Sports
Tasar test
By Andrew Stackpool

Volume 49, No. 03, March 08, 2007
 
SAILING SORTIE: CMDR Martin Linsley (helm) and forward hand SQNLDR Nicholas Grey on the Swan River.
Photo by Margaret Allpress from web-E-fx.
 
 
STRONG and variable winds, equipment failure and stiff competition were not enough to prevent an ADF Sailing Association crew finishing fifth in the recent 34th national Tasar [racing dinghy] championship regatta.

Thirty nine boats participated in the challenging conditions on Perth’s Swan River, where the Royal Perth Yacht Club staged the event from December 29-January 5.

Former Tasar world champion CDRE Rick Longbottom and OFFCDT Stephanie Bacon sailed consistently for fifth.

CMDR Martin Linsley and SQNLDR Nick Grey from RAAF Base Tindal finished 11th, narrowly missing out on 10th place.

ADFA MIDN Kirstin Norris and MIDN David Maddison finished 22nd.

MIDN Daniel Boetteger and MIDN Brendan Naylor finished 32nd.

Team representative SQNLDR Grey said it was a good result for the two trainee officers, who were competing in their first Tasar national championship.

“The standard of racing was very high among the fleet,” SQNLDR Grey said.

“Those who finished in the top 10 had to work very hard for their places.”

The Swan River was an idyllic location for the championship and the ‘Fremantle Doctor’ [the often strong afternoon sea breeze] lived up to its reputation.

The weather conditions were demanding for both competitors and boats early in the championship.

Several competitors experienced equipment failure.

Unsettled weather conditions were experienced during the rest of the competition.

“The moderate to strong and shifting winds gave competitors some hard upwind legs, fast reaches [sailing off the wind] and overall exciting racing,” SQNLDR Grey said.

“Competitors required good starts, smart tactics, teamwork and endurance to achieve good results.

“Because of the high standard of competitors, boat crews couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

“It was easy to lose several places by failing to pick wind shifts or light breezes, and equipment failures didn’t help either,” he said.

In race two, CMDR Linsley was dismasted in strong winds when a shroud broke after he rounded the windward mark.

CDRE Longbottom suffered a similar fate in race four.

ADFSA members will contest the 2007 Tasar World Championships, to be staged from July 2-11 in Phuket, Thailand.

For more information, contact SQNLDR Nick Grey at nicholas.grey@defence.gov.au or on (08) 8973 7300.