WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.

WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
Newsletter and Circuit Guide
WT Postal Address:
KDC 2001
Kingston
Tasmania 7050
Included in this Issue:
• President’s report
• Report from the AWA
Results 2002-2003
• National Formula Windsurfing
Championships
• Smackfest – a tribal gathering
• State racing titles
• KA Sail ‘Dash-for-Cash’
Articles and information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tasmanian Wavesailing News
Tasmanian Formula Windsurfing News
Sandy Bay Sailing Club Report
Leven Yacht Club Report
Pittwater speedway – the need for speed
Sydney-to-Hobart (welcoming the fleet)
Advertising your second-hand sailing gear
Windsurfing websites
Membership information
Tasmanian Circuit Guide for 2003-2004
Membership form for 2003-2004
For sale/Wanted to buy ‘form’
Notice of Series 2003-2004
•
State Formula Windsurfing and Slalom titles
This newsletter and circuit guide is produced once a
year by Windsurfing Tasmania Inc. and is supported
by our advertisers - please support them. To see this
newsletter in full colour, check out the AWA website.
If you would like to be taken off the mailing list, you
know someone who would like to be on the mailing
list or your address has changed let WT know.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
2003-2004
WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
Office bearers (2003-2004)
President:
Secretary:
Public Officer:
Treasurer:
Dave Morehead
Stuart Gordon
Fenton Jones
Sue Charles
Committee Members:
Anthony Perkins
Tony Fitzgerald
Steve Charles
Ian Johnson
Michael Ashbolt
Ian Ross
Race Committee:
Jack Van Ek
Tony Fitzgerald
Geraldine Morehead
Ian Johnston
Anthony Perkins
Steve Charles
AWA representative:
Dave Morehead
Wavesailing representative:
Anthony Houston
Formula Windsurfing rep:
Steve Charles
Slalom representative:
Anthony Perkins
Publicity:
K. Midson/A. Perkins/T. Fitzgerald
Website coordinator:
Keith Midson
Newsletter editor:
Dave Morehead
Advertising:
Steve Charles
SBSC representative:
Stuart Gordon
LYC representative:
Ian Johnston
If you want to help organise social events, sailing events
or whatever, contact WT and get involved. For
information on advertising contact Steve Charles ph 6223
1746. Send articles and photos for the next newsletter to
WT at:
[email protected]
President’s Report
It’s that time of the year again when the odd ‘perfect day’
makes us all think to the summer ahead and, for those
who haven’t braved the cold over winter, about getting
the windsurfing gear back out of the shed. Interestingly,
all around the world windsurfing appears to be making a
comeback. Part of the reason for this resurgence appears
to be the ease of use and range of conditions that some of
the newer kit can be sailed. The main difference with the
modern board of today, whether learning, racing, freeriding or in the waves, is that they are getting wider and
shorter. This makes them more stable and quicker to get
up on the plane. Couple this with light-weight rigs that
have a whole lot more range, and good fins to match the
width of the boards, and windsurfing has never been
more fun. ‘But what about the cost?’. Well, it’s not a lot
more for your average kit (sail, mast, boom and board)
now than it was 10 years ago – and yet it is so much
better.
Page 1
Looking back on last season, Tasmania certainly got its
fair share of the windsurfing limelight. We hosted, backto-back,
the
Australian
Formula
Windsurfing
Championships and the Australian Wavesailing
Championships. This was a real coup for Tasmania,
attracting two of the most coveted events of the year and
running them one after the other to maximise competitor
participation. With over 80 entrants, these events were a
great success.
Then there was ‘Smackfest’, an extreme wavesailing
event. This event followed on from the wavesailing
Nationals, but attracted a ‘slightly different breed’ of
extreme sailor, including professional wavesailor Peter
Volwater.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Events
Tasmania for their support with all three of these events.
With their continued support Tasmania can look forward
to many more events of National and International
standing.
Events such as Smackfest have really put Tassie on the
map internationally and have got a lot of people
Phil McGain testing out the waters off Sandy Bay
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
wondering what all of the fuss is about. So much so that
photos of high profile sailors ‘going-off’ at Marrawah have
started appearing in overseas magazines (three at last
count). As the editor of the UK’s Windsurf magazine put
it, “it seems like every professional and his dog went to
Tasmania”.
Included were: Peter Volwater (Smackfest); Jason
Polakow, Greg Alloway and Robby Swift (just checking
the place out); and Nic Baker, Micah Buzianis and Mark
Paul (part of a North Sails photo-shoot). This sort of
exposure, including an eight-page article of the NW coast
of Tas in one magazine, has put us on the map as having
world class wavesailing conditions. For more on the
adventures of these sailors while in Tasmania checkout:
•
•
•
http://www.smackfest.net/story01.html
http://www.jp-australia.com/news/newsSUM03-02.htm
www.windsurfingmag.com – under Bonus coverage
Moving to matters more local, WT held its AGM at
Stanley in March earlier this year. These meetings
always seem to take too long, so we tried to rush through,
but still it went for hours. Office bearers were elected, or
re-elected in many instances. Special thanks must go to
Geraldine Morehead who stepped down as Treasurer
after managing WT’s finances for the last six years.
Speaking of finances, a special thanks also goes to KPMG
who provided our first ever audit (which we passed with
flying colours) for free. Subscriptions were discussed and
it was moved that membership costs be increased from
$30 to $35, WT-organised event fees stand at $10 and
that annual membership that includes free entry to all
WT events be increased from $70 to $75.
The format for the State Titles (racing) was also
discussed and again remains extremely simple –
minimum of 8 knots required to race, maximum sail size
of 12.5 m, any board allowed and the race committee to
decide when to race Formula (upwind-downwind) or
Slalom (figure of eight). On the topic of racing, I’d like to
take this opportunity to invite any of you who are reading
this now that haven’t raced lately, to think about coming
along and having a go. It’s a heap of fun and a great
chance for people to get together and get out on the
water. Just check out the circuit guide or your local
Page 2
Carr sails
australia
Windsurfing
Specialising in wind powered sports
A large range of good brands available
{fins
MISTRAL {boards} NORTH {masts boom sails}
AHD {boards} NORTH SHORE
harnesses quiver bags}
{boards} ALEEDA {wet suits}
NAISH {boards sails}
STARBOARD
{harnesses quiver bags harness lines}
CHINOOK {products} PRO LIMITS
F2 {boards}
DA KINE {foot straps harnesses harness lines}
ALSO: FANATIC, POWEREX, FLYING OBJECTS,SEVERNE sails,SELECT fins
Call Anthony Perkins for details 03 6428 6985 (after hours)
racing at the LYC or SBSC to see what events might best
suit you.
In 2002 WT bought a START windsurfer board with the
Sandy Bay Sailing Club and last season WT bought
another START with the Leven Yacht Club. We see this
as an excellent way of providing young kids (and adults)
an opportunity to try out the new ‘wide-style’ boards that
are now available. As mentioned earlier, these boards
really make it easy to get up and go and, as ones skill
level increases, these boards still pack a heap of
performance. These boards are now available for anyone
to try on race days, so come along to either the SBSC in
the south or the LYC in the North and give one a go, or if
you want to introduce a friend to the sport, bring them
along and let them have a go.
Well, that’s about it from me. I hope you enjoy reading
the newsletter and that it helps to keep you up to date
with what’s happening.
by Dave Morehead
Report from the AWA
Season 2003/2004 - where’s it at? Well, it looks like being
a very big year for windsurfing around Australia, and
with good reason.
A strong competition circuit has progressively re-emerged
over the last few seasons with the continued growth of
Formula Windsurfing as a practical form or racing in the
widest range of conditions, and interstate rivalry at the
top National level is now a very real thing ! Aussie (expat
?) Steve Allen’s victory a couple of weeks ago in the 2003
FW Worlds at Dranske, Germany and Phil McGain’s
continued presence at the front of the international fleets
just show how far some of the locals have gone in the
ultra-competitive international environment.
Local FW racing really kicks into gear here in the coming
month.
With
confirmation
of
the
established
SailMelbourne FW event as the first of the qualifier
events for next years FW World championships (read
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
more about this later), and combined with a very big FW
Nationals event in Sydney in January nest year, we
should have some really top riders and racers on the start
lines in the new year.
