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2025 DF95 Australian Championship Report

Day 1
47 skippers took to the water today Heat 1c started in a gentle 8kn NNW this progressive softened for 1b and 1a heats... While the scorers sorted the fleet with HMS the venue glassed out with the light rain.
Early lunch was called racing resumed with a building SW breeze heat 2c and 2b skippers enjoyed flat water and solid 12kn on their A rigs.
As heat 2a racked up just before the starting sequence the breeze built suddenly and majority skippers called for a rig change. Heat 3c followed shortly after before the 1600 cut off stopped racing for the day. RO's Comment: Super early in the regatta; However you can see the cream is rising and some skippers conversely have found lady luck and others must have offended her.

Day 2
Solid westerlies were all the rage today!  Stuart Dawes nailed two superb bullets starting the new day of racing on the building west breeze: However, Nick Jerwood is super consistent (with only one blemish in R5) taking a 9-point lead to Lisa Blackwood 2nd going into the last day with South Australian Peter Turcich 6pts behind in 3rd

Day 3 <Final Day>
Westerlies greeted the skippers for the final Day of Racing: Many skippers capitalised on the stronger conditions improving their positions on the standings; some skippers were also preserving their boats as small breakages and gremlins were creeping into the yachts.

Nick Jerwood from WA put on a masterclass, keeping the boat seaworthy and consistent scoring taking #1. Lisa Blackwood from TAS held off two fast charging Queenslanders for Second; Nic Taylor bringing his yacht home in third while Nicolas Leluan having to settle for 4th.

Lisa Blackwood (TAS) First Master
Chris Chatfield (SA) First Grand Master
Fleet Jumper (SA) Simon How
Junior Recognised (SA) Cameron White
First Joysway A Suit Rigged Yacht Kim Klakka

2025 Australian DragonForce65  Championship Report;

Nick Jerwood Takes the "Double Double Crown" (Winner Both Classes Two years Running)
Day 1
Light NE breeze enough breeze to get through the seeding races, wind finally diminished to a millpond where skipper descended  onto the British hotel to down some of our sponsors product after the conclusion of the 3c Heat

Day 2
Started the day on A+ with North East Breeze for heat 3c the winds freshened and clocked left through north and settled North North West.
Early Lunch was called while a protest was heard for the result of 4b
The breeze started to increase and As and Bs were swapped to by most fleets.  Mid afternoon as the sun got lower some brave skippers went back to A+
Mike Jeffries - 3rd overall
El Presidentē Andrew Donkin 2nd overall and Nick Jerwood still continued with bullets until the rig changes; Jerwood maintaining a healthy points advantage into the last day.

Day 3
A fresh Northerly breeze presented itself for heat 8b. The warm breeze was deceptively strong. The skippers started out on their A rigs and soon regretted their decisions with downwinds that looked like a night at the Ballet.  The waiting heat 8a skippers were not sure if the B or the C was better, B proved to be the better sail only if their yacht wasn't hit with a bullet.
Nick Jerwood never panicked, stuck to his B and prevailed with three solid bullets to make his 2025 Australian DragonForce65 crown an absolute certainty.

The battle for the lower two steps was less than certain for the morning and afternoon session. Eventually local skipper Simon How prevailed to take Second, building a healthy point gap on Andrew Donkin 3rd overall, knocking Mike Jefferys off the podium by countback.

Master and First Female Helm - Lisa Blackwood
Grand Master - Serge Finck
John Finck (furthest Travelled from Exmouth WA)
John Storer (SA) encouragement award
Nick Taylor (QLD) mover and shaker (9 fleet jumps)
Bruce Rossow (SA) King of C fleet
Ted Stephens (TAS) sportsman award
Gary Goodall + Garry Metcalfe Random Placing
Cameron White (SA) Junior perseverance award

Huge Thank you to organisers of the event and helpers;
Event committee:
Tony White | Danny James | Simon How | Steve Knights | Clinton Thomas
Helpers before event and day to day;
Steve Arthur | Alan Gold | Timothy Arland | Timothy Paynter | Ian Dowsett | Karina White