The 2015 Laser Nationals in Mandurah
at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club
FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL LOOKING AT THE SITE ... AND WHO WOULDN'T BE ?
A DISC HAS BEEN MADE OF THE NATIONALS AND IS AVAILABLE TO ALL AND SUNDRY AT THE PRICE OF $22.65 INCLUSIVE OF POSTAGE AND HANDLING (INSIDE AUSTRALIA ).
The disc may be ordered through the contact page, I'll send you an invoice and once paid through electronic funds transfer, the disc will be in the mail. Each disc will have all the images on the website, sized between one and two MB, un badged and suitable for printing in most cases up to 20 by 25 cm. Please note that they are for private use only and commercial sizes of images may be purchased separately. All four video's on the website will be on board as well.
I look forward to hearing from you.
A DISC HAS BEEN MADE OF THE NATIONALS AND IS AVAILABLE TO ALL AND SUNDRY AT THE PRICE OF $22.65 INCLUSIVE OF POSTAGE AND HANDLING (INSIDE AUSTRALIA ).
The disc may be ordered through the contact page, I'll send you an invoice and once paid through electronic funds transfer, the disc will be in the mail. Each disc will have all the images on the website, sized between one and two MB, un badged and suitable for printing in most cases up to 20 by 25 cm. Please note that they are for private use only and commercial sizes of images may be purchased separately. All four video's on the website will be on board as well.
I look forward to hearing from you.
The presentations.
A great affair at Grill'd, a burger shack that serves good food and cold beer on the waterfront in Mandurah.
Apart from the setting sun behind the podium we were doing well and the only problem I had was coping with the other flashers around me as the mums and dads took pix of their sailors. Auto flash doesn't like any one else's flash return but it's own and the extra flash's going off were troublesome. Hi ho.
Here are the photo's ....enjoy
A great affair at Grill'd, a burger shack that serves good food and cold beer on the waterfront in Mandurah.
Apart from the setting sun behind the podium we were doing well and the only problem I had was coping with the other flashers around me as the mums and dads took pix of their sailors. Auto flash doesn't like any one else's flash return but it's own and the extra flash's going off were troublesome. Hi ho.
Here are the photo's ....enjoy
Hi all, half way there with a look at the day ( Sunday) on the water and a very special effort put in by Swifto. The presentations will get done shortly.
Once again Hughie put in an appearance and gave up a moderate seabreeze that really did put smiles on everyones dials. RO Ross Wilson had the game under way on time and with out further ado the sailors were at it again. The main interest of course was in the gold fleet radials where Alistair Young had only to get a first or similar to wrap up the top, incidentally toppling one of the radial greats in modern times, Tristan Brown who knew that it was going to be hard, but no one knew how well Alistair would perform in this regatta. We know now. If the problems that beset Alistair in the second race had occurred in the first race when he had trouble at the top mark and dropped behind almost all the fleet, then the tension would have been unbearable, but as it was the smile on his face was huge. Well Sailed!
To the 4.7's who stayed out in seas that towered over your heads and in breezes that threatened to rip your rigs to pieces. I salute you....... the learning curve you finished this regatta will serve you for the rest of your lives. And wasn't it great the day you mastered that effortless slide down the face of the swell to launch off the top of another?
To Tom Burton - the stamp of your prowess on this regatta has shown the hallmarks of your hard work and you are now the bench mark. Matt Wearne won't forget this regatta and has learnt that he can if he wants to. To Luke, Ryan and company. Great sailing and to all the Masters; Apprentices through to GG Masters, a great show was put on to motivate the younger sailors around you.
Again I thank MOFSC, WALA and the Aust. Laser Assoc. for inviting me to cover the event. A great week on the water.
And before I go... Swifto was looking for a ride on the way out to the course on Sunday.... So we gave him one.
The picture show is called Hike You B........rd!
Once again Hughie put in an appearance and gave up a moderate seabreeze that really did put smiles on everyones dials. RO Ross Wilson had the game under way on time and with out further ado the sailors were at it again. The main interest of course was in the gold fleet radials where Alistair Young had only to get a first or similar to wrap up the top, incidentally toppling one of the radial greats in modern times, Tristan Brown who knew that it was going to be hard, but no one knew how well Alistair would perform in this regatta. We know now. If the problems that beset Alistair in the second race had occurred in the first race when he had trouble at the top mark and dropped behind almost all the fleet, then the tension would have been unbearable, but as it was the smile on his face was huge. Well Sailed!
To the 4.7's who stayed out in seas that towered over your heads and in breezes that threatened to rip your rigs to pieces. I salute you....... the learning curve you finished this regatta will serve you for the rest of your lives. And wasn't it great the day you mastered that effortless slide down the face of the swell to launch off the top of another?
