The WA Viper State Championships 2014
For the first time in WA, the Vipers have put together a state championship. With 10 or so boats, it's not about huge start lines and dazzling world class heroes that have come to our far away shores..... Oh no, this is the local chapter of Viper sailors agreeing to put together a State Championships to decide just who is the best in the west.
Mind you, since the first Viper arrived in WA some 7 or 8 years ago, the sports boat fraternity took one look at them and liked them. The Viper has been a thorn in the side of other sports boats and nothing could be clearer than the results of the Sports boat Nationals that were held in January this year at Fremantle Sailing Club. Over all, Tim Reger's Fang was the best in the series taking all before him and beating some highly fancied (and bigger) sports boats in the process. Surely this is the best indicator of the boats worth and it's up to these boats to now sort it out between themselves.
This story really has to include the Saturday wherein they sailed 4 races in the morning in a rising breeze and then went out in the afternoon to challenge a sou wester of mammoth proportions. To all that went out ( and that was the entire fleet ) and to those who made it back in one piece ...salutations. I was on the water in another fleet and saw the carnage around the river and it was a testament to the skills of the sailors that the boats did so well.
Eight boats took off on the Sunday when I was photographing and in a steady west south westerly of 5 to 8 knots, the fleet took on the last 4 races. RO Les Swinton had the fleet lined up by 0900 hrs and proceeded to punch out the races. As I was new to the class, it was a learning thing and I had taken on the additional duties of mark laying to help with the day. Fortunately the steady breeze did not require much in the way of moving the marks and chief mark layer John Heydon was extremely helpful in putting me into position in between his duties.
As can be expected Tim Reger and Fang did very well and topped out the regatta, but a surprise package in the form of Skip Lissiman and crew took on the Viper Fleet on Don't forget Alice and just managed to get in front of Rod Beurteaux's Another Girl by the end of the regatta. However the Viper fleet has clearly made it's mark on the river and with a state championships under their belts in Perth, they have formalized the one design fleet existence that has a great international following.
My thanks to Viper sailor Graeme Monkhouse for inviting me to photograph the final day and to SoPYC for getting me onto the water.
Enjoy the images
Mind you, since the first Viper arrived in WA some 7 or 8 years ago, the sports boat fraternity took one look at them and liked them. The Viper has been a thorn in the side of other sports boats and nothing could be clearer than the results of the Sports boat Nationals that were held in January this year at Fremantle Sailing Club. Over all, Tim Reger's Fang was the best in the series taking all before him and beating some highly fancied (and bigger) sports boats in the process. Surely this is the best indicator of the boats worth and it's up to these boats to now sort it out between themselves.
This story really has to include the Saturday wherein they sailed 4 races in the morning in a rising breeze and then went out in the afternoon to challenge a sou wester of mammoth proportions. To all that went out ( and that was the entire fleet ) and to those who made it back in one piece ...salutations. I was on the water in another fleet and saw the carnage around the river and it was a testament to the skills of the sailors that the boats did so well.
Eight boats took off on the Sunday when I was photographing and in a steady west south westerly of 5 to 8 knots, the fleet took on the last 4 races. RO Les Swinton had the fleet lined up by 0900 hrs and proceeded to punch out the races. As I was new to the class, it was a learning thing and I had taken on the additional duties of mark laying to help with the day. Fortunately the steady breeze did not require much in the way of moving the marks and chief mark layer John Heydon was extremely helpful in putting me into position in between his duties.
As can be expected Tim Reger and Fang did very well and topped out the regatta, but a surprise package in the form of Skip Lissiman and crew took on the Viper Fleet on Don't forget Alice and just managed to get in front of Rod Beurteaux's Another Girl by the end of the regatta. However the Viper fleet has clearly made it's mark on the river and with a state championships under their belts in Perth, they have formalized the one design fleet existence that has a great international following.
My thanks to Viper sailor Graeme Monkhouse for inviting me to photograph the final day and to SoPYC for getting me onto the water.
Enjoy the images