Champs round-up

INTERNATIONAL CLASSES

Dragons

Seventeen Dragon class yachts from four states came together in January on the Derwent River to compete for the 55th Australasian Dragon championship, held by the Royal YC of Tasmania.
The Martin Graney Memorial match racing series was won by Kirribilli II.
Sydney yachtsman Gordon Ingate, nearing 82 years of age and in 70 years or more of sailing, having represented Australia at the Olym"Wingnut" uncorked the Penfolds Club port to great accolade and good fellowship. The best and most deserving crew had won the Prince Philip Cup.
"It is very pleasing indeed," Ingate said, "and it was only possible because I had two very, very good Tasmanian crew, Nick Rogers and Simon Burrows. They were excellent."
The classic timber trophy went to Mystere.

Dragon results
1. Whim (G.Ingate) 5.7-3-0-8-3-(15), 19.7 pts; 2. Riga (I.McCrossin) 3-10-11.7-0-(11.7)-0, 24.7; 3. Kirribilli II (A.Crisp) (14)-0-3-5.7-8-8, 24.7; 4. Leander (H.Wardrop) 0-13-(ocs)-13-0-11.7, 37.7; 5. Hotspur (K.Stevenson) 10-18-(ocs)-3-5.7-10, 46.7; 6. Sassafrass (S.Anderson) 8-11.7-8-16-(21)-3, 46.7; 7. Aquila (J.Young) 17-5.7-5.7-10-10-(19), 48.4; 8. Mystere (W.Wagg) 11.7-(20)-10-15-14-5.7, 56.4; 9. Amazing Grace (T.Moody) 13-16-13-11.7-16-(18), 69.7; 10. Gilt Dragon II (I.Malley) 15-15-15-14-(19)-16, 75.

Etchells

Brisbane fleet sailors Jason Muir, Matt Chew, Paul Wyatt and Darren Jones sailing Racer XY are the 2008 Audi Etchells Australian champions, defeating New Zealand sailor Alistair Gair with David Ridley, Carl Peters and Derek Scott in a series conducted by Royal Queensland YS.
Muir's four-up crew had been training on the championship course since early November and their win came after a countback with both Muir and Gair finishing on 18 points. The Australians had to finish four places or more ahead of Gair in race seven to secure the win: Muir finished third, with Gair placing seventh.
Muir and Gair were the only two to finish the regatta with two first places, keeping them 12 points ahead of the fleet.
Another Brisbane fleet sailor Mark Bradford, sailing with Ben Durham and Wade Morgan finished third overall after a challenging week of sailing. The Pittwater fleet's Rob Brown with Bruce Wookey and Gary Gudmunson took home the masters crown ahead of WA's Skip Lissiman.
The grand masters prize went to Sydney sailors Jan Muysken, Ian Audsley and Mark Doyle sailing Etch.
The regatta saw mixed conditions with the lead changing after every race.
Talk among the crews now is the Midwinter championships in Mooloolaba, the next nationals in Adelaide and the worlds in Chicago.

Etchells results
1.Racer XY (J.Muir), (18)-2-8-1-3-1-3, 18; 2.Velsheda (A.Gair), (26)-4-1-2-1-3-7, 18; 3.Una Mas (M.Bradford), 4-3-3-8-(17)-6-6, 30; 4.Blacksnake (C.Miles), 8-8-2-(46)-4-9-11, 42; 5.Steampacket VII (M), (R.Brown), (19)-7-9-14-8-4-1, 43; 6.Koolong X (P.McNeill), 1-5-5-21-15-7-(22), 54; 7.Funky Cold Medina (V.Prentice), 10-14-13-12-(20)-2-5, 56; 8.Magpie (G.Taylor), 9-6-(23)-23-7-12-2, 59; 9.Fifteen (D.Clark), 6-10-(27)-20-2-16-8, 62; 10.Bandwagon (M), (S.Lissiman), 14-(30)-22-9-6-5-9, 65.

M30

Guy Stening and his team on Optimumm took out the M30 (ex-Mumm 30) Australian championship after three days of racing on Sydney Harbour and off Sydney Heads. Optimumm led the regatta from the first day and won the last race of the series after a very frustrating day of weather for competitors and officials alike.
"This regatta was really hard work, tough conditions for the three days," said Stening, from Royal Sydney YS, who first raced an M30 in August 2006. "Our crew work and boat preparation were major reasons for our result, the crew has come together really well since the 2007 M30 worlds [in which they placed fourth].
"This event is an important step in our preparations for our 2008 USA campaign in the lead up to the 2008 M30 world championship in October in Newport, Rhode Island."
Chris Tyquin and the Queensland team on GOA/PDL were all smiles after finishing second in their first M30 class event. The team sailed together for the first time on a M30 on the day before the regatta started.
The 2009 M30 nationals will be held in Brisbane.

