2025 Australian 13ft and 16ft Skiff Championships Day 4 - fluctuating breezes rule
by Mark Rothfield 10 Jan 03:44 GMT
4-11 January 2025
Mentally refreshed by a lazy layday soaking up the holiday vibes of Queensland’s Fraser Coast, and with niggling breakages patched, the 2025 Hervey Bay Boat Club 13ft and 16ft Skiff Australian Championships fleet resumed combat with vim and vigour for Races 5 and 6.
A number of teams used the break to hit the reset button – race winners Red Pumps Red and Insight Building Services NAVS most notably – while series heavyweights Modern Concept Constructions, Imagine Signage, Bosker Build and Moonen Yachts all surprisingly failed to fire.
The south-east trades had also clocked off, a fickle nor-easter prevailing for the heat that had been abandoned on Tuesday then further postponed because of lingering storms. The ashen clouds impacted the breeze throughout the day, making upwind tactics critical ... choose the wrong side and you were shown the exit.
Manly 16s sailor Zoe Dransfield, skipper of Red Pumps Red, was rapt to get off the black-flagged start cleanly and synch with the breeze.: “Today was the first race we’ve had a good start in and it definitely made it easier not having to catch up the whole race,” she said.
“It was pretty tricky with the storm that came in. It produced a massive right-hand shift on the second leg, which made it a soldier's course on the final run. It’s a pretty amazing feeling to win – it’s a big fleet and there’s some really impressive names here.”
Race 6 had more confusion in store as it was shortened from three laps to two as the leaders approached the bottom gate. Contender Sailcloth (Will Howard) and Botany Scaffold failed to see the finish boat on station, which cost them first and second placings respectively. Insight NAVS eventually took the victory.
“Yesterday’s rest day was a massive help for us,” crewman Andrew Stone said. “We’ve struggled to understand the waterway but we were able to regroup and regather.”
Race 6 began and finished the same way for the Belmont 16s crew, with some chatter aboard: “We got caught in irons right on the start boat but managed to get out and find a 20-degree shift that lifted us over the fleet. The finish was the second part because there was a bit more bickering over whether to go above or below the gate.
“We were going to follow Contender until I noticed the finish boat on station. Unfortunate for those guys but we’ll take it nonetheless.”
Only two boats had consecutive top-5 finishes yesterday, IMEI (Joel Beashel) managing two 2nds and Domino’s (Michael Quirk) a 3rd and 4th. “Today was about staying proactive with all the wind shifts coming – it was constantly changing, so you had to be on top of it,” Beashel said.
Quirk from Domino’s added: “Clear air was the winner today and picking the right sides to go. It was just follow-your-nose, really, and hanging on from there.”
Yesterday’s results leave Modern Concept Constructions holding a 1pt lead over IMEI with the discard factored in and three races remaining. Imagine Signage remains third but is carrying an average-points result from Race 3 that will adjust after today’s two races. Domino’s, Moonen and Skelcon remain in striking distance, given that form can be temporary on this waterway.
There were no such dilemmas for the Harken 13ft Skiff crew of Heidi Bates and Orlando Sadlik, who powered to two firsts ahead of the fast-improving Cheeky Skelcon. They sit 10pts clear of Manly clubmate The Kitchen Maker (Tayla Lees) and Botany Scaffold (Sophie Hart).
“I don’t think we can go any better than getting two bullets today. It was tough, though, so I’m glad that we proved we can do it,” Sadlik said. “Leading up to this regatta we’ve done about 50 races in the 29er class, which has helped a lot, and since coming back on the 13 we’ve just focused on adapting to the boat again.”
Results here.
See the video here.
Racing continues in the afternoon of January 10 with a double-header and concludes on Saturday, 11 January. Key regatta sponsors are The Boat Club Hervey Bay, Fraser Coast Regional Council and Fraser Island Boat Charters. More details at the event website.