WHAT A WAY TO START DECEMBER…
Swan River Sailing couldn’t have wished for a better end to 2020 than executing two of our rescheduled events plus a brand new one!
Perth supplied the amazing weather, South of Perth Yacht Club supplied the race management and facilities, we supplied the yachts and the teams supplied the camaraderie. Friday, 4th December the inaugural addition of the Double Handed Swan River Regatta sailed at full capacity – nine teams in total. Saturday morning then saw arguably the most popular of our events, the Womens State Keelboat Championships finally be sailed for 2020 with some fierce competition out on the river. The, Sunday morning we saw the first of the WA Tour Events (kindly supported by the Warren Jones Foundation) sailed, the 2020 Youth State Keelboat Championships another fully subscribed event and a fantastic start to the tour with four more events to be sailed in 2021, where the overall placings will receive a share in over $8,000 in prize money!
[ 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
2020 DOUBLE HANDED SWAN RIVER REGATTA
Friday, 4 December 2020
Hosted by South of Perth Yacht Club
On Friday, 4 December, we have a brand new edition to the Swan River Sailing Event line up; the Double Handed Swan River Regatta. Inspired by the preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the season opener saw teams sailing in a gender equal pair (with one exception allowed…) with a capable observer onboard for safety purposes. Team ‘Kraken Offshore Racing’ consisting of Todd Giraudo & Dubbo White, as a local exceptionally experienced offshore double-handed team, were invited to set the pace for the evening… thus being the one exception to the gender equal ruling.
Friday evening saw nine competitive double handed teams racing against one another in the fleet of Foundation 36 Yachts. A strong sea breeze made the racing interesting with a few hectic mark roundings and close calls. The biggest question of the day was whether hoisting the kite was worth it with many teams electing to goose wing the jib instead of hoisting the kite.
The evening was a huge success with everyone excited to contest for the title again in 2021. For the time being though, Team ‘Beauty & the Beast’ of Ella Clark & Ben Durham will hold the title, over second place getters Hayley Clark & Ethan Prieto-Low and coming in third, Lucy Alderson & Conor Nicholas. A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out and competed, resulting a fun evening of sailing out on the river to kick of the summer!
A list of teams who competed and full results can be found on the 2020 Double Handed Swan River Regatta web-page. Special thanks of course to host club South of Perth Yacht Club and their fantastic team of volunteers for assisting with the running and hosting of the event.
Head to the Swan River Sailing Facebook Page to view some snaps and videos from the event.
[ Lucy Alderson & Conor Nicholas at the 2020 Double Handed Swan River Regatta – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
[2020 Double Handed Swan River Regatta – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
2020 WOMENS STATE KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, 5 December 2020
Hosted by South of Perth Yacht Club
Saturday morning saw one of our longest running and most hotly contested events, the 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships – which was rescheduled from the original March 2020 date due to COVID-19. With out a doubt, the womens teams are always the teams that put in the most pre-regatta practice on the Foundation 36s and it is always such a pleasure to see them put the hours in in preparation for the event!
With this event occurring at an unusual time of year, just five teams representing four clubs took to the water to compete for the 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships title.
The teams experienced a bit of everything during the morning, starting with a strong easterly, followed by a few drifting races and then a race in a pumping sea breeze. Team Freo, from Fremantle Sailing Club who won the event in 2019, worked tirelessly to hold onto their title, but, the newly formed Akamai Race Team from Royal Freshwater Yacht Club, took the challenge and brought the trophy home for 2020! Akamai Race Team, helmed by Lucy Alderson, are also members of the WA Tour and Development Program with this being a fantastic start to their 2020/21 campaign, and with many more opportunities to continue developing their teamwork and skills onboard the Foundations 36 Yachts this season.
Team Freo, helmed by Shelley White, definitely didn’t go down without a fight, and ended up finishing in a close 2nd place. 3rd place was claimed by Sandy Anderson and her Royal Freshwater Yacht Club team, but a welcome improvement from their 4th place in 2019.
A list of teams who competed and full results can be found on the 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships web-page. And another honourable mention to host club South of South of Perth Yacht Club and all the volunteers who assisted with running and hosting the event.
The women will get a double-dose this Season with the 2021 edition of the event scheduled in for Saturday, 20 March 2021, hosted by Royal Freshwater Yacht Club, with entries already being accepted. Please find this information on the 2021 Womens State Keelboat Championships web-page.