Mumm 30 results
1. Optimumm (G.Stening RSYS NSW), 12pts; 2. GOA/PDL (C.Tyquin, RQYS Qld) 21; 3. Awarua-Boat Mate (C.Way, RPAYC NSW), 25; 4. K2 (B.Eddington, SYC Vic), 28; 5. Yandoo (J.Formosa, CYCA NSW), 29; 6. Cleopatra (R.Davis, SYC Vic) 48; 7. Asterix (C.Loel, RQYS), 49; 8. Don't Tell Mumm (G.Hobson, RSYS), 55; 9. Synergy (A.Douglas, RQYS), 55; 10. Immigrant (J.Paul, PCSC Qld), 63.

J24

NSW sailor Doug McGain and his crew of Tim Smith, Tony Reynolds, Adam Ross and Wulf Wilkens from Middle Harbour Yacht Club on Code Violation won the 2008 International J24 Class Australian championship hosted by Royal Perth YC.
The series was the qualification event for the Australian team for the 2008 world J24 championship in Sardinia, Italy in June.
While the fleet size was down on previous years the quality of the competition was high, with defending title holder Sean Kirkjian (NSW) sailing Death Star, as well as past Australian champions Sean Wallis (WA) sailing Wetty Gripper and Doug McGain (NSW) all hoping to secure another championship title.
McGain, who won the last Australian championship held in Perth in 2003, started the series well by winning the first two races of the series in a light south-easterly.
In race six Kirkjian was just boat lengths ahead of McGain on the final downwind leg when, through a gybe his bowman Duncan Rutherford dislocated his collar bone which resulted in McGain getting past to win with Kirkjian finishing second and then heading to the club to enable his crewman to seek medical attention.
McGain made easy work of the following two races and even with Kirkjian returning for race eight, finished the day with three wins and an Australian title as good as in the bag.
The final race saw Kirkjian bounce back and finish well ahead of Wallis to claim second overall.

J24 results
1. Code Violation (D.McGain) 1-1-2-2.5-2-2-1-1-1-(3)-2, 13.5pts; 2. Death Star (S.Kirkjian) 2-2-1-pen-3-2-(dns)-3-2-1, 21; 3. Wetty Gripper (S.Wallis) 5-3-3-5-1-4-2-2-1 (5) 26; 4. Brushetta (A.Morison) 7-5-4-2.5-6-3-4-4-(9)-6, 41.5; 5. Duck for Cover (E.Cox) 8-4-5-7-5-(ocs)-3-7-4-7, 50; 6. jpeg (A.McMichael) 6-6-8-6 (10)-5-6-5-7-3.

52; 7. Fun 2 (A.Stevenson) 3-7-6-8-7-ocs-5-6-5-(dnf), 59; 8. Vertigo (J.Goode) raf-10-7-4-4-7-7-11-6-(dnf), 68; 9. Good Company (R.Townsend) 4-9-9-9-8-6-9-8-8-(dnf) 70; 10. Such is Life (R.Nicolson) (dnf)-8-10-10-9-8-8-10-10-4, 77.

Hobie 16

Over two series of racing, Botany Bay gave the Hobie 16s the good, the bad and the ugly, weatherwise. And through it all "true class" are the only words to describe the new Australian Hobie 16 open champions, Tim Shuwalow and Cecilia Collings.
With frequent rain squalls bringing 40 degree windshifts varying from 4-16kts in strength, Tim and Cecilia fought their way to final day results of 1,3,3,1, and a commanding 23 point lead over WA's Darren Smith and Natalie Hill.
Defending champions, Cam Owen and Suzy Ferris were a further 15 points back in third.

Hobie 16 results
1. (T.Shuwalow/C.Colling, NSW) 2-(9)-1-1-1-5-(6)-1-1-2-1-1-3-3-1, 23pts; 2. D.Smith/N.Hill, WA-3-2-3-4-5-7-1-3-(OCS)-8-3-2-2-(10)-3, 46; 3. (C.Owen/S.Ferris, WA) 4-1-9-2-2-6-3-10-2-3-5-9-(18)-5-(11), 61; 4. (G.Colby/S.Marks, Qld) (15)-6-11-10-4-4-2-2-5-4-(19)-7-5-2-2, 64; 5. (B.Engwirda/B.Wilson, NSW) 5-3-4-5-7-2-5-4-7-9-2-(12)-8-(15)-6, 67; 6.