WA takes the national slalom championships on-board
this summer and, with the global trend back towards
speed and slalom, there is greater than average interest
in both equipment and participation in this classic
discipline too. New wider-wind-range slalom boards and
sails go a long way to answering the “minimum wind
range” issues that traditionally dogged slalom events
over past years.
Wavesailing doesn’t miss-out either. The growth of
regional events, such as Taranaki (NZ), Mambo and
Marrawah have reached demi-international proportions
amongst the core wavesailing crew (and a few party
animals). Taking the 2004 Wave Nationals to Robe next
April continues to add national recognition to this side of
our sport.
With the current spread of Kitesurfing as a highly visible
wind powered watersport, we could all be forgiven for
thinking that kites have taken away a significant portion
of the attraction of windsurfing to the average
participant. But the reality could be quite different.
Check out your local hotspots, and on any given day
you’re likely to find a good percentage of the local crew
just enjoying the casual pleasure of a great freeride or
bump and jump session – no comp, no race, no special
equipment, just out there and ripping it up with plenty of
practical fun. It’s all about that, too!
A couple of seasons into the widespread acceptance of
kites as a sport on the local scene, and instead of doom
and depression, it seems that the demand for new and
upgraded windsurf equipment is as strong or stronger
than ever! Kite’s have refocussed many peoples attention
to wind/watersports, have brought many new people onto
the water and reinspired many who have otherwise
drifted away. All good stuff.
Page 3
Formula Windsurfing Nationals
The Australian Formula Windsurfing
Championships were held in Hobart
from 19-23 January 2003. The five day
program commenced with registration
on the Sunday, and was followed by
four days of what can only be described
as ‘action-packed’ racing.
Registration
and
measuring
of
equipment was extremely efficient
with a maximum of three sails and
three fins being presented for
inspection and one board to be weighed to make sure it
complied with the strict (but simple) Formula tolerances.
A total of 43 competitors set the stage for some exciting
and competitive racing. The man to beat at this event
was Phil McGain, who has been competing on the
professional circuit since 1985 and is a former PWA
World Champion. Having just placed fifth overall in the
recent Formula Class World Championships in Germany
and winning the Masters division for the third year
straight, Phil was in top form.
Start of race during the Formula Windsurfing Nationals, Hobart Tasmania.
Access to our sport for beginners has never been easier or
more accessible, with newer, wide style boards readily
available from many manufacturers and, with these
proving very durable for resale, many good used boards
are drifting down through clubs or the second hand
market, getting more new riders out on the water sooner
than ever before. Key to the growth of our sport:
development of practical and affordable equipment for
entry level riders and this has been targeted specifically
by several of the most committed equipment
manufacturers.
Mon 20 Jan, Northerly winds, hot and gusty, at
times blowing over 40 knots.
Strong and gusty northerly winds blew down the River
Derwent allowing three races to be held. Everyone wisely
chose there smallest sails!! Phil McGain (USA) sailed
superbly to take out all three races, followed in the first
race by Mike Nelson (NSW) and in the next two by Steve
Charles (TAS). Sam Parker (NSW) sailed well with two
thirds and a fourth, followed by Dave Morehead (TAS)
with a third and two fourths. Coming in fifth place
overall after the first days racing was Brett Morris
(NSW). Summing up the day, Phil’s comments after the
race sort of say it all – ‘super windy at times, I couldn’t
even sail on my 9.8 at one stage, must have been up to
40’.
Our national association moves forward with a new
national insurance scheme, restoring the previously lost
“member to member” cover, whilst increased focus and
representation amongst the widespread community of
wavesailing members adds further balance to the overall
direction of the Association.
The future’s looking big and bright. At any level of
involvement, smile and have fun. There’s plenty out
there.
…… and make sure you check out all the latest news at
the
AWA
website
next
time
you
log
on:
www.windsurfing.org
by Ian Fox
President AWA
Tue 21 Jan, Gusty northwest winds 0-40 knots.
Squally winds allowed only one race to be completed,
2004 BO AR DS, S AILS & KITES
NO W AV AIL ABLE
AUTHO R ISED D E ALER
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CO M MITTED TO SUPPO RTING TASMANIA’S SAILO RS & KITERS
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Ph/Fax: 6223 4444
M obile: 0428500041
Em ail: info@ xsport.com.au
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 4
SAILBOARDING EQUIPMENT :
•Full range of current AHD, EXOCET, MISTRAL, FANATIC AND F2 Boards
•AEROTECH and EZZY sails
•CHINOOK booms and accessories
•SAIL REPAIRS and all SAILBOARDING ACCESSORIES
•COMPETITIVE PRICES (allow 2-5 days delivery)
Phone Damien 03 62 486840 Lauderdale
with the strong winds once again taking their toll and
only 12 of 43 sailors able to complete the race. Phil
McGain and Steve Charles took an early lead after
heading off on Port tack and out into a fresh breeze. With
some severe wind gusts blowing across the course, at one
point McGain got lifted going upwind and catapulted
through his 9.8 m sail, tearing a hole in it. Brett Morris
also got away with a great start and was able to stay in
touch with the leaders around the top mark. Despite the
hole in his sail, which was getting larger as the race
progressed, McGain held his lead in front of Steve
Charles round the bottom mark, with Brett Morris in
third place. With McGain still in the front at the
windward mark, he was able to keep his sail together
long enough to blast downwind to finish in first place,
followed by Brett Morris who managed to pick the right
lines downwind to sneak past Steve Charles and into
second place. Wayne Bowness (NSW) sailed solidly to
cross the line in fourth place ahead of Dave Morehead in
fifth.
By now many of the competitors were wondering what
they had got themselves into,
coming down to Hobart to sail
Formula
races
–
these
conditions weren’t exactly what
were hoped for. Nevertheless,
four races down and with one
drop, it was Phil McGain – 3
points, Steve Charles – 7 points,
Sam
Parker
and
Dave
Morehead – 11 points each and
Mike Nelson – 13 points.
the line before the second place-getter, Dave Morehead,
had rounded the final windward mark. Sam Parker came
in third, followed by Mike Nelson and Steve Charles.
During the second race the wind kept swinging in
direction. McGain sailed brilliantly to pick the shifts and
dominate the race, with Mike Nelson coming in second
and Sam Parker in third. Brett Morris kept his points
tally looking good, coming in fourth place with Cam
Harrison (NSW) sailing well to finish in fifth. Race seven
for the series was a real challenge, as the winds were now
coming more from the southwest (off-shore) and were still
gusty and shifting all over the place. Despite the
conditions, Phil McGain read the shifts to win once again.
Mike Nelson did well to finish in second place again,
followed by Steve Charles who had fought back after a
bad start. Dave Morehead sailed into fourth place with
Rick Murray (NSW) sailing his best race for the series
and taking out fifth place. Just when everyone was
starting to get used to the conditions (if that’s possible),
what appeared to be a seabreeze suddenly appeared with
a bang, bringing a consistent 30 knots straight up the
river. It was time to put the fleet to its first real test in
Wed 22 Jan, Shifty, gusty
northwest
to
southwest
winds 5-30 knots.
Competitors had a full day of
sailing today, with five races
held. Conditions were not ideal,
but gave everyone a challenge.
The first race saw all get off to a
clean start. McGain led the race
from start to finish and crossed
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 5
STEVE’S SAILBOARDS
Windsurfing equipment
FORMULA: WAVE: SLALOM: FREERIDE
Sails:
Boards:
Masts:
Booms:
Gaastra - limited stock of Nitro 4 Formula race sails available
KA - new 2004 sails just arrived
Starboard - new 2004 boards just arrived. Formula 158 available
November, pre orders taken now, don’t miss out.
Ignition - 520 and 550 race masts now available. Powerex. Fiberspar.
Fiberspar - carbon race booms to fit the largest Formula sails.
SPECIAL DEALS on new formula gear.
Contact Steve Charles on 0417136336 or email [email protected]
consistent winds. Phil McGain stormed the first upwind
leg, taking a commanding lead, with Dave Morehead in
second and Steve Charles in third. These three
maintained there positions to finish in that order. Mark
Trollope (NSW) finished a very credible forth, followed by
Brett Morris in fifth place. It was time for the wind to
start shifting again for race number nine. Mike Nelson
had a great start and picked the shifts to be first around
the windward mark ahead of Phil McGain and Steve
Charles. However, by the bottom mark, McGain had
taken the lead back. The next upwind leg provided a real
challenge for all with the winds continuing to shift back
and fourth. McGain, managed to keep his lead, while
Steve Charles sneaked ahead of Mike Nelson to pass in
second place round the windward mark. Mark Trollope
sailed from strength to strength to pass Mike Nelson and
finish in third place, his best race for the event, while
Sam Parker sailed into fifth.