To Tom Burton - the stamp of your prowess on this regatta has shown the hallmarks of your hard work and you are now the bench mark. Matt Wearne won't forget this regatta and has learnt that he can if he wants to. To Luke, Ryan and company. Great sailing and to all the Masters; Apprentices through to GG Masters, a great show was put on to motivate the younger sailors around you.
Again I thank MOFSC, WALA and the Aust. Laser Assoc. for inviting me to cover the event. A great week on the water.
And before I go... Swifto was looking for a ride on the way out to the course on Sunday.... So we gave him one.
The picture show is called Hike You B........rd!
Saturday the 3rd of January
The wind arrived with a bang around ten minutes to one and the thoughts of a soft day went out the window mighty quickly.
The RO Ross Wilson put the course on hold until the breeze settled and it did, with a fair bit of south in it. This meant that the LH side was even more favoured and only the brave sailor went out into the right to try to improve his or her lot. A big swell picked up as well and the waves over the reef area were real hollow backs, you'd go through one and look at the front of the next looming over your head. Speed was the thing and if you had it, punching through the swell was the way to go but it put a lot of strain on your equipment and more than one mast succumbed on the course today. Then there was the gear breakage issue as well. Outhauls, rudders, vangs etc.
Matt Wearne sailed well today taking two races from Tom Burton, stamping his mark on second place as did Luke Elliott for third. He was right there in the mix and is still working on the trick of getting past Tom and Matt and staying there. Brody Riley of Victoria has the 4.7's tied up , but the interest is in the radials as Alistair Young continues to improve. Not every one can get past Tristan Brown and Tristan never gives up. Alistair has a fight on his hands on Sunday and I'd like to be there at the finish.
The Masters are fairing well and though some retired rather than face another exhausting race, they have sailed really well and the ones who are going for the top level stayed out and worked hard.
Before I forget. I'd like to pass my thanks to the MOFSC community for the generous welcome I've had. To Kate Lathouras' Mum and Dad, Mike and Claire who gave me their boat to sleep on over the regatta, to the regatta staff who put up with my requests for information and generally kept me going in the right direction. To the over worked and sometimes unappreciated canteen volunteers ....good tucker and thank you. To RO Ross Wilson who let me drive across the start line with the camera at hand. What a blast! To Mikael and Tim event director and GM at MOFSC. Good company and astute advice. To Mikael again as my driver for the first four days and to Greg ( the wise man ) who has taught me so much about the weather and sailing that is particular to Mandurah. And last of all the members at the club. Great people. Thank you one and all.
Enjoy the photo's
The wind arrived with a bang around ten minutes to one and the thoughts of a soft day went out the window mighty quickly.
The RO Ross Wilson put the course on hold until the breeze settled and it did, with a fair bit of south in it. This meant that the LH side was even more favoured and only the brave sailor went out into the right to try to improve his or her lot. A big swell picked up as well and the waves over the reef area were real hollow backs, you'd go through one and look at the front of the next looming over your head. Speed was the thing and if you had it, punching through the swell was the way to go but it put a lot of strain on your equipment and more than one mast succumbed on the course today. Then there was the gear breakage issue as well. Outhauls, rudders, vangs etc.
Matt Wearne sailed well today taking two races from Tom Burton, stamping his mark on second place as did Luke Elliott for third. He was right there in the mix and is still working on the trick of getting past Tom and Matt and staying there. Brody Riley of Victoria has the 4.7's tied up , but the interest is in the radials as Alistair Young continues to improve. Not every one can get past Tristan Brown and Tristan never gives up. Alistair has a fight on his hands on Sunday and I'd like to be there at the finish.
The Masters are fairing well and though some retired rather than face another exhausting race, they have sailed really well and the ones who are going for the top level stayed out and worked hard.
Before I forget. I'd like to pass my thanks to the MOFSC community for the generous welcome I've had. To Kate Lathouras' Mum and Dad, Mike and Claire who gave me their boat to sleep on over the regatta, to the regatta staff who put up with my requests for information and generally kept me going in the right direction. To the over worked and sometimes unappreciated canteen volunteers ....good tucker and thank you. To RO Ross Wilson who let me drive across the start line with the camera at hand. What a blast! To Mikael and Tim event director and GM at MOFSC. Good company and astute advice. To Mikael again as my driver for the first four days and to Greg ( the wise man ) who has taught me so much about the weather and sailing that is particular to Mandurah. And last of all the members at the club. Great people. Thank you one and all.
Enjoy the photo's
Here are a few photos of life at the club while we aren't racing.