(R.Waterhouse/K.Waterhouse, NSW) 1-4-8-7-(14)-1-8-12-3-1-10-3-4-13-(20), 75; 7. (T.Booth/N.Corlett, NSW) (17)-11-2-14-3-3-4-6-4-7-6-10-11-22-(DNF), 98; 8. (M.Butler/N.Chiu, NSW) 9-15-10-3-9-8-7-8-13-6-11-8-10-1-(OCS), 103; 9. (N.King/S.Jackson, NSW) 13-5-6-9-6-9-(31)-7-9-10-4-(19)-13-18-19, 128; 10. (A.Duchatel/D.Muller, NSW) 6-13-7-15-(29)-17-9-5-10-13-9-(24)-9-19-21, 153.

International 14

Swan River sailor Brad Devine and crew Ian "Footy" Furlong from Perth Dinghy Club won the 2007-08 International 14 Australian Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Devine (79kg) and the 1.9m, 106kg Footy were fast and consistent across the nine-race series to finish with four firsts and four seconds for a total of 12 points. Multiple class champion Lindsay Irwin with crew Andrew Perry, from Black Rock YC was runner up on 23pts.
Devine has racked up plenty of time in 14s and previously won the title in the 1987-88 season. He is the son of class stalwart Bill Devine who at almost 70 is still racing these twin-trapeze, high-performance boats on the Swan River.
Devine, 42, said his series win could not be pinned down to any particular factor but to general fine tuning, which included last-minute rig adjustments, and consistency.
"We went out before the regatta with a couple of other boats and we were in big trouble because it was a bit light and we had the heaviest crew," he said. "So we chocked the mast to straighten it up a bit to hold more power, altered the spreaders and adjusted the rake. Not huge changes but they were the subtle changes we were looking for.
"We were always going okay but we did not stop tinkering all the way through. In the end, boat speed can make you look good and I like shifty conditions."
Devine and Furlong were sailing a Bieker 5 hull that Jason King built two years ago. It flew a full set of Irwin sails off a standard CST carbon mast. Devine runs his topstays to the side of the boat as opposed to the mast, as he believes it allows the lower section of mast to flex a little more.
He also sailed with a home-made adjustable rudder foil control system incorporating twisting tiller extensions that tilt the horizontal rudder blade. A number of boats at the regatta had moved away from the rotating blade to fixed foils in a tilting rudder box because available axles were suspect to failure, but not Devine.
"My father tinkers around in the shed at home and he made up a (foil-adjusting) universal joint which is sensational."
The Sydney Flying Squadron hosted the regatta in predominately light to moderate conditions. The 92nd nationals attracted a fleet of 27 boats from WA, SA, Vic, Qld and the home state of NSW.
While the fleet was the smallest in living memory, for class legend Ray Hancock, who sailed his first 14 nationals in the mid 1960s, the quality of the top 10-15 boats was perhaps the best it has been in years.
The 2009-10 I14 worlds will be sailed from Manly YC, Sydney.

I14 results:
1. Royston Vasey (B.Devine/I.Furlong, WA), 2-1-6-2-1-1-2-1-2, 12pts; 2. Irwin Sails (L.Irwin/A.Perry, Vic), 1-4-3-1-3-6-5-2-4, 23; 3. Read Between the Lines (R.Blasse/A.Gilligan, Vic), 4-10-7-7-2-11-1-6-1, 38; 4. Hot Mama (G.Beebe/A.Barney, Qld), 3-3-2-5-9-2-8-9-11, 41; 5. Ray and the Crazy 88s (A.Anderson/G.Coutts, Vic), 8-2-15-15-6-3-3-5-3, 45; 6. Blue (W.Sare/R.Murdoch, WA), 5-6-4-6-4-9-7-11-5, 46; 7. Touring Wombat (D.Alexander/D.Wilson, SA), 11-28-13-3-5-4-4-3-8, 51; 8. Blow Me (R.Sherwinski/J.Lanati, Vic), 7-11-8-11-7-5-10-12-7, 66; 9. Final Target (R.Hancock/D.Bramley, WA), 12-9-5-8-8-7-9-9-13, 67; 10. WAM (A.Vickery/A.Wilson, Vic), 6-7-12-7-16-16-6-4-12, 70.
'Non-racked' division: 1. Ghost (A.Syme/D.Farthing, Vic).

420

Victorians Sam Kivell and crew Max Taylor in Maxsamizer became triple Australian champions with their win in the 420 national championships, the first time this milestone has been achieved by the same pairing in this class.
The series from Sandringham YC on Port Phillip Bay was hotly contested by WA pair David Gilmour and Andres Noe, among 43 top class entries. While the fleet size was slightly down on previous years due to the 29er worlds being held in Melbourne, organisers were very happy with the entries.
On the second last day the two leading boats were locked on equal points. On the last day Maxsamizer was only three points ahead and race 11 was shaping to be a disaster with both boats rounding the first mark at the tail end of the fleet. Maxsamizer then put on a remarkable display of power sailing to mow through the fleet and finish fifth, with the WA pair recovering to 17th position.
That left Kivell and Taylor in a much stronger position and they finished the regatta with a 1st place in race 12.
Competitors and the race organisers led by PRO Graeme Watt were tested to the limit with the breeze clocking 360 degrees over the six days and varying from 5-25 knots.