At the end of the third day, with nine races down and two
drops, Phil McGain was in first place - 7 points; Steve
Charles was in second place – 20 points; Dave Morehead
was in third - 24 points; Mike Nelson was in fourth – 25
points; and Sam Parker was in fifth – 28 points. Anna
Davis was leading the women’s fleet in 23rd place overall.
Thursday 23 Jan, Southerly seabreeze, 7-12 knots.
The final day of racing saw weather conditions settle
down and provide the much awaited, consistent 7-12 knot
seabreeze. Mike Nelson hit the line with speed and was
away in the first race of the day, as was Parker, but
McGain was nowhere to be seen. After mistakes with the
starting flags, McGain was still relaxed at the pin end of
the line. Realising the fleet was away, McGain headed
out on port tack, well behind the fleet, but with his
superior board speed still managed to round the weather
mark in first place with Nelson and Parker close behind.
McGain continued to sail strong, finishing in first place
again – for the tenth time so far. Mike Nelson hung onto
second place, with Sam Parker finishing in third. Rhys
Herbert (QLD) sailed really well to take out fourth place,
his best race for the event, ahead of Cam Harrison in
fifth. The last race of the day, and the series, was held in
similar conditions, but with a slight increase in wind
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
strength. Phil McGain took his eleventh straight bullet
for the event. Sam Parker sailed well to finish in second
place ahead of Mike Nelson in third. Dave Morehead
managed to hold onto fourth place ahead of Brett Morris
in fifth.
After challenging conditions over the four days of racing,
Phil McGain showed his true prowess with eleven
straight wins. The next four places were a close tussle,
with the final days racing in somewhat lighter winds
seeing a re-shuffle from the previous days tally.
All in all it was a good regatta, with Tassie sailors doing
pretty well overall. Keep up the training guys, only three
months until the next show-down.
Open
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Phil McGain (USA)
Mike Nelson (NSW)
Steve Charles (TAS)
Sam Parker (NSW)
David Morehead (TAS)
Nationals trophy getters, from left: Brendan Gordon, Rhys
Herbet, Steve Charles, Mike Nelson, Anna Davis, Rick Murray
and Phil McGain.
Page 6
Masters
1st
Peter Ciesa (SA)
2nd
Jack van Ek (TAS)
3rd
Anthony Perkins (TAS)
4th
Martin Love (VIC)
5th
Glen Morrell (NSW)
Grand Masters
1st
Rick Murray (NSW)
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Wayne Bowness (NSW)
Ian Johnston (TAS)
Bruce Healey (NSW)
Stewart Gordon (TAS)
Women
1st
Anna Davis (VIC)
2nd
Karen Robertson (TAS)
3rd
Robyn Jones (TAS)
Youth
1st
Rhys Herbert (QLD)
Junior
1st
Brendan Gordon (TAS)
Smackfest’s Peter Volwater going off at Bluff beach, Marrawah.
For full Results see:
http://www.windsurfing.org/results2003jan23.html
Closing note
The third annual Formula Windsurfing Australian
Championships attracted 43 entries, up from 34 the
previous year and just 8 the year before that.
Many thanks must go to all the volunteers of SBSC and
WT whose hard work helped make the event both on and
off the water a success. A special thanks also goes out to
the sponsors who are listed below:
Event Sponsors:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Events Tasmania
J Boag and Son Brewing 25 Argyle Street Hobart
Cadbury Schweppes Cadbury Road Claremont
Nortas PTY LTD 100 Mornington Road
National Pies 69-71 Patrick Street Hobart
BP Lower Sandy Bay 615 Sandy Bay Road
Tourism Tasmania 22 Elizabeth Street Hobart
Wrest Point Federal Casino 410 Sandy Bay Road
Peter Johnston Ship Chandlers 21 Morrison St Hobart
East Coast Boardriders Old Pittwater Road NSW
CoastView-Tasmania’s Coast Watch www.coastview.com
Bic Distributors Tasmania 519 Huon Road South Hobart
Kazza’s Screenprints 140 Nelson road, Mount Nelson
by Dave Morehead
SMACKFEST 2003 - a tribal gathering!
Smackfest : Wavesailing’s High Performance Tribal
Gathering. Between the 1st and the 8th of February 2003
Wavesailing history was made at Marrawah. Fifteen
competitors gathered to trial the revolutionary Smackfest
Format. The event kicked off with a huge party at the
Marrawah Pub with Whalebone providing some fat live
tunes. Early in the week saw some good surfing
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
conditions and some good sailing (but conditions not quite
up to SF Competition Standard) where we were able to
run some dummy heats to test out the efficiency of the
judging sheets and criteria. This included a starboard
tack day at the Bluff with head high waves on Monday
and a three-quarter mast Nettley Bay session on
Wednesday.
Thursday was calm, but a rising swell and after a
morning surf, most of the SF crew decided on some liver
sacrifice for Huey (god of wind and surf) which began at
lunch time and went to the wee hours.
Huey approved the worthiness of our commitment to the
cause and provided epic conditions on Friday- three
quarter to mast high bluff beach with a 20-25 knot
southerly breeze and blue skies.
These were the conditions that we were waiting for and
the Smackfest machine kicked into motion. From Pro
sailor Peter Volwater to those just beginning to get loose
in the waves, the Smackfest format seemed to lift
everyone a little and inspire bigger manoeuvres during
the heats. The atmosphere on the beach and in the water
was electric, with everyone hooting and screaming the
war cry ‘SMACK IT!!!’ The finalists were James Atkinson
(Launceston), Quentin Bye (Newcastle) and Peter
Volwater (Holland/Margaret River).
Saturday saw similar conditions although smaller surf
and the call was made to have a day of free-sailing and
the results of the final were announced that night at the
presentation which was held at the Redpa Recreational
Grounds. A suitable all-night party followed, this time
with Rocky Cape band Verdict providing some grungy
tunes and then an after party/disco at the Smackfest
Headquarters.
Page 7
Results.
1st
Peter Volwater
2nd
Quentin Bye
3rd
James Atkinson
The Smackfest Challenge DVD will be available from
your
local
windsurf
retailer
or
mail
order
(www.smackfest.net for details) in November 2003.
Smackfest Challenge # 2. The dates have been set:
• 30th of October till 7th November 2004
We are planning the next Smackfest to be run as a PWA
Qualifier level event. Stay tuned to www.smackfest.net
for press releases as they become available.
Quentin Bye
Organiser/ Director,
Smackfest
Ph. +61(0) 418 988 131
www.tideguide.org/smackfest/
State racing titles
The Tasmanian State Racing Titles incorporate four
events each year. The racing format is either
‘upwind/downwind’ Formula or ‘figure of eight’ Slalom.
The combined results for all races provide the Overall
winner. The results from the formula and slalom races
are also tallied to provide an overall Formula and Slalom
champion.
Round 1: The series started in November at Swansea on
the State’s east coast. The forecast seemed pretty good,
with strengthening Northerlies for the Saturday and
winds expecting to turn Norwest to Westerly on the
Sunday.
No wind on Saturday morning gave everyone a chance to
get together and soak up the sun. However, by mid
morning the breeze was starting to build from the north.
Within about half an hour there was a perfect 12-15
knots, so the race committee set off to lay the course for
some Formula sailing.
By the time the race was about to start, the wind had
freshened to about 15-18 knots, and quite a few of the 16
sailors at the start line were wondering how they were
going to manage with the big sails they’d rigged. One
sailor who was smiling was Dave Morehead, whose
Formula board hadn’t arrived in time, so he was using a
Hypersonic slalom board with a 6.6 m sail. As the race
begun, the wind picked up further. The Hypersonic, fully
powered up, made it to the top mark first, leaving the
Formula boards behind. However, the wind continued to
increase and by the time the first Formula board (Steve
Charles using a 10.5) had made it to the upwind mark, it
was a solid 25-30 knots. Steve and Dave battled it out
downwind. Steve going straight down-wind to round the
bottom mark first and Dave heading off on a broad-reach,
too fast, and in the process getting severely catapulted
(twice!). The fleet had been reduced to two, with many
thankful that they had simply made it back to shore.
