As the first race started, it really looked like we had been blessed with a perfect building Nor-Easter, and while we enjoyed that while it lasted - by the second race the wind had shifted all the way right toward the East, requiring complete course change into the “Dardanelles”, entering Rose Bay between Shark Island and Point Piper. But that was not the end of the course changes, the wind lightened as we finished race two, and the new breeze came in at 10-15 knots (occasionally gusting 20) from the opposite direction, right down from the Harbour Bridge where we saw the flags turn Westerly!
And so our on-water race team deserves a huge Thank-You as they had to rearrange the course three times over the day for each race: - Rob Lowndes, Rob Barnes, Robert Bruce on The Jazzman start boat, David Murphy with Peter Collie, Anna McKeon, Ben Byford, Maurice Doumit on the Finish Boat “Smitten”, and a host of others busily moving marks: Pat Levy, Diana Chen (Photographer), John Vasey, Craig Ryan, Marian Traynor, Wendel Wait across 3 RIB support boats, with an additional support boat provided by VYC, (and thankyou to Luke Parker and Craig Ryan for making their RIBs available) - they were all kept very busy!
The Mark Bethwaite Trophy:
In honor of our local club legend who joined the club over 25 years ago, drawn by a friendship with Don Roach and other like-minded Laser sailors. As a member of an iconic sailing family, Mark has had an outstanding sailing career. He was Australian Yachtsman of the Year back in 1983 and was part of the Olympic Team in 1980. He has achieved World Champion status in the J24, Soling class and Laser ILCA Masters, where he was 9 times World Masters Champion, and where he still has a World Masters ILCA medal tally that has him ranked 4th in the World. A life member of DBSC and past Commodore, he holds the record of 15 times Double Bay Champion and 16 times Double Bay Masters Champion!
There were standout performances by so many competitors out on the course - with three exceptional sailors rising to to the top - the first Champions of the Double Bay Regatta:
1st ILCA 7 - Julian Taylor (WSC/DBSC)
1st ILCA 6 - Sylvie Stannage (HHSC/DBSC)
1st ILCA 4 - Zac Howell (HHSC/DBSC)
Mark joined us on the day, and presented the Cup to the champions Zac, Sylvie and Julian who were also presented a medallion and cash prize, and will have their names on the new Mark Bethwaite Trophy.
