Russell Witt
The Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club at Boreen Point welcomed in the new year with the hosting of not one, but four, national championship regattas on the lake, spanning a period of over three weeks from December 29.
More than 140 boats representing sailing clubs from all over Australia vied for national crowns in their respective classes.
First to take to the water were the Weta Trimarans and Arrow Catamarans. Unfortunately, stormy weather precluded sailing on one of the scheduled race days, but after 10 action backed races crammed into only three days, local Weta sailors from the Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club took out Gold in the One Up (David Wood) and Two Up (Ryan McVey and Gracie Allan) divisions. The Arrow Catamaran class also lost a day of racing, but after eight races, Adrian Fawcett from the Moreton Bay Boat Club was crowned national champion.
As the Wetas and Arrows were leaving town, almost 50 junior sailors aged from eight to 15 years descended on the lake for the O’pen Skiff National Championships, an international class with over 7000 boats sailing worldwide in fifteen different countries. Again, competitors came from far and wide and over the week-long regatta, some close and exciting racing ensued, in winds that, at times, gusted to over 30 knots. They competed in three fleets, Gold and Silver for experienced sailors and Green for beginners. The overall winner in the Gold Fleet was Kaisin Puls from Christmas Island (representing the South of Perth Yacht Club) and in the Silver Fleet, James Moore (representing the Rhyll Yacht Club in Victoria. Morgan Haines from the Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club won the Green Fleet race series, with eight-year-old Sam Bryce from Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club, the youngest sailor in the regatta, taking out fifth place.
To finish of the “season of national titles” on the lake, a large fleet of Scow and Lowrider Moths competed for their national titles. The Moth is a development class of boat that had its origins back in the 1930s. In recent times, they have developed into extremely lightweight foiling craft, but there is a growing interest in the Scow and Lowrider designs.
Twenty seven boats of varying designs competed with the overall winner after ten races being Cris Musto from Perth. Local sailors also figured well in the results, with Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club members Mike Kohler and Peter Williamson coming in first on Yardstick and Handicap respectively.
