"Dear all,

I’m aware there are some concerns about the number of qualifying places available to each country particularly given the overall limit of 85 set by the RHKYC.  

We can all play with the maths and potential scenarios but in my opinion the total number of boats including Classics and Silvers that will sail in this event is very unlikely to exceed 85 and therefore the qualifying rules will not be called upon.  

I know it seems that the new qualifying rules reduce some countries entitlements but in reality they will actually open up more spots even with the total limit of 85 because the fact remains most countries will not take up their quota.

it is imperative that any boat wishing to sail this event places their entry before the closing date which will be June 1st, 2013.

on this date we will know the exact situation and will be able to advise.  this will still provide plenty of time to organise flights, accomodation and containers."

51st Australian Championship

A win in the last race wins the Championship for Adam Hawkins & Ben Jones .

The Melbourne weather forecast was for heat and no wind on Thursday and that is exactly what we had, so International Race Officer Alan Carlisle kept the fleet on the beach and racing was eventually postponed to the next day.
Fridays forecast was for 40 degrees and a hot northerly that eventually came in and settled enough for the fleet to get away around 1230. There were plenty of shifts and a few pressure holes to challenge the fleet in the first race, which built to 18-22kts. The swell was the best we had seen all week and there were a few post-race stories about the exciting downwind rides and a few boats opting not to go down the face of some waves! Yet it was Lake Burley Griffin sailors Matt Owen and Andrew Reed who crossed the line first making them the 6th winner from 7 races and moving them into 3rd place overall.
Peter Milne and Phil Dubbin finished second ahead of Chris Paterson and Rupert Leslie in Storyteller, with the regatta leaders having to settle for 5th place behind Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones. Unfortunately the Rainey brothers had outhaul problems putting them back in the middle of the fleet and into 4th place on the point’s table.In the Silver Fleet Queenslanders Larry Bardsley and Paul Webster sailing Turning Vehicle had their first win, and as the conditions took its toll several boats retired to the shore.

 The 8th and final race brought a few surprises and cheers as Rob Radnell and young crew Sam Danks rounded the top mark in first place and hanging on downhill to round the bottom mark in 4th and eventually finishing 16th. While Hawkins and Jones alongside Coutts and Maskiell moved into the lead, some of the fleet found themselves out to the left of the course and overlaid the top mark with a few of the leading boats finding that mid fleet fight hard to keep their positions. The final 8th race enabled a second discard, the top 6 from race 6 did not change, but their order did, with Hawkins/Jones winning overall from Smith and Kingston who had lead the regatta from race 1. 2012 Champion Matt Owen sailing with Andrew Reed moved into 3rd place with Rainey brothers 4th. A tie for 5th place between Thompson/Taylor and Milne/Dubbin started a countback, both had a first place but it was the result of race 7 that broke the tie with Milne/Dubbin having a second place beating Thompson/Taylors’ 3rd place for race 2, there was plenty of post regatta banter between the boat park neighbours!
It was Hawkins and Jones 3rd attempt at the Australian Championship and they dedicated their win to Adam’s father, thanking their families for their support. Flying 15 Australian President Peter Rooke thanked Daveys Bay Yacht Club for a great regatta and in particular the terrific club volunteers who helped the regatta run smoothly.

The 2013 Australian Championship will be held at Lake Macquarie in NSW.

