Catamaran versus Skiff showdown wins hearts

	Blue toungue brewery. Premium Lager, Alcoholic Ginger Beer, Traditional Pilsener		Successful regatta and regular sailors use halyards, sheets and mooring lines from the leading company LIROS distributed by Deckhardware Australasia.

It is well known amongst sailing club bars that sledging between skiffs and multi-hulls can be described as colourful at the best of times. Last weekend on a beautiful Sydney winters day the Sydney Flying Squadron put theories to the test and found that for all the talk, there’s really just not much in it.

The Squaddy Brass Monkey Regatta was run in soft breezes that often dropped out to still pond conditions. The main battle lines were unspoken, but it was evident in the boat park that the powerhouse F18 and Taipan catamarans would be lining up against an equally keen fleet of 18 footers from both the League and the Squaddy.

Results are not a fair indication, as such a narrow range of conditions were experienced at the lowest end of the wind speed scale. And even then, it was a draw. It was found that 18 footers and F18s drifted just as slowly as the Spiral who was entered at the other end of the fleet.

Bunch up at a mark rounding. Copyright - Rob Bell

In up to 8 knots of breeze, Michael Carter’s Bethwaite designed 18 footer won clearly, however the next race in similar conditions saw the Super Taipan catamaran SpecialisedMarine win with the Murray designed League 18 Barracouta Sails only seconds behind. In the absolute drifter conditions it was the ultra-light A Class catamarans that did the damage to the fleet, and the heavier F18s failed to impress in the light conditions typically finishing at the back of the division in all races.

The spirit of competition was evident through the whole fleet. It was often difficult to avoid bumping off someone as the fleets converged at the windward mark. The cats however showed sportsmanship with gentlemanly allowances given to monohulls at rounding marks by not protesting on minor contacts. During one start sequence one catamaran sailor was seen stepping across another boat to help someone with a stuck rudder blade, only to swim back to his own boat in the cold water.

In one of the more spectacular incidents the flighty Cherubs entertained the crowd on the spectator ferry with a delightful stack on the finish line involving four boats, in which at least two were holed and others colliding with the finish boat.

There were cats and skiffs coming from all directions and Race Officers David and Leasa Speck, and Tamie Stanaway tried to focus on taking finish times. Stanaway heard the loud and intense language coming from the Cherubs as each was asserting some interpretation on right of way. As the Specks were taking finish times all she could do was remember hearing about Tony Denham’s (IRO) sagely advice and simply “did up her shoe laces” and later could not be drawn into commenting (dobbing) on who did what.

In the final results, Victorian Tim Shepperd of Gippsland Lakes Yacht Club steered his Mosquito to a win in Division 1. 16 Footer, Energy Australia skippered by Patrick Levy was the Division 2 winner and Phil Stephenson took out Division 3 and the overall regatta trophy in his self built development International Canoe “21st Century”.

Cats and Skiffs obscure the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Copyright - Rob Bell

Aside to the sailing, the regatta represents something of a rebirth for the Sydney Flying Squadron and even winter sailing in Sydney. The event has managed to take on a cult following through word of mouth over the internet this year. There was little marketing, just shared memories of last year’s wild rides.

Sponsors happily backed the small club and its team by providing so much product and merchandise as prizes that almost everyone went home with new gear and hardware.

True to the spirit of the event, major sponsors were found for both the social aspect, and the sailing. Through Sydney distributor Deckhardware, Liros rope manufacturers threw their support behind the event by happily offering plenty of merchandise for the winners of a virtually un-marketed event.

On a lighter note the other major sponsors Blue Tongue Beer received great support from competitors. There were a few hangovers but none like the sailors who enjoyed the sponsor’s hospitality, went out for more, and then reportedly got locked up overnight for trying to kiss a local cabbie. The cabbie was not flattered, and the police not amused.

Minor Sponsors included Ronstan, Gaastranautics, CST Composites and Inspired Graphix. The event is already receiving interest in sponsorships for next year in cash prizes with dates already being set for the weekend of August 11th and 12th 2007. It is expected that more serious prizes will result in more skiffs. More skiffs mean more cats wanting to knock them off. And the cycle begins again.

by Glen Stanaway

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	Ronstan - Australian manufacturers of quality sailboat deck hardware to suit the world’s most demanding and discerning racing skiffs and dinghies. With a product range including standard and custom solutions in blocks, traveller cars, rigging fittings.
	CST Composites design and manufacture a full range of filament wound carbon fiber tubing. Perfect for masts, spreaders, spinnaker poles, booms and tiller extensions on Dinghys, Skiffs and Multihulls.
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