for the tack.

Next photos show the 9:1 mainsheet system using 40mm carbos and new T2's

Helping Paws

Scout helping out for the day in the back of the truck

A Class Cat and the Harken Hoister

Harken 7806 hoister storing the A Class in the roof, also makes it easy to work on boards and rudders.

Simple F18 Wild Cat Mods

These are some simple and easy F18 Wild Cat modifications that I have done to help the systems work better.

First thing to do is replace the Ronstan kite blocks to Harken 2625 Ratchamatics.

Jib Tack Cunningham line - by adding in 2x Harken 467 blocks this tidies up the system very nicely and makes the running of the line very smooth and easy to adjust.

You can see the block added into the tack ring in this photo also notice the soft shackle for the jib tack.

And the block added into the clevis pin on the bridal in this shot

Spinnaker Tack Line release – When you look under the front beam you will find the tack line cleat this cleat comes standard with a fairlead on it from Hobie. The problem with this is it actually makes it harder to release the tack line via the release string as the line needs to do two very tight 90deg turns to release; by removing the fairlead it takes the turns out and the line now releases very easily.

Tack line- I run a 10mm thimble on the side stay rather than having the line go though the eyelets on the tramp as this frees the line up more and brings the line to the skipper so he can pull out the tack line at the top mark if the crew is busy doing other jobs.

Well that’s about it for now. Hope this helps a few people out.

A class training

A Class catamaran video coming soon as i forgot to charge the batteries so will have to take more video.

Heres a teaser in the mean time.

2011 - F18 Nationals (Gosford)

A few photos of Adam Beashel & Grant Pellew racing at the last Australian F18 Natioanls.
Photos by Lulu Roseman

Welcome

This is the blog spot for Grant Pellew and the Australian Harken Racing Team.
Here you will find team updates with photos and videos from events around the country and world.

Hope you enjoy.