Steve and Dave continued to race, with Dave once again
making it up to the windward mark first, only to be
beaten downwind by Steve, who, in the process, took out
first place.
No more racing that day as the wind freshened to a solid
30-35 knots (yes - howling!!), forcing racing to be
abandoned and allowing those that were keen to bring
out the small stuff.
The next day there was a fluky 5-20 knot offshore wind.
Looking like it may build, or at least settle, the race
committee set a large down-wind ‘M-shape’ course. With
hardly any wind at the start of the race, it was looking
like a good decision for those who had chosen to sail their
Formula boards (with small sails). A few puffs of wind
started to blow through on the first down-wind leg, seeing
most of the fleet up and away. Dave Morehead hit the
lead early and maintained that position for most of the
race, but sailed into a lull on the final leg. Ready to
capitalise on this Steve Charles and Stewart McKay
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Page 8
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sailed past and into first and second place respectively.
With Anthony Perkins hurtling down the last leg, Dave
Morehead just managed to get back up on the plane in
the gusty conditions to cross the line in third ahead of
Anthony, who was shortly followed by Rob Gordon. And
that was it, the breeze continued to die and the first
event of the season was over.
Not so many races in for the weekend, in fact just one
Formula and one Slalom, but Steve Charles was happy
enough, with two firsts and a lead in the series.
A special thanks to Ian Johnston for bringing the LYC
patrol boat down for the event and also Andrew at the
Swansea Caravan Park for allowing us to take up nearly
the whole front section of the park for rigging.
Round 2: Hawley Beach, North Coast of Tassie
(December). Sailors turned up bright and early for round
two of the state racing titles. The wind was from the
north and blowing about 12-15 knots and the tide was
high. The race committee stirred into action and set an
upwind/downwind Formula course.
The conditions were good and fourteen sailors headed out
to do battle. Still without a Formula board and using a
Hypersonic and a 6.6 m sail, Dave Morehead headed out
to the start wondering how he’d fair against all the guys
on their Formula gear!
The first race saw Anthony Perkins take line honours on
his home turf. Dave Morehead showed the Hypersonic
could cut the mustard against the Formula boards taking
second place, followed by Ian Johnston and then Stewart
Gordon in fourth. Placings shuffled around a little for
the next race with Ian Johnston taking out first, followed
by Dave Morehead, Rob Gordon and Anthony Perkins in
fourth. The conditions were getting better as the wind
strengthened and the water remained flat. Making the
most of the extra wind, Dave Morehead powered around
the course to take line honours, followed by Anthony
Perkins and Ian Johnston, with Stewart Gordon coming
in fourth. Ian Johnston took his second bullet in Race
number four, followed by Anthony Perkins, Stewart
Gordon and Julian Koning in fourth place. Dave
Morehead took his second bullet in the last race for the
day, followed by Anthony Perkins, Jack van Ek and Rob
Gordon in fourth.
One day down and with Steve Charles out of this event,
off to witness the birth of his second son (Felix) –
congratulations Sue and Steve !!!, the series was hotting
up.
That evening there was a BBQ at the Perkin’s residence,
with good food and alcohol consumed and many tall tales
told. The next day there was no wind at all, as often
happens after everyone talks non-stop about how good it
will be the next day.
Formula Windsurfers heading for the top mark at the PDYC’s
J.Boag and Son All Classes Regatta.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Round 3: With Hobart failing to deliver the goods
(wind!) year after year after year, the third round of the
state titles was held in the north of the state (February
2003). With this decision, Formula Windsurfing had its
first appearance at an event organised by the Port
Dalrymple Yacht Club: the All Classes Regatta,
sponsored by J. Boag & Son.
Page 9
sailors were well rewarded with the trophies provided by
the sponsor. Overall, this regatta was a spectacular
success, both from an enjoyment factor for the
participants, but also by virtue of the exposure of the
class to an appreciative group of young sailors who raced
the other classes.
Ian Johnston and Stewart Gordon weave there way through the
dinghy fleet at the J. Boag and Son Blockbuster Weekend.
This event was hailed as a great success by all who sailed
in it. The fleet was blessed with perfect Formula
conditions on both days, with a steady 14 knots on
Saturday rising to a similarly steady 16 knots on Sunday.
An added bonus was the event being sailed on flat, warm
and enclosed waters.
The event consisted a number of short sprint courses over
both days and included a mixed dinghy fleet of Lasers,
NS1 4's, B14's and our fleet of Formula Windsurfers. The
fleet started in this order at five-minute intervals and
sailed a triangle and a windward and return course.
Formula sailors were effectively giving the Lasers a
fifteen minute head-start and were meeting the majority
of the fleet at the windward mark and finishing with the
B14's.
Eight races were held in ideal conditions with winds of
14-16 knots making for some fast and spectacular racing.
Stewart Gordon and Ian Johnston won three races each
and Anthony Perkins and Julian Koning took out the
other two. Speaking of taking out, Jack van Ek from
Ulverstone suffered board damage after a collision, and
was relegated to fifth place overall for the regatta.
All who participated sailed exceptionally well due to the
hard yards put in prior to and at the Nationals a few
weeks earlier. The stand-out sailors were Stewart
Gordon, who won the event, Brendan Gordon and Ian
Johnston. The hospitality of PDYC was fantastic and our
With the interest generated in the Formula class through
our participation, Windsurfing Tasmania’s Robyn Jones
and Anthony Perkins held a training day with the
Association's Starboard Starts at the PDYC a few weeks
later in March. This generated a great deal of interest
and will be repeated again this coming season. Overall,
the event comes highly recommend and will be held in
the same format again this season. For an exciting day of
well-organised short course racing, hopefully again in
perfect conditions, don’t miss it.
Speaking of missing it, Steve Charles and Dave
Morehead were conspicuously absent, leaving the points
tally for the overall series to shuffle once again. After
fifteen races and with only one more event to go, it was
getting down to the business end.
Round 4: Stanley, in the states NW (March). Bad
weather and heavy rain in the south, blue skies warm
and sunny in the north! But no wind. Despite looking like
the wind would pick up at any moment during the day,
and the whole fleet being within ten minutes of starting a
race at one stage, the wind just did not happen, on either
day.
No wind means no event, means that the final points
stand as they were after round three.
After fifteen races, including three discards, it was well
done to Ian Johnston, taking out the Open and the
Master’s Division in the Overall State Racing Titles
having scored 25.75 points. In second place and less than
three points behind, was last years overall champion
Anthony ‘the champ’ Perkins scoring 28.5 points and in
third place it was Stewart Gordon on 35.25 points.
The trophy presentation was held at Michael’s
Restaurant and was followed by a fantastic meal. Then,
as usual, it was back to the caravan park to watch hours
and hours of great video footage taken throughout the
season.
Results:
OVERALL
Open
1st
Ian Johnston
2nd
Anthony Perkins
3rd
Stewart Gordon
1st
2nd
3rd
Handicap
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
XXXXXX
FORMULA
1st
Ian Johnston
2nd
Anthony Perkins
3rd
Stewart Gordon
Ian Johnston wins the State Racing Title - Overall and Masters.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Master’s
Ian Johnston
Stewart Gordon
Jack van Ek
Women’s
Robyn Jones
SLALOM
Stephen Charles
Stewart McKay
Dave Morehead
by Dave Morehead
Page 10
KA Sail Dash-for-Cash
The sixth annual KA Sail Dash-for-Cash was held on the
Australia Day long weekend, Saturday 25th January.
The Australian Formula Windsurfing Nationals had just
finished in Hobart the day before so there were plenty of
keen sailors still in Hobart.
The start of the race was set for 2 PM and there was a
light sea breeze starting to build. The race, as always, is
across the river and back, starting at Prossers Beach. The
mark we were to go around had been set about 300m off
Bellerive Bluff. Unfortunately by 2 PM the wind had
dropped to about 8 knots and it was decide to delay the
start until 2:30 PM. The long-board boys were grinning,
Mike Nelson and Wayne Bowness were all smiles because
they had 12.5m sails on their Formula boards and the
Slalom boys weren’t looking too happy. With everyone in
the water, lined-up ready to start at 2:25 PM, the wind
suddenly howled in from the south to a solid 20 knots.
With a change in wind direction, from the east to the
south-east, the course had gone from being a reach out
and back to a broad downwind reach, with an upwind leg
back to the finish.
