2025 Victorian Sabre Championships at Mount Martha Yacht Club

by Bruce Abbott 7 Mar 08:44 GMT 15-16 February 2025

Square run during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships © Russell Bates

Dead heats in high winds

As many as 87 boats entered with 80 facing the starting line at the 50th Victorian Sabre Championships held over the weekend of 15th and 16th February 2025 at Mt Martha Yacht Club on the southern end of Port Phillip Bay. Due to the 25 to 35 knot winds and big seas on Saturday, racing was postponed until Sunday. Saturday was then used to run a forum by an expert panel of top Sabre sailors sharing their expertise, with a focus on the mid and end fleet sailors.

Pre start during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships - photo © Stephen Cowell

On Sunday, Race Officer Mark Foster and the crew drawn from the 50 Mt Martha volunteers ran four consecutive races, each one using a U flag start to reduce the likelihood of time-wasting general recalls. It was testing 15 to 25 knot conditions: fronts coming through and big changes in wind speed and direction. Plenty of capsizes with some less experienced sailors wisely opting to head for shore.

Hamish Cowell during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships - photo © Stephen Cowell

At the end of the racing series, after a one race drop off, three skippers stood on 11 points: Hamish Cowell (current Sabre National Champion) from Blairgowrie YS, Mark Bloom from Darling Point SS in Qld and Alan Riley (four times Sabre National Champion) from McCrae YC. Each skipper had finished in top placings in the recent Nationals held in Perth in January 2025. Some classy sailors there.

Mark Bloom during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships - photo © Russell Bates

The three-boat tie was resolved using the Racing Rules of Sailing A8.1 Series Tie. This put Mark Bloom first, Hamish Cowell second and Alan Riley third. Winner of the Ladies trophy was Phillipa Danks from the three Danks sailing family entrants.

Philippa Danks during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships - photo © Russell Bates

Since this was the 50th year of Victorian Sabre Championships, a special trophy was awarded to the sailor who finished 50th. The trophy was called the Fettell award after Rex Fettell OAM who designed the Sabre over 50 years ago. Rex is also known for designing the popular Minnow.

James Nolan during the 2025 Victorian Sabre Championships - photo © Russell Bates

With 80 boats on the starting line, the Victorian Sabre Championships is arguably the largest single state championships start in Australia. The fleet continues to grow for many reasons including the class inclusive culture. Sabres are relatively inexpensive and particularly well suited to Port Phillip Bay wind and waves conditions. This regatta included sailors from 14 to 82 years of age, over 25% of the fleet were female sailors and 36 trophies were awarded across six age divisions. Trophy winners can be seen here.

