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The relatively small fleet (by previous standards) enjoyed the typical Australian winter conditions on the Sunshine Coast with temperatures in the low to mid 20's and sunny conditions - nothing but glamourous!

With five of the entries heading off to Croatia for the IOM World Championship the racing was always going to be close and as expected the championship title went right down to the last race to determine the winner.

Day one and the fleet were welcomed with a light variable SSW breeze of around 3 - 8kts but with the forecast for the breeze to rotate to the ESE direction later in the day the wind steadied relatively early in the day. Local Glen Fitzgerald got off to a good start with a win in race one while Paul Jones matched it in the other side of the draw. After a poor seeding race, Sean Wallis put two wins on the score card in races two & three and that set the scene to what was going to be a tight battle between rivals Jones & Wallis.

As the breeze rotated through the south it increased to around 5 - 10 knots and while still fairly shifty the courses were set for some fantastic racing. Greg Torpy & Doug Allen came into the lead group with some good results placing pressure on the leaders and with Aaron Farrar, Brad Quiggin & Gary McCarthy also sticking their noses in there was a great mix.

At the end of day one we saw five individual race winners from the nine races sailed with Jones holding a relatively comfortable six point lead however, with two days remaining there was a lot of regatta to go. After a tough day there was nothing better than an ice cold beer courtesy of the host club.

Day two was almost a replica of day one with the breeze in the SSW but a little stronger. As the wind shifted through the south the breeze increased and saw a few spills and thrills as the fleet struggled at times downwind in the gusty conditions. Unfortunately this was short lived and as the breeze shifted further into the ESE direction it moderated slightly but still offered some great racing.

Today was the day for sailors to make their moves and Sean Wallis came through with 4, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 in the first five races of the day to close down the Jones lead. At the same time Torps, Dougie & Aaron were having their own battle but also staying in touch with the lead pair and it was getting tight at the top. Other mini battles were occurring throughout the fleet as everyone was doing all they could to ensure they were well positioned moving into the final day.

At the end of day two Wallis held a one point lead over Jones with Torpy & Allen remaining in striking range for what was set to be a fantastic final day of sailing.

Overnight rain cleared by race start on the final day and left with it extremely difficult light wind conditions which made it challenging for RO Lindsay Walker, but he successfully got the fleet underway for a couple of races before the breeze dropped away and lunch was called. Shortly thereafter the breeze shifted back into the SE and racing resumed. 

Paul Jones quickly regained the overnight lead with two wins in races 18 & 19 while Wallis started poorly with a 4th and 6th. Races 20 & 21 saw Jones slip adding a 5th & 6th on his score card with Wallis gaining a 2nd & 3rd it was back to a one point ball game as the day was nearing the end. In the mean while, Doug Allen was closing the gap on third place until a battery failure ended any chance he had for third overall and while missing race 22 left the gate open for Aaron Farrar to slip into fourth with a race to go.

Races 22 & 23 saw a fantastic battle between Wallis & Jones with Jones maintaining his ascendency in both races with the pair finishing 1-2 in the final two races for Jones to claim overall victory by three points. Greg Torpy sailed extremely well and was within a few points of the lead pair throughout the regatta with Doug Allen nipping at his heels.

The Sunshine Coast RSC did a fantastic job of bringing back the Eddie Cowell Regatta and were fantastic hosts providing a fantastic venue, great meals, and top racing. Thanks also goes to all the volunteers from the club who helped pull the event together and support the sailors. In addition, thanks also go to the RO Lindsay Walker and the lovely Anne Walker who managed the scoring.

For those who didn't make it to the Sunshine Coast this year, you missed a fantastic weekend of top quality sailing and you are encouraged to make the journey for the 2023 event!

 ^{Photos: Credit Nick Lindsley (Facebook) check out all the photos Nick took of the event on Facebook. Great stuff Nick}