Friday the 2nd of January 2015
It's not too often that you have the luxury of saying that it's champagne sailing.
I've heard it said so often over the last few days, I don't want to utter the words. But yes it is.
Bl$%dy champagne sailing. The seabreeze has not failed and the strength has been in a band of 12 to 20 knots (with variation). Sure we've had gusts above that and the swell has made the racing interesting to say the least.
However, the Radials have been given their gold and silver split. As expected, the heavies are in gold and the first day saw a battle between the young bull and the old bull. The score was one apiece. The other interested parties are watching from the wings and are happy to snipe at the top two when the chance is offered. Mark Kennedy of Q'land still leads the Masters and is working hard to improve his score above 9th place.
Full rigs. The only change is that Luke Elliott will have to look over his shoulder as Ryan Palk is getting closer. Up front; it's still a close call, but Matt is beginning to close the gap on the down winds and that's where he can win. The Masters enjoyed the day and were seen on the water ( in one case ) with a coke between races. Well done to Victorian Gavin Dagley who holds 13th spot on the list from Grant Lovelady of WA with David Whait 2 spots behind.
The 4.7's still have the Victorian, Brody Riley up front, with Caelin Winchcombe having to battle with Jordan Makin of NSW for second. Caelin took a seventh in the first race which took him down to third , from where he can easily spring back.
Enjoy the images.
It's not too often that you have the luxury of saying that it's champagne sailing.
I've heard it said so often over the last few days, I don't want to utter the words. But yes it is.
Bl$%dy champagne sailing. The seabreeze has not failed and the strength has been in a band of 12 to 20 knots (with variation). Sure we've had gusts above that and the swell has made the racing interesting to say the least.
However, the Radials have been given their gold and silver split. As expected, the heavies are in gold and the first day saw a battle between the young bull and the old bull. The score was one apiece. The other interested parties are watching from the wings and are happy to snipe at the top two when the chance is offered. Mark Kennedy of Q'land still leads the Masters and is working hard to improve his score above 9th place.
Full rigs. The only change is that Luke Elliott will have to look over his shoulder as Ryan Palk is getting closer. Up front; it's still a close call, but Matt is beginning to close the gap on the down winds and that's where he can win. The Masters enjoyed the day and were seen on the water ( in one case ) with a coke between races. Well done to Victorian Gavin Dagley who holds 13th spot on the list from Grant Lovelady of WA with David Whait 2 spots behind.
The 4.7's still have the Victorian, Brody Riley up front, with Caelin Winchcombe having to battle with Jordan Makin of NSW for second. Caelin took a seventh in the first race which took him down to third , from where he can easily spring back.
Enjoy the images.
Wednesday the 31st of December
Thank the lord for lay days. Sleep deprivation finally caught up with me and I crashed at 2000 hrs.
So I'm a little late getting this up and my apologies to you all and what a day it was to be out in the water.
No one was worried about the fact that dogs were being blown off chains and the sea was humping to 3 meters. This is WA where it's part of the deal. Mind you one or two of the Masters were reluctant, but it was more about the age of their gear I suspect rather than their fitness level.
With a good 20 knots on the board and 230 degrees on the back of the boat the RO had no hesitation in getting the Lasers on their way and there was another incentive in his mind as a rolling bank of cloud could be seen down south. This was being monitored by Greg at the club closely and Mikael the event director was keeping the RO posted to any significant changes.
The first race had its first upset in the radials when Conor Nicholas got past Tristan Brown for the win. It was going to happen eventually but Conor blew everything he had, with not so fatal consequences, later on. Matt Wearne kept on trying and it appears that he was working on his down wind techniques as Tom Burton wasn't getting that far ahead. Still a win to Tom in the first race and well done. Ashley Stoddart has been sailing well and picked up the first of her two 3rds today with a convincing placing behind Conor and Stuart Plenderleith. However the young gun Alistair Young has taken all before him and will be putting all on notice when they post the Gold and Silver fleets on Friday. The 4.7's have seen Caelin Winchcombe come in from the cold as his performance picks up and he's split the two interstate sailors by taking second. Well Done! Zoe Thomson continues to push her ability as she's the top female in this 50 strong fleet and has handled all that has been dealt out in the way of wind and water. A credit I think to the training meted out by the Freo coaches getting people used to the wave states. A nod also to one of our visitors from HK who currently lies 4th, Nicholas Bezy. Good sailing and tactical knowledge.