Day 4 - 2nd January Well it looked like it was going to be another light day, but by the time the days race session started at 1200 it was a SW at12kts and quickly built to a solid16-18kts with seas like a washing machine. The first race was all over at the first mark when Peter Milne and Phil Dubbin sailing Lapse of Reality rounded clear and increased their lead at every mark to redeem themselves after yesterdays lapse in concentration. As the leaders looked around for Where The Bloody Hell Are You, the Rainey brothers were on shore to fix a spinnaker retriever problem. Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones showed us that training through the winter does make a difference to boat handling skills finishing second and ahead of the regatta leaders Smith and Kingston in Sake.  A gust over 20kts and a lapse in concentration further back in the fleet had some people holding their breath when Lean and Mean had a little lie down with the spinnaker up, Doug said he was checking the bottom of the boat, yet Greg admitted he had to pull his skipper on board twice in one day! The bigger breeze suited Chris Paterson and Rupert Leslie in Storyteller in 4th place and brought new faces to the top 10 including Mark Daly and Chris Schwarz in 6th and Andrew Coutts and James Maskiell sailing Surprise in 7th. It was Surprise who led the fleet for most of the second race but could not hold back Hawkins and Jones who recorded their second win for the regatta, closely followed by Matt Owen and Andrew Reed in The Wife’s Fault who move up to 4th on the leader board. But it was the Silver Fleet who drew the most applause in the after race daily presentations, they have 5 different winners over the 6 races. The first race today was won by Rob Radnell sailing with 15 year old Sam Danks in Fast Forward, and the second race was won by Eelke Wouda and Bruce Wales in Think Big.  The weather forecast for the last 2 days of the regatta is for extreme heat and very little wind. Day 3 -  New Years Day Conditions for Day 2 of racing at Davey’s Bay were 5-8 knots from the SW, but the swell that had built up from the overnight winds made for a difficult day’s racing. A change of sailing instructions brought the first race forward to midday, which made life interesting for those who celebrated the start of the New Year late into the night.   Third time lucky for the start of Race 3, after two general recalls the fleet headed into a black flag start. Ashley Smith and Adam Kingston were first to the top mark and definitely the ones to catch, followed by Sue Thompson and Cam Taylor in the shifty conditions which saw numerous position changes. A mix up at the leeward gate after the final reach saw two boats round the wrong mark and head upwind towards the finish line. Peter Milne suffered the most after realising his mistake, going from a strong 4th he re-hoisted his kite and rounded the correct mark, finishing 22nd in race 3. But in the light and sloppy conditions Jim Callahan and Andrew Peck (nephew of Nigel Peck, recipient of the Uffa Fox Medal) made up ground when it counted and scored their first race win ahead of Smith and Kingston, followed by David Tabb from the UK sailing with Davey’s Bay Commodore Scott Lidgett with the ever consistent Rainey brothers finishing 4th.   Race  4 saw dual Olympian Jeni Danks, sailing with husband Peter, leading the fleet at every mark. Jeni remarked “It’s so much easier up in front!” back on shore, but her lead was taken in the duel to the finish by Victorian State Champions Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones sailing ‘Idswapthisforabundy’. The top ten was made up of the usual suspects plus some newcomers; British team Ian Cleaver and Steve Jobson, David Williamson and Craig Morton and Chris Hall sailing with highly sought after crew, sixteen year old John Radnell. Competition is so tight after four races we have four different winners.

Race 6

Day 2 - 31^st December

If yesterday’s conditions were perfect then todays could be described as magic!
 Racing started early at 11am with a 7-10kt SW breeze which fluctuated in pressure and direction enough to keep the fleet on their toes, or tearing their hair out depending where you were. But it was the wind pressure that made the difference as the fleet split, some heading straight for the shore, while others played the shifts out to sea.
 In the first race it was local pair Mark Daly and Chris Schwarz who rounded first with Sue Thompson and Cameron Taylor in Ark close behind. With three windward returns to complete Mark and Chris crept back to mid fleet while WA combination Chris Paterson and Rupert Leslie in (aptly named) “Storyteller” quickly worked their magic downwind and lead for the rest of the race. However, when there was no victorious hooter for Storyteller, it was Sue and Cam who took out the race as the WA pair were OCS.
 Gippsland Lake brothers Craig and Ian Rainy did battle with Queenslanders Ashley Smith and Adam Kingston in the final stretch to the finish to complete the top 3. Yesterdays clear winners, Adam Hawkins and Ben Jones, were not as comfortable in the lighter conditions but managed to work their way through to finish 5th just behind OK Dinghy Class stalwart Peter Milne and crew Phil Dubbin. There were plenty of stories of gaining 10 places just to lose them again, but it was Grand Master Bill Shand who made sure he moved up the fleet at the right time and finished 10th.
 The second race started with a few more knots but it only lasted for the first lap. A gutsy port start for the Queensland pair of Smith and Kingston saw them at the first mark with Sue and Cam and the battle continued for the whole race. Dale Collings and Glenn Sheen in Aussie Falcon had a better race as did our international visitor David Tabb sailing with Davey’s Bay YC Commodore Scott Lidgett.
 A couple of port and starboard incidents, touched marks and busy gate rounding’s kept the mid fleet amused while the Rainy brothers skilfully worked their way through the downwind pack to the finish narrowly beating Sue and Cam who had to settle for 3rd. Aussie Falcon hung on to 4th but it was current champion Matt Owen who looked the most relieved when he crossed in 5th place after being in double digits in the morning.
 2 races are scheduled for New Years Day.

Day 1 - 30th December 2012 - Invitation Race for the Uffa Fox Trophy