Head to the Swan River Sailing Facebook Page to view some snaps and videos from the event.
[ 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
[Winners of the 2020 Womens State Keelboat Championships Akamai Race Team, skippered by Lucy Alderson and representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
2020 YOUTH STATE KEELBOAT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, 6 December 2020
Hosted by South of Perth Yacht Club
Sunday morning saw nine competitive youth teams take to the water for the 2020 edition of the Youth State Keelboat Championships. This was the first event of the 2020/21 WA Tour which collates a series of two fleet racing and three match racing regattas, to be sailed over the 2020/21 Summer Season. By March 2021, at the next addition of the Youth State Keelboat Championships, we will find out who claims the title of the best Youth Keelboat Sailing Team in the State, with place getters sharing a prize pool of over $8,000!
The WA Tour and Development Program are kindly supported by the Warren Jones Foundation in lieu of the Warren Jones Regatta in 2021 due to the unusual situation we find ourselves in due to COVID-19. Without the support of the Warren Jones Foundation, this initiative would not be possible.
Seven of the teams who competed in the 2020 Youth State Keelboat Championships are members of the WA Tour and Development Program, making them eligible for a share of the prize money. The additional two teams that competed in the weekend’s event have been invited to join the WA Tour and Development Program and we hope to see them continue the program over the summer.
On Sunday, the racing was tight in a variety of conditions. The initial races were raced in a lingering easterly which produced big shifts and pressure changes. Teams that were patient and observant made big gains.
Towards the end of the morning, the wind swung through to an establishing sea breeze and the teams raced in more wind, showing the strengths and weaknesses of the teams boat handling skills.
Columbus Racing, skippered by Marcello Torre, representing Royal Freshwater Yacht Club came away with this year’s Youth State Keelboat Championships title – and also now leads the tally board for the overall WA Tours cores – snapped up the win amongst WA’s most competitive youth sailors. Alpha Racing Team, skippered by Will Boulden, also representing Royal Freshwater Yacht Club came up with 2nd Place followed by Ocean Ranger Racing, skippered by Conor Nicholas, representing Royal Perth Yacht Club who finished the day in third.
A list of teams who competed and full results can be found on the 2020 Youth State Keelboat Championships web-page. And of course another huge thank you to host club South of Perth Yacht Club and volunteers who pulled off this jam packed weekend of keelboat racing.
Head to the Swan River Sailing Facebook Page to view some snaps and videos from the event.
[ 2020 Youth State Keelboat Championships – Photography Credit to Michael Taylor]
Next up on the WA Tour…
Royal Freshwater Yacht Club‘s JESS Match Cup on Thursday 21 – Sunday 24 January 2021, which will be sailed on BW8s – changing up the pace for the WA Tour and Development Program before it’s back to the F36s for the rest of the tour events.
THANK YOUS….
We must of course mention the true MVPs of the weekend… the people!
Firstly to South of Perth Yacht Club and their fantastic, dedicated team of volunteers who worked tirelessly all weekend to host these three regattas – the events would simply not be possible without you. Thank You!!
Additional Thank Yous to clubs, teams and competitors – without your support and participation we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. Thank You!
And, some thank yous to those who battle away behind the scenes… our maintenance and support team. Thank You!
Next stop for Swan River Sailing….
The third event of the WA Tour, the 2021 Colin Mullins Youth Regatta on the 28th January hosted by Royal Perth Yacht Club, followed closely by the 2021 City of Perth Festival of Sail which includes the Inaugural City of Perth Youth Cup, also hosted by Royal Perth Yacht Club, sailed in Perth Waters. This will be a three day event sailed on the 3rd to the 5th of February 2021, filling the void of the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta which is on ice for 2021.
A special thanks once again to the Warren Jones Foundation for supporting the WA Tour and the unusual match racing schedule for local sailors in 2020/2021. With the Foundation’s key ethos being that of supporting and developing the youth sailors of Western Australia, it’s no surprise they are the major supporter of a development program for local WA sailors to assist them with continuing on their journeys in a post-covid world.
[ The 2019 Warren Jones International Youth Regatta as part of the 2019 City of Perth Festival of Sail – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
[ The 2019 Warren Jones International Youth Regatta as part of the 2020 City of Perth Festival of Sail – Photography Credit to Drew Malcolm Photography ]