At precisely 2:30 PM the gun went and there was total
confusion, with a ferry sailing straight in front of the
start line. Dave Morehead and Steve Charles went for
broke and just made it in front of the ferry while
everyone else went behind it. This opened up a nice gap
between them and the rest of the field. Dave Morehead
blitzed away on his Hypersonic 105 and KA 9.5 to round
the mark off Bellerive first. It was then an upwind battle
to the finish, with Morehead narrowly maintaining his
lead ahead of
Charles
and
taking his 3rd
Dash for Cash
victory. There
were around 20
entrants
this
year,
with
numbers down
from previous
years.
However, had
the wind had
come in earlier
we would have
had more.
A
special
thanks must go
to the Sandy
Bay
Regatta
Association,
KA Sails and
Peter
Cleary
Dave Morehead across the finish
for once again
line first in the KA Sail Australia
providing the
Dash-for-Cash.
cash,
prizes
and
atmosphere that make this event one of the most exciting
on the calendar. Thanks also to the Volunteer Coastal
Patrol who set the marks for this event each year.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Start of the KA Sail Australia Dash-for-Cash.
Results:
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
Open
Dave Morehead, TAS 11mins 28sec
Steve Charles, TAS 12mins 47sec
Rob Gordon, TAS 14mins 11sec
Nick Willey QLD 14min 58sec
Wayne Bowness NSW 15mins 45sec
Rob Gordon TAS 16mins 49sec
Nick Nelson:
Prizes
$425
$255
$125
$50
$40
$30
Lucky draw winner of a 5.3 Kontrol
by Steve Charles
Tasmanian Wavesailing News
Competitive wave sailing in Tassie is heading for it’s
biggest year ever. With an early start to the calendar at
Carlton Beach in September and building up to the state
championships at Marrawah in January we can all look
forward to a pretty exciting year.
It was decided at a meeting held at the Foreshore Tavern
on 17 June that most competitions are Expression
Sessions to allow for maximum sailing time, but this will
be decided on the day. Dates set are only a guide,
however competitions will be held on, or as close to these
dates as the weather allows. There is no point in holding
competitions if the weather forecast in not suitable, with
the exception of the West Coast Epic and the West Coast
Classic, which will be held on the set dates.
For those not interested in competing, come along
anyway as it’s a great chance to build your confidence,
experience some fantastic sailing and it’s a hell of a lot of
fun.
The Carlton Cold in September, aptly named because it
will be bloody freezing and first prize is a slab of Carlton
Cold kindly donated by Veates Glass & Glazing.
The West Coast Epic is a five-day exploratory trip
looking for big waves and wind in spots previously not
sailed, with Quentin and Tappo as tour guides.
Cape Portland has been sailed by Guy and Shane Abel,
and Mike Green, and they’re confident it is a great place
to hold a competition, mainly because of the reliability of
the winds in anything from SW to NE combined with
pretty impressive waves at times.
Page 11
Q U A LIT Y S A ILBO A RD IN G E Q U IPM EN T
G U Y A B EL :
A g e nt f or:
T A S M A N IA N D IS T RIBU TO R FO R W IN DGEN U IT Y
N O RT H PRO D U CT S
S a ils (W ave, S la lom , R a ce), M a sts a nd B oom s
M IS T RA L PRO D U CT S
B oa rd s – in clud ing th e n ew M istra l D e v il F orm u la
F2
M a u i Proje ct w a ve a nd f ree sty le b oa rd s
F a n a tic p rod ucts
B oa rd s – in clud ing th e n ew F a lcon 1 0 0 F orm u la
F or m ore in form a tion conta ct
E m a il: gab el@ w w w la w yers.co m .au
GUY ABEL
Ph onn e: 6 2 3 4 8 0 2 2 (W ) a nd 6 2 3 2 7 9 8 (H )
Cloudy Bay has some of the best waves for sailing in the
world. Combine these waves with a wind that ‘definitely
has potential’ and we will be guaranteed of some pretty
awesome sailing. Those who have discovered this magic
spot recently are completely obsessed with the place. Big
Ken, who spat the dummy in 8m waves and had to get
his more experienced little mate to call in a helicopter,
can back up these claims!
The South East Comp could be held at Goats or Marion
Bay in a north-easterly, Carlton in a north-westerly or
Clifton in a southerly. Wave conditions are often pretty
sloppy, but Goats with a north-easter can often turn it on.
The West Coast Classic, which is the Tasmanian
Wavesailing Championships, will be held at
Marrawah and is the premier event of the year. Held at
the beginning of January, it has never let us down. Run
over a five-day period, we are guaranteed to get in some
awesome sailing. Sailing can be held at various worldclass spots, including Greens, Nettley’s, Bluff and the
Lighthouse. Always good nights at the Marrawah pub
and don’t forget table tennis at Tappo and Hazel’s, which
is often taken more seriously than the sailing. This event
is a must for all wave sailors, there is always somewhere
to sail for every level from the novice to the pros.
Smackfest is on again. Quentin Bye, one of Aussie’s top
wave sailors has been checking out the West Coast and is
planning to hold the next Smackfest in Nov 04. This
event should attract some of the world’s best sailers, so
make the most of this, guys. For some of Tassie’s top
sailors this is your chance to go pro! Check out the web
site www.smackfest.net
For more info on events contact Anthony Houston (0417
577884) or Damien Wallace (6248 6840)
by Anthony Houston
Lone sailor Greens Beach, Marrawah.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Tasmanian Formula Windsurfing News
Formula Windsurfing has been around for about three
and a bit years now. Tasmanian sailors were quick to
adopt to this new form of racing. Going from long-boards
(funboards) to a shorter and wider board without a
centre-board. These new style of boards had long fins,
pointed higher and went faster downwind. The first
boards were around 75cm wide but a year or so later
Starboard came out with a super-wide 100cm wide board
and longer fin (70cm). This was to be the base for
Formula Windsurfing and the sport has never looked
back. OK, so that’s the board side of things. Sails have
also had radical changes over the last few years. A couple
of years ago a sail size of 9.5m was fairly standard as the
largest size sail anyone would own. Today we see a 9.5 as
one of the smallest (windy) you would use, and a 12-12.5
as the biggest (for light winds).
I personally have really enjoyed watching these changes,
especially the Tassie guys updating their gear every
season to stay up with all the latest improvements
(trends) and of course to try and have an edge over their
mates. There is no doubt Tasmanian Formula
Windsurfing is at the forefront of this sport. All the
sailors have the latest gear and are very competitive.
Just look at Dave Morehead, he went all the way to
Hawaii to get a set of the latest, hot-off-the-press Gaastra
sails (well maybe he had to go for work as well).
As far as competitions go our state has faired very well at
a National level. Dave Morehead and Steve Charles have
finished in the top five at the last two national
competitions. Our own state champion-ships have had
some classic races and courses set. The start of this
season’s racing starts soon and I’m sure everyone’s
already blown the winter cobwebs away and is ready to
race. Dave and I have already started training in earnest
for next years National champs in Sydney. Also going will
be Rob Gordon, Stewart Gordon, Anthony ‘the Champ’
Perkins, Ian Johnston and Jack van Ek. So, Tassie will
again be well represented. If anyone reading this article
is interested in getting into Formula Windsurfing, that
Page 12
would be great, the more the better, come along and have
a go.
by Steve Charles
putting on a three-course meal followed by racing in
rather light conditions. Unfortunately though, only three
Formula sailors attended.
Oceanic FW Championships
I really should stress, SBSC is very keen to have us
sailing with them, and have programmed a very full
seasons racing for Windsurfers. They are also keen for us
to become more involved both socially and in the general
running of the club. I believe we should all make every
effort to contribute more, for example forgoing racing on
some occasions to crew on pick-up boats could be a good
start and I will be calling for a meeting of windsurfing
members of WT to get together to discuss this.
Following some rather extensive proposal and negotiation
work, we can proudly confirm that we have been
successful in having Australia accepted as the venue for
the next two years Oceanic FW Championships.
Sail Melbourne FW events for Jan 2004 and Jan 2005
have been awarded IFWC Continental Championship
status, which makes them one of the five "qualifying"
events for the IFWC Worlds event to be held later in each
respective year, and should ensure even further
International focus and attendance in this event.
