WA DF State Championships Two Days of Contrasting Racing

Hosted by Wanderers Radio Sailing Club, the weekend attracted 19 DF65s and 25 DF95s, including visiting Queensland sailor Gary Metcalfe. Across two days of vastly different conditions, both championships produced close racing and title battles that remained alive deep into their respective events.

DF65 State Championship – Saturday 19 September

Saturday's forecast promised winds of 15–20 knots with gusts well above that range, and there was little doubt when competitors arrived that the forecast was going to prove accurate.

Race Officer Sean Wallis established a course within the more protected marina area at South of Perth Yacht Club, allowing racing to get underway on schedule despite the challenging conditions.

With C rigs fitted, the 19-boat DF65 fleet provided spectacular racing from the outset. The relatively confined course area kept the boats in close proximity, with busy starts and mark roundings, while the strong breeze produced some exceptionally fast downwind sailing.

Nick Jerwood made an immediate statement, winning the opening three races and quickly establishing himself as the sailor to beat. His early charge came to an abrupt halt in Race 4 when gear failure resulted in a poor score.

Janet Jerwood had meanwhile quietly put together an extremely consistent opening to the championship. After finishing second, third and fifth in the first three races, she capitalised with consecutive victories in Races 4 and 5 to take over the championship lead.

Visiting Queenslander Gary Metcalfe was also firmly in the contest after opening with two seconds and a third, before he too suffered gear problems in Race 4.

Nick recovered and was back at the front in Race 6, once again putting himself into the overall lead. But the championship remained far from settled. A poor result later in the series allowed Janet to regain the lead after Race 10, while Metcalfe continued to remain firmly in the mix.

As the day progressed the breeze moderated sufficiently for competitors to move from C rigs into B rigs, but conditions remained challenging. Rain and squalls regularly swept across the course and changes in pressure ensured there was rarely an opportunity to relax.

Gear reliability became a significant factor. The combination of strong winds, fast boats and repeated racing took its toll, with numerous competitors suffering equipment failures during the day. Keeping a boat on the water and performing consistently became almost as important as outright speed.

Despite the difficult conditions, the standard of sailing remained high. With 19 boats competing on a relatively compact course, competitors were frequently only metres apart and there was little opportunity to recover from a poor start or a mistake at a mark.

There were plenty of sailors showing they had the pace to compete near the front. Grant Turnbull took a race victory, while Mark Lovelady also found his way to the front of the fleet. Peter Buchanan was another to feature strongly at different stages of the championship.

Behind the leading group, one of the closest battles of the day developed through fifth to eighth overall. Peter Buchanan eventually secured fifth with 86 points, Grant Turnbull and Barry Glazier finished tied on 87, and Mark Lovelady was just one point further back on 88. After 15 races, only two points separated four positions.

At the front, Nick Jerwood eventually took control of the championship. After the interruptions to his early challenge, he finished the series with a remarkable run of five consecutive race wins to secure the Western Australian DF65 State Championship with a nett score of 22 points.

Gary Metcalfe's consistency earned him second overall on 31 points, while Janet Jerwood completed the podium in third on 38 after playing a major part in the championship battle throughout the day.

DF65 State Championship – Top Five

Nick Jerwood – 22 points
Gary Metcalfe – 31 points
Janet Jerwood – 38 points
Andrew Donkin – 60 points
Peter Buchanan – 86 points

The demanding conditions could easily have made for a difficult day, but the camaraderie within the fleet was evident throughout, contributing to an excellent atmosphere despite the rain, squalls and numerous other challenges on the course.

DF95 State Championship – Sunday 20 September

Sunday's DF95 State Championship could hardly have provided a greater contrast to the conditions experienced the previous day.

A fleet of 25 boats assembled for racing under the HMS, but instead of Saturday's strong winds, Race Officer Peter Buchanan was faced with the challenge of finding enough breeze to even establish a course.

Short periods of rain passed through during the morning and, for some time, it appeared the wind might never properly settle. Following a delayed start, racing finally commenced in an extremely light south-westerly.