420 results
Open division: 1. Maxsamizer (S.Kivell/M.Taylor, Vic) 4-1-4-(5)-1-2-1-2-1-1-(5)-1, 18; 2. Novo Rapid (D,Gilmore/A.Noe, WA) 1-2-2-4-12-3-2-1-3-3-(17)-(16), 33; 3. Blood, Sweat & Tears (M.Whittington/S.Sharpe, WA) 2-3-5-3-7-(12)-10-5-8-6-(21)-2, 51; 4. Matrickx (M.Jerwood/P.Vos, WA) 11-9-1-1-(17)-7-4-3-5-10-(44)-6, 57; 5. Yare (E.Campbell/J.Omay, WA) 3-7-8-10-2-6-(16)-4-6-(14)-13-7, 66; 6. Jet (M.&B.Taylor, NSW) 6-5-7-7-9-(13)-11-(15)-13-4-2-10,74; 7. Psycho Chickens (L.Threadgold/M.Soulsby,SA) 7-11-(20)-2-4-8-12-8-11-(44)-1-14, 78; 8. Aquaplane (H.Say/J.Owen-smith, Vic) (17)-13-(33)-16-3-9-9-6-2-5-10-5, 78; 9. The Usual Suspects (J.Ward/M.Bryden, NSW) (28)-(25)-3-9-22-4-6-11-10-2-23-3, 93; 10. Whiskey on the Rocks (L.&J.Morrison, WA) (27)-15-14-14-(21)-5-3-9-4-13-7-9, 93.
Women's: 1. Psycho Chickens, 7-11-(20)-2-4-8-12-8-11-(44)-1-14, 78pts; 2. Morning Mist (J.Gurr/E.Flukes, Vic) 5-4-(21)-6-5-16-14-7-14-17-6-(20), 94; 3. Loud Noises (S.Koelemij/B.Vos, WA) 9-(21)-10-12 -8-18-5-10-(22)-16-3-18, 109.
Male youth: 1. Novo Rapid.
Female youth: 1. Psycho Chickens.
Handicap: 1. Aquaplane.
Masters (first time awarded): 1. Pretty Woman (K.Mulcahy/I.Mooney, NSW).

Lasers

Tom Slingsby, Sarah Blanck and Rohan Langford saw off a strong international fleet totaling 298 Lasers at Blairgowrie to take out the titles for the Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 classes respectively.
The series was sailed in a wide range of conditions and the final two heats were fought in a dying north-easterly which started the day at 20kts and ended at 5kts.
Tom Slingsby of Gosford, NSW recorded 17-5 results to beat home a fast closing Michael Leigh of Canada (with a 3,2 score on the last day) by 2pts and Nick Thompson on 30 points.
Sarah Blanck overcame illness earlier in the week to grab two bullets and end the Laser Radial series on 20 points, 6pts clear of Jo Aleh from New Zealand and Veronika Fencova of the Czech Republic on 31 points.
Rohan Langford of Tasmania sailed consistently to consolidate his early Laser 4.7 series lead to finish with 24 points, followed by Stephen Collings (Vic) on 47 and Jarrad Lincoln (Vic) on 48 points.
The regatta was successfully conducted by more than 125 volunteers from Blairgowrie YS and the Victorian Laser Association with support from Rye, Daveys Bay and Royal Geelong YCs, under the aus
Laser results
Laser Gold: 1. Nelson Bay Laser (T.Slingsby,NSW), 1-1-1-5-(ocs)-2-2-3-1-3-(17)-5, 24pts; 2. Zhik (M.Leigh, CAN), 2-3-5-2-1-2-1-2-(8)-(34)-3-2, 26; 3. (N.Thompson, GBR), 3-2-4-1-2-3-10-1-6-2-6-23,-30; 4. Anonymous (R.van Schaardenburg, NED), 2-3-1-3-13-1-5-2-2-4-20-9,-32; 5. (A.Campbell, USA), 12-7-4-4-4-8-4-8-12-5-10-1, 55; 6. Transbunker (D.Karpak, EST), 3-2-2-13-3-12-41-9-7-1-4-15, 56; 7. CST (D.Wright, CAN), 1-12-2-2-27-13-1-1-28-42-1-25, 86; 8. (R.Bouwmeester, NED), 4-1-3-7-10-7-13-5-34-13-34-3, 87; 9. (A.Torchinsky, CAN), 15-5-12-19-6-10-7-11-11-11-2-10, 89; 10. (M.Kalin, CAN), 11-9-13-10-11-9-3-8-9-18-ocs-6, 94.
Silver: 1. The Sting (P.Conde, Qld), 26-19-42-31-31-48-34-21-1-2-7-dnf, 214; 2.