Roll on the next 50 years.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Skipper	Club	Cat	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
1	1794	Mark Bloom	DPSS	GMAS	7	3	‑9	1	11
2	2110	Hamish Cowell	BYS	SNR	4	6	1	(UFD)	11
3	2094	Alan Riley	McCYC	VET	3	4	‑11	4	11
4	2152	Murray O'Brien	McCYC	VET	5	2	5	‑8	12
5	2067	Joseph Randall	McCYC	SNR	8	1	‑19	5	14
6	1935	Jack Felsenthal	SSCBC	SNR	1	8	‑13	6	15
7	2156	Chris Pritchard	PRSC	GMAS	‑34	10	2	3	15
8	2203	Colin White	MSC	VET	13	5	‑24	2	20
9	2072	Gary McLennan	BRYC	VET	10	(UFD)	4	9	23
10	1916	Glenn Collings	MMYC	VET	9	7	10	‑20	26
11	2225	Geoff Smith	BYS	VET	‑16	15	7	10	32
12	2108	James Nolan	BRYC	MAS	17	(UFD)	6	12	35
13	2142	Philippa Danks	BYS	SNR	14	‑24	8	17	39
14	2160	Michael Arnold	WSC	SNR	‑18	16	12	11	39
15	2227	Alister Danks	BYS	GMAS	‑15	13	15	13	41
16	2185	Randal Garnham	BRYC	VET	20	17	‑26	7	44
17	1854	Samantha Batty	BYS	SNR	11	23	18	‑35	52
18	1769	Harry Schlager	BRYC	YTH	‑26	14	16	22	52
19	2181	Michelle de Blaquiere	MMYC	MAS	‑27	12	17	25	54
20	1906	Peter Kemp	BYC	GMAS	‑59	19	22	15	56
21	1897	Craig Stranger	Elwood	GMAS	‑35	9	30	18	57
22	2171	Bruce Abbott	BRYC	GVET	21	18	20	‑39	59
23	1863	Hannah Danks	BYS	SNR	‑38	27	21	14	62
24	2103	Peter White	MSC	GVET	23	28	14	‑37	65
25	1979	Inga Griffiths‑Hunt	ASC	SNR	12	31	‑34	27	70
26	1900	William Manning	SBSC	GMAS	22	(UFD)	27	23	72
27	2178	Barry Eastgate	MMYC	GVET	29	21	‑32	26	76
28	2044	Sara Lloyd‑Clarke	Bys	GMAS	24	32	‑44	21	77
29	1848	Miguel Alemao	BSYC	GMAS	25	25	39	‑44	89
30	2121	Ian Johnson	MMYC	GMAS	6	(RET)	3	UFD	90
31	2118	Michael Snell	BRYC	GMAS	(DNS)	22	28	41	91
32	2066	Fiona McCulloch	BRYC	GMAS	28	‑36	35	28	91
33	2205	Gus McIntyre	BYS	SNR	2	11	(UFD)	DNF	94
34	2166	Martin Kudnig	BYS	VET	‑44	34	41	19	94
35	2136	Peter Neil	BYS	GMAS	‑63	26	23	46	95
36	2129	Dave Caruso	MMYC	GMAS	42	39	‑46	16	97
37	2220	Gerard Magner	BYS	VET	33	33	31	(DNF)	97
38	1771	Sean O'Brien	BYS	GMAS	39	20	43	‑54	102
39	2206	Jarka Kluth	BRYC	GMAS	‑47	44	25	33	102
40	2070	John Petschel	BYS	VET	37	‑43	40	30	107
41	2063	Graham Mason	MCCYC	GVET	31	42	‑49	34	107
42	2189	Luis Mata	BRYC	GMAS	32	40	36	(UFD)	108
43	2050	Liam Batty	BYS	SNR	‑55	30	45	36	111
44	2239	Alan Barrow	CYC	VET	‑60	49	29	38	116
45	2177	Robert Debenham	MMYC	VET	46	29	‑64	42	117
46	1809	Simon Kudnig	BYS	GMAS	40	35	42	‑52	117
47	2164	Mike Eising	CYC	VET	‑57	45	33	40	118
48	1830	Jessica Batty	BYS	SNR	‑52	41	50	29	120
49	2073	Ross Lloyd	ESC	GVET	49	38	38	(UFD)	125
50	2216	Garrath James	BYS	GMAS	19	(UFD)	UFD	31	131
51	1831	Morwenna Griffiths	BRYC	GMAS	51	37	‑52	45	133
52	1781	Jessica Vize	McCYC	SNR	‑56	53	53	32	138
53	1755	Rain Forbes	BRYC	SNR	50	47	‑60	43	140
54	1760	James Fordyce	BYS	GMAS	‑58	48	37	58	143
55	1988	Sam Kudnig	BYS	YTH	‑61	46	48	49	143
56	1895	Kirsten Binns Smith	BYS	VET	43	50	56	(DNF)	149
57	2228	Paul Stamp	ESC	MAS	(DNS)	DNC	47	24	152
58	2161	Theresa Morton	WSC	YTH	53	51	‑55	48	152
59	2099	David Wilkinson	ESC	GVET	45	54	‑63	57	156
60	1910	Kurt Gysi	MMYC	GVET	‑69	61	54	47	162
61	1958	Chris Gregory	MMYC	MAS	64	(DNF)	51	51	166
62	2182	Benson Or	MMYC	VET	‑67	63	57	50	170
63	1589	Alex Morton	APYC	MAS	‑68	57	59	59	175
64	1592	Grzegorz Dziemidowicz	ESC	SNR	‑70	56	68	53	177
65	1710	Geordan Wright	WSC	SNR	(DNC)	59	66	56	181
66	1503	Hamish Douglas	WSC	YTH	‑71	58	62	61	181
67	1538	Rob Pertzel	BRYC	GMAS	66	55	61	(UFD)	182
68	1377	Andrew Jones	MMYC	GVET	54	52	(DNF)	DNC	187
69	970	Nat Glover	WSC	YTH	65	62	‑67	60	187
70	2120	Hayden Llewellyn	BYS	GVET	62	60	65	(DNC)	187
71	1741	Marc Aliotti	MMYC	VET	30	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	192
72	2232	Matthew Warren	BRYC	VET	(DNS)	DNC	58	55	194
73	1732	Amelia Evenden	McCYC	SNR	36	(RET)	DNC	DNC	198
74	1978	Warren Smith	MMYC	GMAS	41	(DNF)	DNC	DNC	203
75	2163	Ian Gould	MMYC	GVET	48	(DNF)	DNC	DNC	210
76	1632	Peter Atkinson	MMYC	VET	(DNS)	DNF	DNF	DNC	243
77	2221	Arthur Bruce	MMYC	VET	(DNS)	DNC	DNC	DNC	243
78	1189	Ian Skurrie	McCYC	GVET	(DNS)	DNC	DNC	DNC	243
79	1959	Wendy Wilson	SsYc	VET	(DNS)	DNC	DNC	DNC	243
80	2179	Robyn Mews	MMYC	VET	(DNF)	DNC	DNC	DNC	243