The HMS seeding races saw Sean Wallis win his opening race, while Queensland visitor Gary Metcalfe won the corresponding seeding race, giving both sailors an ideal start to the championship.

Almost as soon as the opening races were completed, however, so was the south-westerly.

A significant shift to the ESE required the race team to relocate and reset the course in the Canning River channel. The new breeze provided an opportunity to continue racing, but the strong outgoing flow and the odd jelly fish in the river added another dimension to an already difficult day.

Progress upwind could be painfully slow as the DF95s attempted to make headway against the current. Finding pressure and positioning the boat correctly became critical, with small differences in breeze producing significant gains or losses.

Eventually the breeze again dissipated and racing was suspended for lunch with two A Fleet races and three B Fleet races completed.

After another delay, the breeze eventually settled back into the south-west, allowing racing to resume.

At the front, the championship was developing into a battle between Wallis and Nick Jerwood.

Jerwood recovered strongly from his opening result with a win in Race 2 followed by a second in Race 3. Wallis countered with second and third places respectively, keeping the championship extremely close.

Race 4 became particularly important because its completion brought the first – and ultimately only – discard into effect. Jerwood could now drop his fifth from Race 1, significantly closing the gap to Wallis.

Wallis responded when it mattered.

Race 4 produced one of the highlights of the championship, with Bruce Quail sailing an outstanding race and leading deep into the contest. Wallis eventually found a way past on the final leg to the finish to take the win, while Quail held on for an excellent second place. Jerwood finished fourth but remained firmly in championship contention.

Jerwood immediately hit back by winning Race 5. With Wallis finishing second, the margin between the pair was reduced to just two points heading into the final race.

It set up a fitting conclusion to a day in which every point had mattered.

The calculations heading into Race 6 meant the championship remained open. Jerwood needed a win, while Wallis knowing if this occurred he would need no worse than a second to claim the title.

This time it was Andrew Donkin who produced the performance of the race.

Donkin took the final race victory, while Wallis crossed in second place to secure the Western Australian DF95 State Championship. Jerwood finished fourth to take second overall.

At the same time, another battle was being decided for the final position on the podium.

Queenslander Gary Metcalfe and defending champion Justin McAullay entered the final race level on points. Metcalfe delivered when it counted, finishing third in the final race to secure third overall.

There were strong performances throughout the 25-boat fleet. Bruce Quail's second in Race 4 and third in Race 5 helped him to sixth overall, while Donkin's final-race victory elevated him to eighth. Nick Robinson recorded an important fleet win during Race 3, while Kim Klaka, Jason Poutsma, Mitchell Benson and Garry Goodall were among those regularly involved in close battles through the fleets.

DF95 State Championship – Top Five

Sean Wallis – 8 points
Nick Jerwood – 12 points
Gary Metcalfe – 19 points
Justin McAullay – 25 points
Jason Poutsma – 28 points
 

Across the weekend, competitors experienced almost the full range of conditions radio sailing can offer.

Saturday was about boat handling, equipment reliability and keeping a DF65 under control at speed in strong winds, rain and squalls. Less than 24 hours later, Sunday's DF95 competitors were searching for the smallest patches of pressure while trying to overcome the current in the Canning River.

Through both extremes, the quality and competitiveness of the racing remained high.

South of Perth Yacht Club provided an excellent location for the championships, with the ability to utilise both the protected marina area and the Canning River proving particularly valuable given the vastly different conditions experienced across the two days. The support of South of Perth Yacht Club in allowing Wanderers Radio Sailing Club to conduct the championships at the venue was an important part of making the weekend possible.

Thanks must also go to the countless volunteers who contributed across both days. Conducting championship racing of this size requires a considerable team, from Race Officers and race management through to observers, scorers, course setters, boat handlers and the many people working behind the scenes.

Their contribution, together with the cooperation and camaraderie of the competitors, helped make the weekend a great showcase for the DF classes in Western Australia.

Congratulations to the 2026 Western Australian State Champions – Nick Jerwood in the DF65 class and Sean Wallis in the DF95 class – and to all competitors who took part in a memorable weekend of racing.

Visit the results section for full results.