As part of the proposal program, SailMelb has also
confirmed its interest to consider a proposal to apply for
selection as host / venue for the 2005 World FW
Championships in December 2005, using the preceding
SailMelb Continental events as lead in events for the
2005 Worlds proposal.
Australia is very well represented on the IFWC
committee, and the only member nation with two
representatives on the eight person International
committee (details below).
In addition to our active National FW Championships,
this increase in event status can only reinforce an
already excellent summer FW series for 2004 and beyond.
Another opportunity to promote both Windsurfing and
our commitment to the club is to provide tuition with the
Starboard Start on all sail training mornings. The Start
is a great board and very easy to learn on, especially with
the light rig kindly provided by Ian Ross from Hood Sails.
Drawing up a roster I suggest is the best way to ensure it
happens on a regular basis and this too needs to be
discussed.
I’ll continue to forward all SBSC newsletters to potential
sailors so that everyone is aware of events; Nick Hutton
provides an excellent regular update on club news.
We have proposed to count all Windsurfer races held at
SBSC toward an overall Pennant winner and Line
Honours winner. The finer details of handicapping have
not yet been worked out but, again, another issue for
discussion over a few beers after the next race or two.
The first step toward a good season is getting people on
I would like to thank the SailMelb management, Elwood
Sailing Club and fellow members of the IFWC Committee
for their enthusiastic support and assistance to bring this
concept to fruition.
IFWC Committee
Ceri Williams (UK) - Chairman
Didier Flamme (FRA) - Vice Chairman
Members:
Dorota Staszewska (POL) - women racers representative
Pieter Bijl (NED) - men racers representative
Andrea Cucchi (ITA)
Ian Fox (AUS)
Marcus Huhtinen (FIN)
Phil McGain (AUS)
by Ian Fox
President / Australian Windsurfing Association
International Formula Windsurfing Class Committee
Sandy Bay Sailing Club Report
Just a brief report on the Formula Windsurfing
connection to the Sandy Bay Sailing Club. I am now the
new windsurfing representative and attend SBSC
committee meetings. Keith Midson held this position
before me but has had to step down due to extra
commitments; being a new Dad always adds heaps of
extra duties. Sincere thanks go to Keith for his excellent
work last season, especially in helping to coordinate the
Nationals.
Fantastic to have the season under-way again. The club
held a very successful Open Day a couple of weeks ago,
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Keith Midson showing off the new 147 Formula board from
Starboard on the astro turf laid out for rigging at the Nationals
(Photo courtesy of CoastView)
Page 13
Anthony Perkins and Ian Johnston training in a blow.
the water, so here are the dates of the upcoming events
on the program. Remember, Saturday is race day and
plan to be on the water by 1.30 PM:
October
11th
Trophy Races
18th
Pennants 1 and 2
25th
Trophy Races
For mowe information and membership inquiries, the
web site is : www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/sbsc
by Stewart Gordon
Leven Yacht Club Report
The Starboard Start learner’s board has proven to be a
valuable asset at the LYC with regular use every
weekend over the summer sailing season.
Two juniors in particular have taken a real shine to
windsurfing, and both are in the process of buying their
own Formula equipment. They can't wait for the rough
weather to stop and are keen to get out there.
The LYC racing season starts up on 27 September and
has regular racing almost every week, with all classes of
boats and windsurfers most welcome and encouraged.
by Ian Johnston
Pittwater speedway – the need for speed
Conditions for the World Speed Sailing Challenge 2003,
held recently, did not allow the world record of 46.52kts
which has stood for 10 years to be broken, despite some of
the worlds finest sailors participating in the ‘invitation
only’ event. The world record was established back in
1993 at Sandy Point, Australia by Simon McKeon and his
vessel Yellow Pages’ Endeavour, a trimaran (see insert).
Another event set to start soon is being advertised under
the name of ‘Masters of speed’. The location is Saintes
Maries de la Mer, at the 'Canal', as it is known to the
sailors, is the unmistakable location where today's
windsurfing technology has the potential to explore the
unknown depths of speed. The trench itself is 1,100
meters long with a width of 15 meters. There are three
overlapping, 500m courses on each side accommodating
the four quadrant wind directions: NW, N/NE, SW and
SE. The two most favourable directions are the widely
known 'Mistral', which blows from a N/NE direction and
the 'Le Grec', which blows from the SE. This was the
wind direction of Thierry Bielak's record run of 45.34
knts. in 1993. The Canal will be moulded and cared for by
Christophe Simian, who is very experienced collaborating
record attempts in Stes. Maries and all potentially fast
times will be officially ratified by the WSSRC, who will
have an observer on hand.
At a more local level, Tassie has a number of good speedsailing locations, such as Pittwater in the South, Hawley
in the North and Stanley in the North-West.
Pittwater, located near
Hobart Airport, works
best in strong north to
north-westerly
winds,
which
are
pretty
common, and sailing is
done on the southern
side of the causeway.
There has recently been
work on the bridge at
the eastern end of the
causeway and associated
with this work stairs
have been incorporated
at the western end,
allowing sailors easy
access to the small
beach. However, the
Yellow Pages, in action.
carpark now has a
boomgate across it, and
it’s locked. WT will be investigating whether access can
be gained to this carpark (and rigging area) to avoid
sailors having to carry their kit across from the beach on
the other side of the causeway.
Have you ever wondered how fast you’re sailing, or how
fast you could go in the right conditions! Well, get
yourself a GPS unit and start recording where you go and
how fast you’re going!! There are a number of models on
the market, ranging from about $300 for the basic model
to a wrist-watch costing $1500. These units allow realtime data to be viewed while sailing and logged ready to
up-load to a PC. For more information on GPS units
contact Peter Johnston’s in Hobart, who stock a good
range of products and accessories.
After setting the record, the Yellow Pages team decided
to continue to push the limits of speed sailing. A new
craft, "Macquarie Innovation" was designed and
constructed in an attempt to be the first ever to break the
50 knot barrier, but has never reached that goal yet.
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 14
Sailors enjoying Pittwater on a hot northerly day back in the ‘80s. Photo has been edited to visualise the ‘speed run’.
With quite a few sailors about to invest in
these units it will be interesting to hear
what speeds are being reached, and how
many miles can be clocked up in a single
session, or over a season!!!
Recently I took a GPS out while Formula
racing on the river. It was blowing 20 knots
and I was using an 11 m Nitro 4 on a F147.
After sailing around for a couple of hours, I
came in and checked my maximum speed –
it was 26.8 knots. I was quite amazed, as I
though I’d been sailing fast, but was
wondering whether I’d even hit 20 knots.
Then Steve Charles took it out for a go,
using a 9.8m Nitro 4 and a 147 and he
clocked 28.9 knots. Wow, cool fun!!! Adds a
whole new dimension to ‘going-hard’.
There is now a site on the web for people to
record their speeds. All you need is a
handheld GPS and a watertight bag to put it
in. Once you have recorded your speed, you
can submit it for inclusion in the "GPS hall
of fame" created by Erik Beale and his fellow
speedfreaks at http://windsurfing33.fr.st. After
review your speed will be posted to the hall
of fame. This list is compiled based on the
good faith. Any speeds which are too good to
be true will not be posted, so no taking your
GPS for a ride in your car !
For more on the World Speed Challenge and
‘Masters of Speed’ check out:
http://www.worldspeedsailing.com/
http://www.mastersofspeed.com/
by Dave Morehead
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 15
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 16
Sydney-to-Hobart (welcoming the fleet)
As has become tradition of late, a few windsurfers brave
the conditions each year to meet the first Sydney-toHobart yacht out at the Iron Pot, off South Arm. ETA
this year: 4 PM, which was a lot better than the previous
years 7 AM arrival. Three sailors ventured out on their
Formula gear this year – Steve Charles, Dave Morehead
and Julian Koning.
The weather was perfect, an easterly seabreeze was
blowing about 10-12 knots in the Derwent and was
freshening out toward the Iron Pot to a solid 20-25 knots.
In the lee of South Arm, the water was flat, making for
fast sailing on a reach.
With no yacht in sight when the sailors got out to the
Iron Pot (in about 20 minutes), they headed in to the
beach for a break. A BBQ was underway at a house
nearby and, being quite thirsty, Steve asked if he could
use their tap to grab some water. “How about a beer
instead”, was the reply. Well, this was good we thought.
Waiting for the boat to arrive and having a beer (light!!).
