Photo: Sail World

Good day for Steve Brewin

World champion comes good after two more races are held at the Australian A-Class Nationals

Thursday January 5th 2012, Author: A-Class Australian Nationals, Location: Australia

The first race on day 3 of the 2012 John Cootes Furniture A Class Australian Championships, being hosted by the Wangi Amateur Sailing Club was delayed until 2pm, by which time Australia's cricket captain Michael Clarke had reached 300 runs. It was coincidence but by then the ESEerly had lifted to six knots.

After a two hour delay and a general recall, PRO Tony Outteridge hoisted a black flag. A clear start for most of the fleet but not for Dirk de Ridder. His 'need for speed' was too great and he was black flagged.

James Spithill was the clear leader at the top mark with Glenn Ashby second. Next time around it was Stephen Brayshaw in the lead from Grant Pellew, Tom Slingsby, Jack Benson, Pieter-Jan Postman, Chris Cairns and Steve Brewin.

On the next top rounding Spithill sailed in on a long starboard layline approach, while Ashby came in fast on the port layline and he grabbed the lead before the clearing mark. Behind them came Brayshaw, Nathan Outteridge and Brewin.

At the top mark for the final time Ashby led Brewin and Spithill. They finished in that order, ahead of Outteridge.

The wind had built to 11 knots by the start of the second race of the day, Race 6 of the series.

Ashby was on the pin with Outteridge just squeezed in one up from him, while Darren Bundock was four up. Ashby missed the first shift and at the top mark for the first time Lucas McDonald led Pellew, Outteridge, Jack Benson and Postman, ahead of Cairns. The second time round Brewin was leading veteran Scott Anderson and Chris Batenberg with Ashby up to fourth.

At the top of the third beat it was Brewin ahead of Anderson, Spithill and Ashby. Down the final run Outteridge sailed through Ashby and Spithill to take third place.

First into the boat park was Steve Brewin: "Happy to go 2, 1 today. Glenn had a brilliant first race; I guess I learned a bit watching how he sailed. In the second race I got out pretty well, with Outteridge and Spithill. Glenn was back a little, which made my life easier. I had a good first run and got the lead and disappeared. I will have to win the last three races to have a chance of winning the 2012 title. One bad move, like I did yesterday, and the regatta is over."

Glenn Ashby said: "In the first race I managed to sneak away after two good beats and managed to consolidate downwind. In the second race I started at the pin and I had a beautiful start, but it went down about 10 degrees. Everyone got in a 15 degree lift and speared off. I took my medicine and was deep at the top. I finished fourth.

"You needed to be much more aggressive and I was not, I should have gone for the corners. But I will take a four any day of the week in this high quality fleet. Stevie (Brewin) and I always have a good tussle, let's hope we can get some decent breeze tomorrow that we can sink our teeth into. It will be a lot of fun."

Darren Bundock explained: "It was a hard day. In the second race around the top mark I think I was back in the 40's. On the first downwind I took 20 boats, in the next downwind another five and then slowly got up there. It was very patchy. You would just be sailing along and then completely stop and someone 50 metres above you was fully stretched on the wire."

James Spithill agreed: "It was very shifty and pretty tactical. I wasn't as fast as the other guys downwind but I was able to find a couple of shifts and just hang in there up the top. For a while I didn't even know if we would get a race in, but I reckon Tony (PRO Tony Outteridge) is doing a great job. We got some great races and I am looking forward to tomorrow."

Pieter-Jan Postman, second at the Finn Worlds at Perth 2011, is enjoying his A-Cat experience. "I am new in the class and I'm a bit heavier at 103 kilos, about 20 or so more than Nathan (Outteridge). The A-Cat is a great boat. It's a totally different game (to the Finn) and you make different angles. Every day I learn a lot so I am really keen to get this boat under control. I only sailed it the first time six days ago. I am having a lot of fun. It's a great venue with good hosts. It's fantastic and a really friendly atmosphere."

