Winter Champs & a Gold Coast hinterland backdrop
Southport Yacht Club was proud to host the Etchells 2025 Mid-Winter nationals on the waters off the Gold Coast.
After 3 late cancellations we still ended up with a great fleet of 12 boats which included a world champ or two. The 3 day event began in the light warm breezes on Saturday morning. All boats sailed out the seaway to the race area just off of Main Beach. Race 1 was in 8-10 knot breezes with a breaking 1.5m ocean swell washing across the course on otherwise smooth waters. The course started at 320 degree, 1.2 nautical miles long. Half way through the second leg the wind went west and the course was changed to 280 degrees. Jack Abbott's Lisa Rose and JC Strong’s Flying Higher were exchanging leads with each other and the top 6 boats were in close contact throughout the race, with Lisa Rose eventually taking out the first win.
The next 2 races saw the wind go back to 310 degrees and build throughout the day to around 15 knots. The favoured side changed throughout the day which provided some passing opportunities and excellent sailing conditions. Lisa Rose came away with 2 wins and Flying Higher one win with Matthew Fisk’s Surprise and Kane Sinlair's Gen XY hot on their heels.
Day 2 greeted us with a glorious sunny day, again the temperatures were forecast to be in the 20’s. The wind was expected to build to above 15 knots during the day. Race 1 was similar conditions to Saturday, except the swell had reduced and there was light chop on the water. It was picturesque racing with the skyline and the hinterland of the Gold Coast as a back drop. The breeze was again in the north-west. 3 races saw two wins to Lisa Rose and one to Gen XY. The 7 local Gold Coast fleet boats were finding their own close battles throughout the fleet, fighting for bragging rights and the PHS trophy. A race 4 pre-start incident saw the protest flag go up on Lisa Rose. The end of the day protest hearing saw Flying Higher come out with a disqualification. Race 6 on the day saw the breeze pick up above 15 knots and made for some great lead changes and fast racing. A local boat, Kelvin Holdt’s Wobbegong emerged a hero in race 6 by chasing the right side and managing a second place for the race.
Back at the Main Beach clubhouse the Gold Coast Championship trophy was awarded to the winner at the end of the second day. (Queensland does not celebrate the Kings birthday holiday this time of year and a few crews needed to go back to work.) The trophy went to Jack Abbot and crew on Lisa Rose. It's the second time the boat has been on the trophy but this time with a different crew.
Day 3 was another glorious winter day on the Gold Coast. The winner could still come from the top 4 boats so the competion was on. The winds were forecast to increase to over 20 knots during the day. Racing started 30 minutes earlier and the SYC RO Matt Dickenson declared that the race length would be shortened to 0.9 of mile to get races through in 40 minutes. Flying Higher made it to the top mark first in both races but let Lisa Rose through on the final downwind on race 7. The last couple of legs on race 8 saw the wind pick up to 20+ knots. One disintegrated spinnaker and a few scary moments down wind on the last leg. Race 8 saw Lisa Rose with a 3rd place and that put them in an unassailable position despite Flying Higher winning that race. The wind was now gusting over 25 knots and building and the racing was called for the last day much to everyone’s satisfaction.
Final presentations were held at the Hollywell club house with the customary sausage sizzle and SYC hospitality. The Mid-Winter Champs were Lisa Rose with Jack Abbott, Anne Crone, Xavier Winston Smith and Nigel Abbott. Flying Higher with JC Strong, Seve Jarvin, Seb Cheng and Richard Allanson taking out a close 2nd, and Surprise with Mathew Fisk, Ryan Fisk and Brett Siris taking out 3rd.
Thank you from the Gold Coast Fleet and from SYC to all the boats that competed especially the boats that travelled from NSW and Noosa Qld. Great close racing on a great race track. we look forward to welcoming more boats here for next year.
Author: Wayne Kirby, Gold Coast Fleet Captain
Photos: Kayla Boothby
Full Results