Then, there she was, in the distance, Alpha Romeo, with
spinnaker up. It was time to leave the BBQ and hop back
on the boards. Fully powered up in about 20 knots of
wind, we were all out to the boat in no time. Cautiously,
we got closer, Steve making the first move to ride the
stern wake, only about 10-15 feet from the yacht. The
guys on board seemed friendly enough about us being
there and seemed to be quite amused at how we were
keeping up so easily. Then the flotilla started to arrive,
making for lots of chop and foaming water. Dave moved
in to follow in Steve’s wake and it was a pretty good
feeling powering along next to the soon to be line hour
winner of the Sydney-to-Hobart, with helicopters buzzing
around and a flotilla of about 40 boats by now. It was a
little disconcerting however, when one looked behind to
see that there was absolutely no room for error. One slip
and it was certain carnage from all those boats roaring
up behind us.
As it turned out, the ABC film crew were in amongst the
flotilla and got some good footage of Alpha Romeo (and
us) sailing up the Derwent River. That footage, with us
included, ended up being screened on every news channel
around Australia - the publicity stunt had worked!!
There was even some mention of the inexpensive
windsurfing equipment keeping up with a multi-million
dollar state of the art racing yacht.
by Dave Morehead
Alpha Romeo (01) and Dave Morehead (02): Sydney-to-Hobart.
address on the front of this newsletter with a cheque
payable to WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
Make sure you include the model, year, condition and
price of the equipment you are selling, along with your
contact details - phone number or email address.
WT needs a minimum of 10 advertisements to send out
the flier and has a deadline for advertisements of
OCTOBER 25th.
If there is a poor response, and WT does not receive 10 or
more adverts, money will be refunded to those who have
sent an ad in. If this works well, another flier may be
sent out later in the season.
Advertising for distributors of windsurfing equipment
can also place ads in this flier and should contact Steve
Charles on 6223 1746 for information on advertising
rates, prior to OCTOBER 31th.
Windsurfing websites
Here are some more interesting sites for those surfing the
net:
WINDSURFING:
www.formulawindsurfing.com – Home of International FW
www.windsurfing.org – Australian Windsurfing Assoc
www.star-board.com – FW board, technique, event info, forum
www.a-h-d.com – FW board, technique and event info, forum
www.gaastra.com – FW sail and equipment info, forum
www.neilprydemaui.com – FW sail, equipment info, forum
Advertising second-hand sailing gear
WT will be posting out a ‘second hand sailing gear’ flier
in early November. For those interested in advertising
any gear, it will cost $10 for the first 30 words and $2 for
every additional 10 words. All current members and new
members will receive the first 30 words free of charge (a
free ad!). So if you’re not a member, become one and get
your ad for free.
www.windsurfingnsw.com - NSW windsurfing site
www.windsurfing.vyc.com.au – Victorian windsurfing site
BEACH CAMS:
http://www.wrestpoint.com.au/webcam/
http://www.coastview.com.au/Clifton/load_clifton_camera.htm
Clifton Beach
http://www.coastview.com.au/Eagle/load_eagle_camera.htm
Eaglehawk Neck
See details on the back of the attached membership form.
Send your ad, along with membership form, to WT at the
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 17
http://www.coastview.com.au/bayfires/bayfires_camera.htm Bay
of Fires
WEATHER:
http://www.BoM.GOV.AU/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDT12400.txt
Derwernt Estuary
http://www.BoM.GOV.AU/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDT12300.txt
Boating weather
http://www.BoM.GOV.AU/products/IDG00V56.shtml Four day
http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/wind/ Droughty
Membership information
Last year WT had 41 members. The more support WT
has, the more WT can promote the sport and organise
racing events, newsletters and functions.
The WT membership form is attached to this newsletter.
Benefits for windsurfers include:
• 12 Months membership with WT and AWA affiliation;
• 24 hr Third Party Liability Insurance;
• Free application for WT/AWA registered Sail
Numbers.
Fee:
$35 (standard) or $75 that includes entry to all WT
organised events in 2002-03.
This represents fantastic value and the ‘member to
member’ liability extension is back again. The collective
premium provides up to $10 million third party cover
against public liability. There is a $1000 excess claim.
This scheme has great merit and puts the onus on
competitors to have cover rather than the competition
organisers (who would have to raise the $10 000 or
thereabouts, premium required to have similar cover).
Cover is 24 hrs a day, so it’s not just when competing in
an event!
Membership cover is to July each year. Cover provides
you insurance in the event that you injure someone or
their equipment. Make the most of the third party
insurance and become a member.
So, get a pen now and fill in the attached Membership
form and the section on the back to advertise your
second-hand windsurfing gear.
Attach a cheque made
out to WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc. and send it to:
party public liability cover, included in WT membership,
before entering any WT organised event.
ENTRY DISCLAIMER
It is the competitor’s sole decision to enter this event and
to start and or to continue to compete.
By way of
entering, competitors acknowledge that participation in
this event can be dangerous and accept that their
participation is at their exclusive risk in every respect.
In addition, by way of entering competitors shall hold
harmless the organising authority, its officers, members,
servants and agents in respect of all liability for injury to
person and or damage to property howsoever arising from
their participation or intended participation in this event
and acknowledge that the organising authority, its
officers, members, servants and agents accept no
responsibility in respect of loss of life, personal injury or
loss or damage to property which may be sustained by
reason of a competitor’s participation or intended
participation in this event or arising for whatever reason
in connection with this event.
INSURANCE
All competitors shall have personal liability insurance for
not less than $AUD 10m for any one incident.
All
competitors who enter and sign the entry form are
deemed to have made a declaration that they hold such
cover.
!! HAPPY SAILING !!
Thankyou to
KPMG
for providing ex gratia auditing of the
WT accounts.
Much appreciated.
Sailors, please support our sponsors!!
WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
KDC 2001
Kingston
Tasmania 7050
• Tasmanian Circuit Guide 2003-2004
A fantastic schedule of events is planned for the coming
season. Mark the dates on your home calendar now and
keep the Circuit Guide handy as a ready reference of
events in 2003-2004. Please note: life-jackets or personal
flotation devices (PFD’s) are required for all racing
events. It is also a requirement that all sailors have third
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 18
WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
Circuit Guide
2003-2004
September 2003
• Sat
13
October 2003
• Thu-Mon 23-27
November 2003
• Sat-Sun
1-2
Wavesailing: Carlton Cold. Carlton Beach. Sponsored by Veates Glass &
Glazing; Contact Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840.
Wavesailing: West Coast Epic. Ocean Beach to Marrawah. Contact Quentin
Bye 0418 988 131, Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840.
Formula Windsurfing and Slalom (Round 1). Briefing 11 AM Saturday,
Swansea; Contact Dave Morehead 6239 6353
• Sat-Sun
8-9
Wavesailing: Cape Portland. North-east Tasmania. Sponsored by Guy Abel;
Contact Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840
• Sat-Sun
29-30
Formula Windsurfing and Slalom (Round 2). Briefing 11 AM Saturday, Hawley
Beach; Contact Anthony Perkins 6428 6985
December 2003
• Sat
13
January 2004
• Fri-Tue
1-4
Wavesailing: SE Tas - Goats, Clifton or Marion Bay. Contact Anthony 0417
577884 or Damien 6248 6840
Wavesailing: West Coast Classic - Tasmanian Championships. Green
Point, Marrawah. Contact Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840
• Sat-Tue
2-4
Slalom Nationals. Perth, Western Australia. Contact Kevin Netto 0417 990 469
• Tue-Fri
20-23
Formula Windsurfing Nationals. Dolls Point, Botany Bay, NSW. Contact Bill
Joselin (02) 9452 3189
• Mon
26
KA Sails "Dash-for-Cash". Briefing 1:30 PM, Sandy Bay, Hobart; Contact Steve
Charles 62231746
• Wed-Mon
31-5
Wavesailing Nationals. Robe, South Australia. Contact Aaron Constable (02)
9984 0654
February 2004
• Sat-Sun
7-8
Formula Windsurfing (Round 3). Briefing 10 AM Saturday, Port Dalrymple
Yacht Club, Tamar River, Contact Fenton Jones 03 6328 1657
• Sat-Sun
21-22
Wavesailing: East Coast. Shelly Point or Little Swanport. Contact Anthony
0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840
March 2004
• Sat-Sun
6-7
Formula Windsurfing and Slalom (Round 4 – ‘Final’), Briefing at 12 noon
Saturday, Stanley Caravan Park, Stanley; Contact Dave Morehead 6239 6353
• Sat-Sun
20-21
Wavesailing: Cape Portland. North-east Tasmania. Sponsored by Guy Abel;
Contact Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien 6248 6840
WINDSURFING TASMANIA
2002-2003
19
April 2004
• Easter
2-3
Wavesailing: Cloudy Bay, Bruny. Contact Anthony 0417 577884 or Damien
6248 6840
October 2004
• Sun-Sun
30-7
SMACKFEST Challenge #2: Marrawah. Contact Quentin Bye +61(0) 418 988
131. www.tideguide.org/smackfest/
Recommended accommodation for select Formula events (book early):
Swansea
- Swansea Caravan Park and Holiday Village, Shaw St Swansea (ph Graham 6257 8177)
Stanley
- Stanley Caravan Park, Stanley (ph Des 64581266)
Dates correct at time of printing – please confirm prior to event
•
•
•
Offering a unique beachfront location where families can swim, fish, sail
or simply relax. The only true beachfront holiday park in Swansea, we
have a variety of affordable accommodation options ranging from self
contained cabins to beachfront tent sites. Be captivated by breathtaking
views over Great Oyster Bay and Freycinet National Park.
