Yarrawonga Hosts VIC Marblehead State Championship
The staging of the 2019 Victorian Marblehead State Championship differed from previous events, in that they were held inland, some 3 hours’ drive north of Melbourne, in the popular holiday destination that is Yarrawonga, on the VIC /NSW border, in anticipation of the VRYA staging our edition of the ARYA Nationals in 2020, at this location.
Saturday morning saw 18 skippers entered for the regatta, with representatives from ACT, NSW, TAS, SA, and VIC, making the journey, making this one of the largest, and competitive Victorian state fleets in recent years. Conditions saw a good breeze blowing along the bank, making sighting of the yachts and marks straightforward for competitors and officials alike.
Racing commenced with A rigs, before immediately switching to B rigs. After a few races, it was apparent that the battle at the top would be tight, with the National class champions of the recent years in the thick of the action. Racing throughout the fleet was close, the course layout allowing tactical decisions to come into play, with positions constantly changing.
By lunchtime, the fleet were reaching for C rigs, resulting in enjoyable and exciting sailing. The good breeze, and plentiful racing, allowed for a hiatus in the afternoon, as we witnessed an outdoor wedding adjacent to the sailing area. After a resumption, a handful of races brought Day 1 to a close with 16 races completed.
Sunday dawned with clear blue skies, and slightly lighter breezes. Although 1st and 2nd places had broken clear, the rest of the fleet places were still to play for, and race wins and placings were more spread out. The fleet were in A rigs the entire day, with winds varying from light to almost top of rig, keeping skippers on their toes with regard to boat handling.
Racing concluded with 28 races completed, with all entrants still sailing. From early on Kirwan Robb was on top of his game, with consistent, and smart sailing, and came out a clear, and deserving winner of 2019 Victorian Marblehead State Championship. Scott Condie was right there with Kirwan throughout, with many entertaining boat on boat duels taking place, with a strong runner up position his reward. Ray “Mad Dog” Joyce was consistently at the pointy end, quietly collecting the small numbers, but really broke out on the second morning, with 3 consecutive bullets securing him the final podium place by 1 point over Scott Mitchell. Steve Sedgemen from the ACT, known mainly for his 10R exploits, made his Marblehead debut with a fine 5th place, sailing Andrew Reids’ Grunge….
Positions from 3rd to 7th were all within 11 points, showing the competitiveness of the fleet.
Design wise, it was a Grunge party at the top, and BG Sails & Design packages dominating the top 6 positions. David Thomas debuted his freshly completed F-6 design, showing real pace in all conditions. Some electrical gremlins prevented him being further up the overall standings, but an impressive debut nonetheless. Special mentions to Peter White, and Peter Symec, both competing with freshly completed boats too.
These events cannot take place without the time and effort that it takes to organise and run them. Firstly, thanks to the VRYA President, Andrew Reid for taking on the lion’s share of the organisation for this event. Andrew gave up a real chance of being in outright contention, to ensure the event was run smoothly, and act as the PRO for the weekend… You da Man!!A big thankyou to Jayne Fleming, who did a fantastic job as Race Scorer, always with a smile!
Many thanks go to Cameron and Daniel Davies, who both gave up their time to attend, man the rescue boat, and set the courses throughout the weekend. Legends!
A shout out to all the competitors who made journey from all points of the compass to compete. Your support of these events is greatly appreciated. The camaraderie amongst the skippers, both while sailing, and socially afterwards, were real highlights of the weekend.
Finally, a big thankyou to the Yarrawonga Yacht Club, who throughout, have been most welcoming, and active in supporting the VRYA in order to make this event a success. We look forward to returning soon for more events.
Patrick Parisienne
VP-VRYA
Results
Pos | Name | Sail No. /Design | Nett | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ROBB, Kirwan | AUS 94 GRUNGE | 51.0 | 87.0 |
2 | CONDIE, Scott | AUS 6 GRUNGE | 67.6 | 104.6 |
3 | JOYCE, Ray | AUS 53 GRUNGE | 108.0 | 152.0 |
4 | MITCHELL, Scott | AUS 52 INDIE | 109.0 | 155.0 |
5 | SEDGEMEN, Stephen | AUS 74 GRUNGE | 112.0 | 153.0 |
6 | LITTLEDYKE, Paul | AUS 77 INDIE | 113.0 | 175.0 |
7 | FLEMING, Scott | AUS 72 F-4 | 119.0 | 165.0 |
8 | THOMAS, David | AUS 88 F-6 | 169.0 | 241.0 |
9 | OSBORN, Brett | AUS 79 INDIE | 170.0 | 233.0 |
10 | EDWARDS, Grant | AUS 9 INDIE | 218.0 | 285.0 |
11 | PARISIENNE, Pat | AUS 17 NIOUTRAM | 261.0 | 337.0 |
12 | GOLD, Alan | AUS 50 F-5 | 288.0 | 355.0 |
13 | DOWSETT, Ian | AUS 152 INDIE | 292.0 | 356.0 |
14 | HEARING, Len | AUS 85 FUZZY LOGIC | 294.0 | 367.0 |
15 | WHITE, Peter | AUS 89 F-5 | 310.0 | 379.0 |
16 | BESSELL, Alan | AUS 23 STARKERS | 318.0 | 394.0 |
17 | CROCKER, Andrew | AUS 58 KATANA | 338.0 | 414.0 |
18 | SYMEC, Peter | AUS 73 F-5 | 417.0 | 493.0 |