Gold for SA A Class State Championship

With 16 races completed across a wide range of conditions, the championship produced some close and competitive racing before Alan Gold (AUS 19, Spear) emerged as the 2026 South Australian A Class State Champion.

Race Officer Alex Hayter kept the racing moving as the breeze transitioned throughout the day from a light north-easterly, through a moderate north-westerly and eventually to a stronger south-westerly. Despite the changing conditions, the fleet remained on full A rigs for the entire championship, with no sail changes required.

The championship was far from a one-boat affair, with race wins shared among several competitors throughout the 16-race program.

Gold put together an impressively consistent series, recording three race wins and finishing outside the top four only twice in his counting scores. That consistency proved decisive, giving him the championship with a nett score of 32 points.

Fellow SARYC skipper Chris Juttner (AUS 95, Sword) kept the pressure on throughout the day. Juttner also recorded three race victories and finished just four points behind Gold on 36 points to take second overall.

Bob Whitehead (AUS 98, MLMYC) produced one of the strongest finishes to the championship. After a mixed opening half of the regatta, Whitehead found another gear later in the day, winning four of the final six races. His five race victories were the most of any skipper in the fleet and propelled him into third overall on 38 points, just two points behind Juttner.

Tim Muirhead (AUS 21, SEHMYC) was another consistent challenger, taking four race wins across the series and finishing fourth overall with 41 points.

With only nine points separating the top four after 16 races, the results reflected just how competitive the racing had been.

Ian Dowsett (AUS 94, Gunboat) completed the top five on 52 points, narrowly ahead of Neil Martin (AUS 87) on 53 points.

Unfortunately, a couple of boats were forced to retire during the day with electrical problems, a timely reminder that regular sailing and preparation can be just as important as race-day performance when keeping these boats reliable.

The fleet enjoyed a well-earned lunch break with mugs of hot soup followed by sausages in bread, organised and supplied by brother-and-sister team Neil and Kay Martin. Many thanks to Neil and Kay for keeping competitors and officials well fed.

As always, an event such as the State Championship could not take place without the contribution of volunteers. John Brolese and Dean Chrighton assisted from the motor dinghy, John Inverarity and Graham Ingerson took charge of the barbecue, Max Walter kept the soup flowing and Brian Pervis managed the scoring. A number of other SARYC members also assisted with the many jobs required throughout the day.

A sincere thank you goes to Race Officer Alex Hayter and everyone who contributed their time and effort to making the championship a success.

With 11 boats from three clubs, 16 races completed and four different skippers winning multiple races, the championship was an encouraging showing for the A Class in South Australia and provided an excellent day of competitive radio sailing.