Swansea Holiday Park
Shaw Street
Swansea
Tasmania 7190
Australia
Phone: +61 3 62578177
Fax: +61 3 62578 511
Email: [email protected]
ABN: 82 00 950 9139
Stanley Cabin & Tourist Park
•
•
•
•
•
•
Children's playground
Laundry
Beach front
Set in Gardens
Sealed road Gas
BBQ Campers kitchen
Wharf Rd
Stanley TAS 7331
Phone: 03 6458 1266
Fax: 03 6458 1266
Des and Merilyn Hodgetts
[email protected]
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
Page 20
WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
Membership Form: 2003-2004 Season
APPLICATION DETAILS
First Name
Family Name
Male/Female
Date of Birth
Address
Home Phone
Work Phone
Email Address
Mobile Phone
Send select WT information electronically (Yes or NO)
What do you do (i.e. racing, waves, free-ride)
What events would you like to see WT organising?
Membership Benefits
•
12 Months membership (July 2003 - June 2004)
•
Newsletter and other correspondence
•
24 hr Third Party Liability Insurance
•
Australian Windsurfing Association (AWA) Affiliation
•
Free Application for WT/AWA Nationally Registered Sail Numbers
Membership:
$35 Annual membership
$75 Annual membership and entry to all WT organised events (2003-04)
Amount Paid: $
Payment received by:
Date / /
2003-2004 Season
❑ Database
❑ Ledger
❑ Banked
Please complete and forward to:
WINDSURFING TASMANIA
❑
❑
WINDSURFING TASMANIA Inc.
KDC 2001
Kingston
TAS 7050
2002-2003
19
Deadline to receive advertisements is 31th October 2003.
If you are a member of WT or have completed the details overleaf to become a member of WT, you
receive the first 30 words free. If you are not a member of WT, an advert of up to 30 words costs $10.
An additional $2 is charged for every 10 words.
Fill in details of your advert including make, model, condition and cost:
For Sale:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Wanted to buy:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Name : ……………………………………….
Contact Phone : ………………………….
2003-2004 TASMANIAN
FORMULA WINDSURFING
AND SLALOM SERIES
Notice of Series:
1.
Title:
Tasmanian Formula Windsurfing Series 2003-2004.
2.
Venue and dates:
Heat 1
Swansea
Heat 2
Hawley Beach
Heat 3
Tamar River
Heat 4
Stanley
3.
Organising authority:
Windsurfing Tasmania Inc.
4.
Classes:
Overall
Formula
Slalom
1-2 November 2003
29-30 November 2003
7-8 February 2004
6-7 March 2004
Divisions (min. of 3 entrants):
Open
Masters (40-49) Grand Masters (50+) Ladies
Open
Open
Youth
Most improved
Racing will be held in winds ranging from 8-35 knots. Any board can be used. There is a maximum
size limit for sails of 12.5 m. Generally, if the course involves an upwind leg, points will be awarded
toward Formula (and Longboard). For all other courses points will be awarded toward Slalom.
Generally, Formula races will not be held in winds above 18 knots and Slalom races will not be held
in winds below 18 knots. Please note: It will be at the discretion of the race committee as to what
type of course is set (Formula or Slalom) and whether points will be awarded toward Formula (and
longboard) or Slalom.
5.
Schedule of races
Sat.:
Registration between 10-11 AM. Briefing at 11 AM followed by first race no earlier than
11:30 AM. Maximum of five races will be held. Courses to be specified at briefing.
Sun.: Briefing at 10 AM. First race no earlier than 10:30 AM. Maximum of five races will be held.
Courses to be specified at the briefing.
6.
Rules
This event will be governed by the 1993-1996 International Yacht Racing Rules (IYRR) and the
prescriptions and safety regulations of the Australian Yachting Federation (AYF), Notice of Race
(except as these are altered by these Sailing Instructions) and the Sailing Instructions. This event is
classified as a Category B event.
7.
Eligibility and Entry
Entry is open to all members of WINDSURFING TASMANIA or other associations affiliated with
the AUSTRALIAN WINDSURFING ASSOCIATION upon acceptance of Sailing Instructions and
payment of the Heat entry fee ($10), which is paid at the time of registration. NB Full members of
WT receive free entry to all WT organised events.
8.
Race Briefing
Briefings will be conducted by the race officials and will include information on:
Course location and configuration;
Sign on/sign off procedures.
9.
Start/finish
At 5 minutes to start, 1 minute to start and upon starting a signal will sound. An alternative
starting procedure of a 'gate start' may be employed. Competitors should note their finishing order
in relation to other competitors finishing immediately before and after them.
10.
Abandonment
Race abandonment will be signalled in accordance with Racing rule 4/1 accompanied by three short
sound signals.
11.
Time Limit
The time limit for all races will be 90 minutes for the first to finish in each class or division. Sailors
finishing more than 20 mins after the first to finish will be recorded as “did not finish”.
12.
Alternative penalties
Alternative penalties in accordance with racing rules, appendix B4, 7.1, apply.
13.
Safety
Buoyancy vests or harnesses complying with AS1499 or approved by the Race Committee must be
worn as intended whilst afloat. A competitor not complying in this regard will be ranked as a nonstarter. Each intending competitor shall personally sign on for racing before leaving the shore for
any race or racing period and shall personally sign off from racing upon returning to shore after
completion of racing or retirement. They shall sign off within 30 minutes of the last valid finisher in
that race or the last race of the relevant racing period. Failure to comply in every regard will result
in disqualification from that race. If more than one race is sailed in a racing period, then failure to
sign on will result in disqualification from the first race of the racing period and failure to sign off
will result in disqualification from the last race of the racing period. Failure to both sign on and sign
off will result in disqualification from all races of that racing period. The sign on/sign off area will be
indicated at the briefings. In the need for race abandonment, all competitors shall proceed to the
launching area and shall sign off as soon as possible.
14.
Equipment
There is a maximum sail size of 12.5 m and a maximum fin length of 70 cm.
15.
Trophies
Trophies will be awarded to the top three place-getters for the Overall (combined formula and
slalom) Open division, with first place also receiving a perpetual trophy. Trophies will be awarded
to first place in all other divisions. The Perpetual ‘Ron Cook Memorial Trophy’ will be awarded to
first place in the Overall 40+ category (which encompasses Master and Grand Master divisions).
16.
Entry disclaimer
It is the competitor’s sole decision to enter this event and to start and or to continue to compete. By
way of entering, competitors acknowledge that participation in this event can be dangerous and
accept that their participation is at their exclusive risk in every respect. In addition, by way of
entering competitors shall hold harmless the organising authority, its officers, members, servants
and agents in respect of all liability for injury to person and or damage to property howsoever
arising from their participation or intended participation in this event and acknowledge that the
organising authority, its officers, members, servants and agents accept no responsibility in respect of
loss of life, personal injury or loss or damage to property which may be sustained by reason of a
competitor’s participation or intended participation in this event or arising for whatever reason in
connection with this event.
17.
Insurance
All competitors shall have personal liability insurance for not less than $AUD10m for any one
incident. All competitors who enter and sign the entry form are deemed to have made a declaration
that they hold such cover.
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