Tasars take on world

By CMDR Bruce Eddes

ADFSA 2003 Tasar Worlds Team (rear L-R) Jason King, Martin Linsley, Wayne Hale, John Errickson, Bruce Eddes, (front L-R) Dan Turner, Mark Barnes, Nick Grey

Martin Linsley and Nick Grey in Tasar 2482 at the start line (Photo courtesy of Canadian Tasar Association)

The ADF Sailing Association successfully competed at the recent 2003 Ronstan Tasar World Championships at Victoria, Vancouver Island Canada as part of a 40-strong Australian contingent.

The event attracted over 60 boats from Canada, Australia, the USA, UK, Holland and Japan.

The ADF Sailing Association (ADFSA) has been represented at the biennial Tasar World Championships since 1984. With this year’s event held in Canada, planning and preparations had been ongoing for over 12 months.

The final ADFSA team comprised CMDRs Martin Linsley, Bruce Eddes and Mark Barnes, FLTLT Nick Grey (Team Manager), LS Wayne Hayle, AB Jason King, SPR Daniel Turner and Mr John Erickson.

The team joined forces with an Australian contingent of some 40 competitors to send 20 tasars to Canada by shipping container, including the four dinghies to be sailed by the ADFSA team.

Farewelling a cold Australian winter, the team spent a very long day travelling to Vancouver Island. CMDR Bill Macdonald CD (retd), Rear Commodore of the Canadian Forces Sailing Association (CFSA) and host of the team’s visit, took the team to its accommodation at the Canadian Forces Base, Esquimalt.

The ADFSA team first practised in local waters for a competition against the CFSA and for the Tasar Worlds being conducted afterwards.

Victoria’s waters, home of the Orca killer whale, remain at about 10 degrees C throughout the year.

The experience of sailing in these cold waters, in Canadian summer air temperatures of about 25 degrees C, and with a backdrop of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains, was nothing short of surreal for the Australian competitors.

Racing against the CFSA proved both exciting and unusual, in that competitors sailed the tasar and three different classes of dinghy specifically designed for disabled sailors. These dinghies included the Australian Access 303 dinghy, the international 2.4 ‘mini 12m’ yacht, and the Canadian designed Marten 16ft d inghy.

Three races were held in strong breezes on Esquimalt Harbour. The ADFSA team convincingly won the challenge match and brought home the inaugural ‘Cock of the Walk’ trophy.

It was clear from the beginning that racing would be of the highest standard. Each competing country was represented by its national tasar champion, and the fleet included Olympic medallists, former world tasar champions and five world champions from other dinghy classes.

A full program, comprising 12 short-medium length races, was completed during the six days of competition. Conditions were excellent, with winds varying between 5-24kts, and prevailing in the 8-15kt range.

Windward-return courses were the norm, but were occasionally varied by the inclusion of triangles. Tide-induced currents of up to two knots down the course caught out many competitors, particularly the Australians, who lacked practice in such conditions.

Two-time Olympic medallist and Americas Cup competitor Jonathan McKee, sailing with his wife, Libby (herself an Olympic competitor in the 470 Class) won the championships by a clear margin. The current Australian champions, Craig McPhee and Kevin Kellow from Adelaide gained fourth place overall.

The best of the ADFSA team, Martin Linsley with Nick Grey, and Wayne Hale with Dan Turner, managed very creditable 18th and 19th positions respectively.

The versatility of the Australian designed and produced tasar dinghy was well reflected in this World Championship series.

The ADFSA team arrived home much enriched by the experience of ‘rubbing shoulders’ with world class sailors, and the culture of host nation Canada.

.