Slipstream (J.Sweep, Qld), 43-45-37-29-14-24-15-51-7-12-6-dsq, 232; 3.

Cambria (J.Flintoff, WA), 29-47-35-25-23-44-21-28-11-8-11-34, 235.
Laser Radial: 1. TBC (S.Blanck, Vic), 2-1-2-3-3-1-1-(dnc), 13pts; 2. Hola Prdelka (V.Fencova, CZE), 3-2-1-1-1-6-3-(ocs), 17; 3. Seven (J.Aleh, NZL), 4-5-2-(10)-2-2-5-2, 22; 4. Little Dreams Foundation (N.Brugger, SUI), (6)-3-3-4-4-2-5-3, 24; 5. 192596 (T.Mihelic, CRO), 7-10-4-(20)-1-1-2-8, 33; 6. (A.Brewster, GBR), 3-4-(11)-6-2-4-8-6, 33; 7. Predator (K.Hauschildt, Qld), 2-1-9-(15)-12-5-2-10, 41; 8. Hardbeat (B.Price, Tas), 8-3-4-(16)-5-8-10-3, 41; 9. 189099 (L.Vickers, GBR), 5-6-5-17-3-8-1-(OCS), 45; 10. 183282 (G.Jutjens, NED), 8-4-(12)-1-10-6-11-6, 46.
Radial Silver: 1. Stumblin (J.Dawes, NSW), 42-33-28-55-37-20-20-32-15-17-4-14, 245; 2.

Exceeder (T.Lovelady, WA), 45-40-40-26-15-34-22-39-16-21-3-11, 246; 3.

Seagrass (A.Smith, ACT), 43-35-27-22-30-32-42-23-33-12-7-17, 247.
Laser 4.7: 1. Cold Reason (R.Langford, Tas), 2-1-4-2-1-10-4-1-3-2-5-4, 24; 2. The Force (S.Collings, Vic), 7-15-8-1-2-2-1-11-10-28-3-2, 47; 3. Jollyroger Sailing (J.Lincoln, Vic), 3-6-1-11-6-11-5-4-2-3-7-34, 48; 4. The Beast (A.Torpelund, Qld), 15-12-2-29-9-5-10-7-8-6-2-5, 66; 5. Miss Kididle Hopper (A.Lane, NT), 27-9-6-13-4-1-2-15-19-19-1-1, 71; 6. Zero Gravity (B.Laycock, Vic), 5-5-5-6-24-13-16-3-6-8-9-13, 73; 7. Jack Rabbit Slim (J.McCullum, Tas), 1-4-23-5-10-29-11-DNF-5-1-24-11, 95; 8. Buoy Racer (C.Sutherland, Qld), 4-13-12-15-7-7-17-12-13-9-6-14, 97; 9. A Frayed Knot (K.Brown, NSW), 10-10-7-7-5-8-28-9-28-14-14-17, 101; 10. Green Eggs and Ham (S.Phillips, NSW), 8-2-9-28-32-17-13-2-1-5-34-21, 106.

Australian Youth

The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship 2008 was hosted by Frankston YC as part of Sail Melbourne 2008 in January.
This event served as the basis for selection of the Australian team to compete at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World championship in Aarhus, Denmark, July 10-19. The team will also be defending the Volvo Nations Trophy after Australia was crowned the most successful nation at the same event in Canada last July.
A strong team from WA secured first place in both the 420 Boys (David Gilmour and Andres Noe) and 420 Girls (Sanne Koelemij and Breanna Vos) fleets.
Tom Burton of NSW put in a strong performance to win the Laser Standard rig Boys division and secure his place for the world titles, while ISAF youth world champion Gabrielle King of NSW won the right to defend her title in the Laser Radial Girls division.
Talented catamaran sailor Jason Waterhouse won selection for his third ISAF Youth worlds in the Hobie 16 class, competing for the first time with his cousin Lisa Darmanin.
For the first time the Bic Techno 293 sailboards were included in the regatta, with the division won by Tom England of Victoria. Yachting Australia CEO, Phil Jones said "Windsurfing remains an attractive option for young sailors. The Bic Techno 293 offers a low cost opportunity for those wanting to compete at national level.
NSW won the inaugural State Cup, followed by Vic and WA. Mandurah (WA) will host the 2009 Australian Youth championships.

