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CHAMPIONS:
The RAN crews after winning the 2006 ADF Inter-Service
Yacht Championship at Sydney Harbour. RAN entered four
crews and took out the individual and inter-service
titles.
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Photo:
Michael Brooke
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By
Michael Brooke
The RAN’s sailors continue to rule the waves after winning
the 2006 ADF Inter-Service Yacht Championship held at Sydney’s
internationally renowned Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
during May 9-10.
In keeping with the expectations of the organisers and many
of the participants, Navy also won the individual category
for the fastest yacht, thanks to CDRE Richard Longbottom,
DGNAVSYS, and his crew AB Courtney Roper and AB Carly Southam.
CDRE Longbottom said Navy’s triumph should “inspire
all sailors to get out there and have a go in both individual
and team sports”.
“Yachting is a fun but physically demanding sport that
is open to any sailor who wants to put in the time and hard
work,” he said.
More than a dozen members represented the Navy by sailing
four of the Yacht Club’s Elliot 6 sportsboats in the
championship, which consisted of six short races on courses
adjacent to Garden Island.
Ideal winds prevailed, with 5-10 knots on the first day and
between 10-25 knots on the second.
The strongest gusts exposed weaknesses in crews’ teamwork,
and more than one yacht was laid on its beam ends, capsized,
with crews wondering if and when the keel would restore balance.
As the regatta progressed, it became clear that Navy was fielding,
for the first time in several years of the competition, close
to its strongest team ever.
Race after race Navy finished at or near the front of the
fleet.
When the results of all races were combined, the Senior Service
was the clear winner with 51 points, Army was second with
97 points, and RAAF third with 103 points.
The four RAN boats were sailed by: Kirsten Norris, Mike Rock,
and Brendan Naylor; Hec Crawford, Dan Boettger and Don Russell;
Martin Linsley, Chloe Wilson and Tom Stewart; and Rick Longbottom,
Courtney Roper and Carly Southam.
The three Army boats were sailed by: Clint Seares, Brett Seymour
and Andrew Robb; Ed Jackson, Ben Harlow, and Ben Jordan; and
David Vagg, Glen Mackenzie and Ross Cable. The Air Force boat
was sailed by Rocky Johnstone, Peter Travis and Jason Linton.
With four wins and a third place to their credit, the Navy
crew of Linsley, Wilson and Stewart nearly won the top-yacht
award, but miscounting the number of laps in one race was
a costly mistake.
It left the consistently well-placed crew of Longbottom, Roper
and Southam to win the individual ADF Yacht Racing Champion
title. Third individual boat was the RAAF combination of Johnson,
Travis and Linton.
