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Olympic coaches
and Olympians themselves will go head to head
in the Dinghy Solutions Sailing School sponsored
Squaddy Brass Monkey Regatta when the first race
of the two day event starts at midday on August
20th.
Entering the event are two
Olympic coaches, in Emmett Lazich and Lea Sitja.
Both coaches have been part of Gold Medal winning
49er campaigns. In addition to this talent are
dual Olympian Bruce Savage and Clynton Wade Lehman
both from South Africa.
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Emmett
Lazich showing how it's done in the Olympic
Skiff, the 49er
Photo
by Glen Stanaway
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After competing in the Solings
in the Atlanta and Barcelona Olympics, Bruce Savage
also played a part in the Sydney 2000 Olympics
as a coach to the South African 49er team. Clynton
was part of the South African team with Bruce
Savage’s crew in the Barcelona Olympics.
All of these sailors have
landed in different high performance skiff classes.
In the Squaddy Brass Monkey Regatta, Emmett Lazich
and Clynton Wade Lehman will be racing with the
49ers from Woollahara Sailing Club, Lea Sitja
on an 18 footer from the host club the Sydney
Flying Squadron and Bruce Savage on a 16 footer
from the Manly 16ft Skiff Club.
This makes for some pretty
tough racing at the front. Lea Sitja is on probably
the fastest craft, the 18 footer, but is very
new to the class and will be in the pupil’s
role when facing up against consummate professionals
such as Lazich, or Lehman who is now in the Bethwaite
Designs team at Woollahara.
Not long ago the 16 footers
represented a new challenge to Savage just like
the 18s do now for Sitja. There was plenty of
time sailing at very competitive level in many
yacht and dinghy classes, but little exposure
to a class with the performance and characteristics
of the explosive 16. When starting in the 16s
the first thing that challenged Savage was the
skills needed to sail with the mast head asymmetric
kites at 20+ knots, both handling techniques and
the all important angles.
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Olympic
Coach Emmett Lazich (AUS 811) is 1st around
the top mark in local 49er racing.
Photo
by Glen Stanaway
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Savage’s crew from 1996
Olympics, Lehman is just as new to the Skiff cases
but is part of Bethwaite Designs creating opportunities
for young sailors learn these skills in the Bethwaite
designed 29er. Many schools have adopted the 29er
as it is a great platform to learn how to handle
and tune the skiffs, whilst not facing the massive
power and speeds of the senior classes. Learning
skills in classes such as the Cherub, 29er or
13 ft skiff will provide the perfect platform
for young sailors to make the step up into the
super fast skiffs.
Unlike Sitja and Savage, Lazich
is the long time sage of Sydney skiff classes,
with a long trail of wins in the 18 footers, 49ers,
and (ironically) a Rookies trophy stemming from
his 5th place in the latest 12ft Skiff Interdominion
Trophy. All this came after a super start winning
the 1991 World Title in the flighty performance
driven Moth class.
The Squaddy Brass Monkey Regatta
is open to all classes, and these Olympians and
Olympic Coaches will find them selves up against
a lot of new young talent keen to have a crack
against the best, or those simply keen to learn
something from being on the same course as the
best.
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Emmett
Lazich sailing the Olympic class 49er
on Sydney Harbour
Photo
by Glen Stanaway
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Some however may not be so
worried or intimidated by the talent on display,
particularly those other sailors who already have
a few wins under the belt. The latest entry in
the Squaddy Brass Monkey Regatta is Moth world
title holder, Rohan Veal who has won far too many
other titles for me to list here.
Differing to the path Lazich
took after the Moths, Veal is not yet looking
to sail any other skiff class at this stage. He
is however looking forward to competing against
the skiffs, hoping for flat water on a 15-20 knot
day, as he knows he would be close to them with
his revolutionary Foiler Moth. Late August on
Sydney Harbour may well give him those conditions.
Young sailors wanting to see
the cream of dinghy and skiff sailing on display
can come down to the regatta to check out the
classes whilst rigging in the park, or join in
by entering the racing.
For more information about
Dinghy Solution Sailing School’s skiff course,
go to http://www.dinghysolutions.com.au/.
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