Australian Youth results
420 Boys: 1. David Gilmour/Andres Noe (WA); 2. Edlad Campbell/James Omay (WA); 3. Henry Say/James Owen-Smith (Vic).
420 Girls: 1. Sanne Koelemij/Breanna Vos (WA); 2. Lauren Threadgold/Megan Soulsby (SA); 3. Ashley Carney/Claire Bryan (NSW).
Bic Techno 293: 1. Tom England (Vic); 2. Ben Morrell (NSW); 3. Aaron Wilson (Vic).
Hobie 16: 1. Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin (NSW); 2. Laser (full rig) Boys: 1. Tom Burton (NSW); 2. Curtis Skinner (Qld); 3. Martin Wright (WA).
Laser 4.7 Boys: 1. Stephen Collings (Tas); 2. Rohan Langford (Tas); 3. Sean Ott (Qld).
Laser 4.7 Girls: 1. Ashlie Lane (NT); 2. Eloise Burfurd (Vic); 3. Caitlin Elks (WA).
Laser Radial Boys: 1. Scott Sydney (SIN); 2. Elliott Noye (Tas); 3.

Hugh Osbourne (Vic).
Laser Radial Girls: 1. Cushla Hume-Merry (NZL); 2. Gabrielle King (NSW); 3. Elizabeth Yin (SIN).

Flying Fifteen

When the 40 boats entered for the 46th Australian Flying Fifteen championship arrived at Geraldton it was blowing like there was no tomorrow, and measurement was done fighting wind, sand and dust. Two of the boats were shipped from the UK, four from Queensland, one from Victoria and the rest from the home state.
The Uffa Fox Trophy invitation race was conducted by race officer John Taylor in a 25kt breeze with the odd gust up to 33, some terrific planing, lots of thrills and some spills. Grant Alderson and Dean McAullay of WA won the race, setting their mark for the week.
Seven races were sailed in the series for the Coweslip Trophy presented by Prince Phillip in 1963. Alderson and McAullay sailing No Bull notched up five wins, a second and third to win the series.
Keith Swinton and Adam Martin in Hype, also from WA, came second overall and took home the rising stars trophy for crews with a combined age of less than 50 years.
Graeme Lillingston and Ed Repsevicius, nine times previous winners, also had a great series to come third overall and win the Gippsland Lakes Trophy for a combined crew age of greater than 100 years.
There was extremely competitive inter-fleet racing in the silver fleet with Adam Semple and Lisa Greeve winning the J.A. (Tally) Hobbs Trophy from Darryl Dedman and Darryl Everett.
Tom Thuijs with daughter Kimberley won the Anniversary Trophy for the classic fleet, and Jennifer Sims and Simon Plunkett the handicap trophy.
Next year's nationals will be held at the Royal YC of Victoria, preceding the 17th world championship, with 130-140 boats expected on the start line.

Flying Fifteen results:
1. No Bull (G.Alderson/D.McAullay, WA), 1-1-1-(3)-2-1, 7pts; 2. Hype (K.Swinton/A.

Martin WA), 3-2-4-1-6-3-(ocs),19; 3. Escalator (G.Lillingston/E.Repsevicius, WA), 2-(14)-2-2-1-4-12, 23; 4. Elise (I.Cleaver/P.Evans, GBR), 4-3-(ocs)-4-7-6-3, 27; 5. Fflashpoint (P.Rooke/M.Arrowsmith, WA), (11)-6-3-5-8-9-7, 38; 6. Spot the Difference (G.Tonnison/S.Roberts, WA), 13-8-5-9-(13)-2-6, 43, 7; One More (J.Flower/S.Tyrell, GBR), 7-12-6-8-5-(41)-14, 52; 8. Aussie Way (K.Peaker/N.White WA) 12-9-(ocs)-10-18-12-2, 63; 9. Freo Doctor (D.Cooksey/S.Hallam, WA), 9-(ocs)-9-15-11-11-9, 64; 10. Yes! (B.Sheridan/B.Sturgeon, WA) 5-4-7-41-3-5-(ocs), 65.
Silver division: Fiddle de Dee (A.Semple/L.Greeve, WA).
Classic division: Sweet Caroline (T.&K.Thuijs, WA).
Handicap Winner: Happy Days (J.Sims/S.Plunkett, WA).
Rising stars: Hype (K.Swinton/A.Martin, WA).

Fireball

The International Fireball national championship was sailed at Largs Bay, just north of Adelaide. There was much interest in the class as 16 Fireballs would head off to Thailand for the 2008 world championships in March.
SA's Robin Inns and Joel Coultas dominated across a range of conditions and showed true class, particularly in the breeze. Peter Inns and Chris Went, also of SA, were extremely consistent and although were unable to win a race, were regularly in the top three.
Ben Schulz and Ben Neaylon showed good speed and consistent sailing throughout the conditions, and could easily have been a lot closer to the front two boats if things had gone their way.
A variety of boats/masts/gear was used by the top six, but the speed of the boats was extremely close. This shows the benefits of the Fireball class rules, which allow personalisation to suit different crews and weights without making the boats too expensive.
Thanks to Largs Bay SC/Port River SC, the International Fireball Association of SA and Mike Rogers and his helpers for making this a very successful and enjoyable regatta.