Now to the Standards.. It had to happen. First race went to Tom Burton and then Matt struck back in the second by taking the lead and keeping it down wind and all. Here's hoping he can keep on doing it. Behind these two is the young man from Esperance, Luke Elliott, who has showed that persistence pays off and pushed all the time. It's helped him past Palk, Spearman, Kennedy and O'Connell; all of whom have pushed for the very spot he now occupies. The Masters are marvellous. Very few complaints and I'd say they stayed in the showers a little longer to soak out the pain from the day. At present no less than 5 masters or apprentices are in the top 20 in the Standards. Keep it going guys. As for the radials, same deal with three ( including a world champ ) in the top 20 and a very surprised Dave Luketina as the 20th. He mentioned yesterday that he was pleased to be there, but he queried his fitness level as "he hadn't been sailing much recently." Doesn't matter Dave, keep on hanging in there.
Thank the lord for lay days. Sleep deprivation finally caught up with me and I crashed at 2000 hrs.
So I'm a little late getting this up and my apologies to you all and what a day it was to be out in the water.
No one was worried about the fact that dogs were being blown off chains and the sea was humping to 3 meters. This is WA where it's part of the deal. Mind you one or two of the Masters were reluctant, but it was more about the age of their gear I suspect rather than their fitness level.
With a good 20 knots on the board and 230 degrees on the back of the boat the RO had no hesitation in getting the Lasers on their way and there was another incentive in his mind as a rolling bank of cloud could be seen down south. This was being monitored by Greg at the club closely and Mikael the event director was keeping the RO posted to any significant changes.
The first race had its first upset in the radials when Conor Nicholas got past Tristan Brown for the win. It was going to happen eventually but Conor blew everything he had, with not so fatal consequences, later on. Matt Wearne kept on trying and it appears that he was working on his down wind techniques as Tom Burton wasn't getting that far ahead. Still a win to Tom in the first race and well done. Ashley Stoddart has been sailing well and picked up the first of her two 3rds today with a convincing placing behind Conor and Stuart Plenderleith. However the young gun Alistair Young has taken all before him and will be putting all on notice when they post the Gold and Silver fleets on Friday. The 4.7's have seen Caelin Winchcombe come in from the cold as his performance picks up and he's split the two interstate sailors by taking second. Well Done! Zoe Thomson continues to push her ability as she's the top female in this 50 strong fleet and has handled all that has been dealt out in the way of wind and water. A credit I think to the training meted out by the Freo coaches getting people used to the wave states. A nod also to one of our visitors from HK who currently lies 4th, Nicholas Bezy. Good sailing and tactical knowledge.
Now to the Standards.. It had to happen. First race went to Tom Burton and then Matt struck back in the second by taking the lead and keeping it down wind and all. Here's hoping he can keep on doing it. Behind these two is the young man from Esperance, Luke Elliott, who has showed that persistence pays off and pushed all the time. It's helped him past Palk, Spearman, Kennedy and O'Connell; all of whom have pushed for the very spot he now occupies. The Masters are marvellous. Very few complaints and I'd say they stayed in the showers a little longer to soak out the pain from the day. At present no less than 5 masters or apprentices are in the top 20 in the Standards. Keep it going guys. As for the radials, same deal with three ( including a world champ ) in the top 20 and a very surprised Dave Luketina as the 20th. He mentioned yesterday that he was pleased to be there, but he queried his fitness level as "he hadn't been sailing much recently." Doesn't matter Dave, keep on hanging in there.
Tuesday the 30th of December
A day of two halves .
After the terrible prediction of 39 degrees and easterlies, it was a pleasant surprise to see a weak sea breeze wafting in mid morning. Sure it was hot, but there was a promise in the air.
The first race kicked off in a sou wester that had may be 10 to 14 knots and was a day for the lighter sailors to enjoy. As Mikael the event director commented... new players today!
And so it was, as the standard rigs were a lot closer together and the Masters were in the pack hustling for space. Good stuff. The same could be said in the radials as the lighter sailors were enjoying the racing and while the top guns were right up there, it was evident that the younger talent could keep up. As for the 4.7's they were all upright and humming along. By the close of the first race the breeze was down to 10 knots if that.
As I was photographing some finishes, the sea breeze returned. 20 knots at least and speaking to other people around the course it might have been bigger for that first half an hour or so. Boats falling over.. masts broken.. people retiring it was all happening. During this, the rolling start was still under way and the radials were pouring over the start line like startled sheep. What a day it turned out to be. Couldn't separate Matt and Tom, they were joined at the hip, and the spectacular battles they had on the water were the highlight of the day.
Still more action when a boatie decided to wander across the fleet and had to be herded off the course. Even the coaches were pressed into service helping the safety boats and all issues were solved quickly and quietly.