Top 50 results:

Pos Skipper Sail No R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Tot
1 Glenn Ashby AUS111 1 1 2 1 1 [4.0] 6
2 Steve Brewin AUS4 4 3 1 [6.0] 2 1 11
3 Darren Bundock AUS888 3 2 4 2 [20.0] 8 19
4 Nathan Outteridge AUS973 2 6 [7.0] 3 5 3 19
5 James Spithill AUS975 [10.0] 9 6 4 3 5 27
6 Scott Anderson AUS902 7 10 10 10 [25.0] 2 39
7 Andrew Landenberger AUS308 6 7 8 13 12 [24.0] 46
8 Stephen Brayshaw AUS25 9 [17.0] 13 7 10 16 55
9 Tom Slingsby AUS972 15 5 5 8 [24.0] 23 56
10 Brad Collett AUS10 8 8 14 15 11 [25.0] 56
11 Bob Baier GER14 13 22 3 11 8 [40.0] 57
12 Chris Batenberg AUS20 12 11 [22.0] 5 19 10 57
13 Andrew Williams AUS321 11 [71.0O] 15 12 7 12 57
14 Graeme Parker AUS967 14 12 11 [17.0] 6 15 58
15 Simon McKeon AUS958 5 4 17 9 27 [36.0] 62
16 Jack Benson AUS13 24 15 9 14 4 [28.0] 66
17 Davis McKenzie AUS907 16 14 [30.0] 19 13 14 76
18 Chris Cairns AUS898 31 30 12 [71.0C] 9 6 88
19 Stuart Scott AUS961 [23.0] 19 19 18 15 17 88
20 Grant Pellew AUS969 21 [27.0] 16 16 18 18 89
21 Dave Brewer AUS949 20 13 [31.0] 23 28 7 91
22 David Parker AUS936 28 16 21 21 [32.0] 11 97
23 Adam Beattie AUS920 22 23 [25.0] 22 14 21 102
24 Graeme Harbour AUS8 17 24 24 [32.0] 29 9 103
25 Mark Johnston AUS22 26 20 [58.0] 29 17 19 111
26 David Loutit AUS957 18 21 28 24 23 [32.0] 114
27 Richie Howells AUS844 29 28 26 27 16 [42.0] 126
28 Caroljn Brouwer NED88 40 [41.0] 18 20 35 20 133
29 Lucas McDonald AUS947 30 26 44 [47.0] 21 13 134
30 John Richards AUS101 [47.0] 40 20 28 22 27 137
31 Wayne Mercer AUS900 19 18 38 30 [43.0] 37 142
32 Hamish Sinclair AUS7 34 [71.0C] 27 35 26 22 144
33 Chris Parker AUS933 33 33 23 25 31 [44.0] 145
34 Michael Kopp AUS911 36 34 37 39 [42.0] 26 172
35 John Dowling AUS9 32 31 [46.0] 41 34 34 172
36 John Kosteki USA1 27 [71.0F] 36 33 48 29 173
37 Clare Neeskens AUS837 45 [54.0] 29 37 40 30 181
38 Andrew Chaney AUS58 39 32 33 36 [49.0] 41 181
39 Simon Nelson AUS100 [71.0F] 35 32 31 39 46 183
40 Bruce McArthur AUS37 25 [71.0F] 48 26 46 39 184
41 Steve Breaden AUS935 37 38 35 [71.0F] 50 33 193
42 Dirk de Ridder NED112 35 25 34 [71.0O] 71.0B 38 203
43 Paul Neeskens AUS954 38 29 47 [56.0] 41 48 203
44 Neil Caldwell AUS827 42 37 45 43 45 [55.0] 212
45 Ian Michie AUS880 48 44 49 44 30 [51.0] 215
46 Steve Wright AUS944 44 [71.0F] 64 42 37 35 222
47 Robert Griffits AUS950 43 42 41 40 56 [60.0] 222
48 Steven Yarrington AUS942 [56.0] 53 39 34 54 53 233
49 Pieter-Jan Postman AUS90 46 47 53 [61.0] 38 52 236
50 Brad Wicht AUS9I4 [71.0F] 43 43 52 55 45 238

 

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