Fireball results
1. Mondo Bizarro (R.Inns/J.Coultas, SA) 1-3-1-1-1-1-(3)-(8)-1-2, 11pts; 2. Viper (P.Inns/C.Went, SA) 4-5-(8)-5-(6)-3-2-2-3-3, 27; 3. ASD Marine (B.Schulz/B.Neaylon, SA) 3-2-4-(dnf)-4-7-1-5-(9)-6, 32; 4. Rock Stars (H.Macfarlane/C.Payne, Vic), 6-1-6-9-(dnf)-8-(9)-1-2-1, 34; 5. Butterfields Services (G Allison/R.Watson, SA) (9)-6-7-4-3-2-(7)-3-4-5, 34; 6. Renegade (J.Heywood/B.Littledike, SA) 5-4-2-6-2-5-(10)-6-6-(8), 36; 7. Total Addiction (N.Stockley/S.Muirhead, SA), 2-8.5-5-3-5-(9)-4-7-7-(9), 41.5; 8. Mini Mee (M.Carter/S.Warby, SA) 8-8.5-3-2-7-4-5-(12)-(11)-10, 47.5; 9. Sugar & S
OK Dinghy

The 2008 OK Dinghy nationals were conducted by Black Rock YC, Melbourne, attracting 32 entries from four states, including four junior and two female entries.
The event was contested under the direction of experienced PRO John Graham, using traditional courses. While races 1, 2 and 4 were sailed in fresh to boisterous sea-breeze conditions, race 3 was sailed in light and variable winds, with testing light conditions for races 5 and 6, while the final race was not sailed due to bad weather.
Roger Blasse sailed another consistent series to take the title for a record tenth time. Other podium places went to Andre Blasse and Tim Davies, with Bruce Ashton winning the masters, Ellen Ketteridge the ladies title, while class stalwart Bill Tyler took out the coveted Patrick Whittington memorial trophy for the handicap event.
Five different heat winners emerged with the racing for minor places always closely contested. With the exception of the winning boat (home-built by Roger Blasse and now approaching its 20th year) most of the top ten placegetters were relatively new craft, with four new boats from Jason King Marine competing in their first event, including the second and third placegetters.
Morgan Staley, aged 16, recorded two very creditable results in the lighter breeze to win the junior championship and secure a place in the Australian team for the OK worlds in Warnemunde, Germany, July 7-12.
Next year's nationals will be held at South Lake Macquarie SC in January 2009.

OK Dinghy results
1. Itchy Sphincter (R.Blasse, Vic), 3-2-1-(6)-2-1, 9pts; 2. Knot 4 Sail (A.Blasse, Vic), 2-5-2-(12)-1-3, 13pts; 3. Dune Buggy (T.Davies), 10-3-3-4-(10)-2, 22; 4. Bowfinger (B.Ashton, Vic), 1-8-6-2-6-(8), 23; 5. Epoxy Warrior (J.Barr, Tas), 5-4-(19)-5-8-9, 31; 6. Natural Selection (P.Wallace, NSW), 4-7-12-1-(dnf)-10, 34; 7. Pleasure and Pain (G.Yates, NSW) (15)-6-13-9-4-5, 37; 8. Joan's Respite (D.Ketteridge, SA) 6-1-14-7-16-(17), 44pts; 9. Slipstream (D.Clancy, Vic) 14-(19)-4-17-3-7, 45; 10. San Jose (M.McQueen, NSW) (25)-20-5-8-7-6, 46.