After returning to shore I stood on the embankment fronting the sea shore and spoke to a mum ( of one of the visiting junior sailors). She asked..."Is this a very breezy day?" "Not really," I replied , "just the normal seabreeze we get here. If you want big breezes go to Esperance or Geraldton."
Enjoy the images
A day of two halves .
After the terrible prediction of 39 degrees and easterlies, it was a pleasant surprise to see a weak sea breeze wafting in mid morning. Sure it was hot, but there was a promise in the air.
The first race kicked off in a sou wester that had may be 10 to 14 knots and was a day for the lighter sailors to enjoy. As Mikael the event director commented... new players today!
And so it was, as the standard rigs were a lot closer together and the Masters were in the pack hustling for space. Good stuff. The same could be said in the radials as the lighter sailors were enjoying the racing and while the top guns were right up there, it was evident that the younger talent could keep up. As for the 4.7's they were all upright and humming along. By the close of the first race the breeze was down to 10 knots if that.
As I was photographing some finishes, the sea breeze returned. 20 knots at least and speaking to other people around the course it might have been bigger for that first half an hour or so. Boats falling over.. masts broken.. people retiring it was all happening. During this, the rolling start was still under way and the radials were pouring over the start line like startled sheep. What a day it turned out to be. Couldn't separate Matt and Tom, they were joined at the hip, and the spectacular battles they had on the water were the highlight of the day.
Still more action when a boatie decided to wander across the fleet and had to be herded off the course. Even the coaches were pressed into service helping the safety boats and all issues were solved quickly and quietly.
After returning to shore I stood on the embankment fronting the sea shore and spoke to a mum ( of one of the visiting junior sailors). She asked..."Is this a very breezy day?" "Not really," I replied , "just the normal seabreeze we get here. If you want big breezes go to Esperance or Geraldton."
Enjoy the images
Monday the 29th of December
The Sea breeze is in! No doubt about it and with only a day off tomorrow in the easterlies we will be back into the south westerlies by Wednesday.
My gods weren't smiling on me today. At first I thought they were when Mikael announced that we were going out on a stable platform that wasn't as wet and that we had the main event of Burton vs Wearne about to occur in front of us. I was willing and away we went. By the time we had hit the top mark the world had fallen in and we had to return to deal with another issue I'm sure you will be aware of by now. By the time Mike was ready to return to the water, thanks to some fast work by the race management team the second races had started and we would have had half the second race to photograph. So I decided to work on other material and get these up and ready to go.
I'll be looking at the radials and 4.7's in particular tomorrow. Look at how close Tom and Matt were ... and they were like that all the time. Even from the Observation tower at the club the battle was never ending. A question Matt.. when you finally do catch him... what then?
The Sea breeze is in! No doubt about it and with only a day off tomorrow in the easterlies we will be back into the south westerlies by Wednesday.
My gods weren't smiling on me today. At first I thought they were when Mikael announced that we were going out on a stable platform that wasn't as wet and that we had the main event of Burton vs Wearne about to occur in front of us. I was willing and away we went. By the time we had hit the top mark the world had fallen in and we had to return to deal with another issue I'm sure you will be aware of by now. By the time Mike was ready to return to the water, thanks to some fast work by the race management team the second races had started and we would have had half the second race to photograph. So I decided to work on other material and get these up and ready to go.
I'll be looking at the radials and 4.7's in particular tomorrow. Look at how close Tom and Matt were ... and they were like that all the time. Even from the Observation tower at the club the battle was never ending. A question Matt.. when you finally do catch him... what then?
Sunday the 28th of December.
A great day to be down in Mandurah at the MOFSC. The breeze was already in ( from the south ) and was starting to pump a little as it swung into the Sou west. The assembled volunteers were briefed, questions answered and they were sent on their way with only the sailors to be covered at 12.30. Lunches were handed out and bottles of water grabbed as the brave ones headed out onto the water...... Did I say brave, well the Mandurah weather obs were saying 14 to 18 knots at the most, but on the water it may have been blowing a little harder.. like 20 knots and the swell was great to surf the dinghies on.
No matter, we got onto the water and I was riding with the event director Mikael Lundt who had made himself available to take me around the water for my first look at Comet Bay. What a venue! A little hook in the land at the top of the bay bending the breeze, (you're mad not to go left here he said) and a bit of current to make it more interesting. And above all the swell that would lift you up to the top and drop you to the bottom in a matter of seconds. Once the race management team headed by RO Ross Wilson had settled the course, we started counting heads and most of the Standard rigs had opted to sit the day out.. but not so the Radials and 4.7's. At least half were on the water or may be more and I was chuffed to see some heavies out there cutting up the water.
Have a look at the pix and enjoy the action. There's lots more to come.