Optimist

The Optimist class continues to grow in Australia with 73 boats competing at the nationals at Frankston YC in conjunction with the 2008 Australian Youth championships, following on from the second Sail Melbourne Pacific Rim Optimist championships and a three-day international training clinic at Mornington YC.
More than 100 sailors participated at the three events with representatives from ten countries including New Zealand, New Caledonia, Norway, Denmark, USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Australian entries from Vic, NSW, Tas, SA, WA and Qld all having at least one top ten finisher.
Shelley White from Yeppoon won the Australian championship with a very consistent scorecard, dropping a 20th to carry a worst score of 12th. Sam Gilmour representing WA's Royal Freshwater Bay YC was second with Victorian Lloyd Collings third.
Harald Faste of Norway on his second Optimist campaign in Australia again showed a clean stern to the open division, showing Australian worlds qualifiers what to expect at the Optimist world titles in Turkey later this year.
In the Green fleet for novice sailors, Fremantle sailor Rowan Stephens repeated his previous week's win at the Pac Rims just ahead of William Stowell of WA and Jane Lane of SA.
Most improved performer was Douglas Campbell of WA, who won the Peter Gilmour Trophy, the actual Windex from the top of America's Cup defender Kookaburra III.
The top five sailors Shelley White, Sam Gilmour, Lloyd Collings, Matthew Wearn (WA) and Paris Stowell (WA) earned qualifications for the worlds in Turkey in July, with Amy Gallagher (Qld), Thomas Kennedy (Tas), Douglas Campbell (WA), Eamon Robertshaw (WA), Stuart Skinner (Qld), Sam Blackburn (WA), Lachlan Gilmour (WA), Milly Bennett (NSW), Lawrence Wakefield (NSW) and James Brewer (NSW) making up the Australian Optimist Sailing Team squad.

Optimist results
Australian & Open: 1. Winner (H.Faste, NOR), 14; 2. Wildcard (S.White, Qld), 44; 3. Surface to air Missile (S.Gilmour, WA), 45.5; 4. Mirage (L.Collings, Vic), 62; 5. RPYC (M.Wearn, WA), 71; 6. Pazzy Rules (P.Stowell, WA), 79; 7. Charter Boat (A.Aubert, New Cal), 82; 8. Take it as Won (A.Gallagher, Qld), 89.5; 9. Charter (T.Kennedy, Tas), 96; 10. Pocket Rocket (D.Campbell, WA), 102.
Green fleet: 1. Hurricane (R.Stephens, WA), 5; 2. Eagle (W.Stowell, WA), 6; 3. Smile2 (Jane Lane, SA), 7; 4. Samurai (S.Campbell, WA), 13; 5. no name (S.Passmore, NSW), 14; 6. Zoom Zoom Zoom (E.Bennett, NSW), 23; 7. NA (G.Buckley, Vic), 24; 8. no name (S.Robinson, Vic), 24; 9. Optipuss (A.Gordon, Vic), 25; 10. No Name (C.Skinner, Qld), 29.

Tasars

The 35th Australian Tasar championships were sailed from Adelaide SC, with 55 boats from all mainland states, as well as the Australian Defence Forces.
It was a tricky regatta with constant mixing in the results due to the variety in wind strengths and sea state. Big breezes were expected but with troGoing into the last three days of racing, only two heats had been sailed. The Vic team of Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway were leading defending champions Rob and Nicole Douglass of NSW, with Craig McPhee and Gill Berry (SA) and another Ridgway, Hugh and his crew Pat Pedecini tied for third. Mark Conry, back in Tasars for the first time in ten years, and crew Shevaun Bruland soon joined the mix in the top three.
Every start of the regatta was a black flag start, and the final heat was no different. In shifty conditions down the run the lead was shared by six boats in a row. Locals McPhee and Berry managed to take third, sealing the national title victory.
The next Tasar nationals will be at McCrae (Vic) over the Christmas period.

Tasar results
1. More Small Things (C.McPhee/G.Berry, SA), 1-(8)-1-2-2-4-(22)-4-3, 17pts; 2. Chukkel (R.&N. Douglass, NSW), 4-3-4-3-4-3-(6)-1-(6), 21; 3. Rumline (M.Conry/S.Bruland, SA), (12)-2-2-4-3-7-(28)-2-5, 25; 4. Trouble (M.Quirk/M.Hannaford, NSW), 5-5-10-(16)-(13)-12-1-6-1, 40; 5. Freya (J.Mepham/M.Fitzgerald, NSW), (15)-7-6-7-6-6-3-8-(11), 43; 6. Oki Doki (D.&G.Warne, Vic), 13-9-5-9-5-1-(dnf)-7-(18), 49; 7. Platform 9 3/4 (R.Longbottom/M.Lindsay, ADF), 10-4-11-5-9-3-(32)-12-(19), 54; 8. Clarebuoyant (A.&C.Murray, Vic), (14)-(16)-9-6-12-9-5-3-10, 54; 9. BPR Consulting (H.Ridgway/P.Pedecini, Vic), 3-6-(56C)-13-11-(16)-11-11-2, 57; 10. Rastafarian Rocket (L.Owen/S.Clarke, NT), (25)-10-7-8-7-(15)-8-9-8, 57.

Cadet

A record fleet of 92 boats came to Royal Geelong YC for the 46th Australian International Cadet championships. Racing was intense throughout the week across the full range of conditions, with 11 races conducted efficiently by the experienced RGYC race management. For such a large fleet the start line discipline was very good with few general recalls or black flags.
The flat water and lack of major tidal influences in Corio Bay gave even racing and the combination of tradition triangle-sausage courses a