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2009/2010 Stingray & Cobra Catamaran National Titles

Victor Harbor Yacht Club, South Australia

The National Titles at Victor were battled out between the same six boats that competed 12 months earlier at Rosebud in Victoria, in fact the crews were almost identical as well.  The series was sailed in mostly light-medium airs with the heavier crews only able to stretch right out two on the wire occasionally.  The exception to this was the invitation race in which those brave (read stupid) enough to go out enjoyed 20kt+ winds and a VERY large rolling ocean swell which could have been anywhere from 2.5 to 5m.  Todd Lienert sailed this race with prospective Stingray sailor Brian Partridge, Todd clearly made a very good sales pitch as they won the race and Brian has since purchased Stingray #580 “Fantasia”.  Justin Forrester and Bill Mudge once again proved their ability ‘in a blow’ and finished a respectable second.  The other starter Mitch Bayliss and his crew Calum O’Doherty incurred some boat damage in the rough conditions and had to retire.

Series proper started in a much more manageable breeze of 5-8kts.  All competitors took to the line with great vigour including a lucky Mitch who was sailing on top of a different platform to the one he had towed over from Victoria, Clive Boyce was generous enough to lend out his beautiful platform from ‘Fanstasia’.  One thing was blindingly obvious in this early race – If the wind was light then Todd Lienert and his son Mitchell were going to be hard to beat!

The second race was sailing in much similar conditions to the first, the competitors in all classes were a little frustrated that there was not much wind but the chop was still there as a result of the weather from the day before.  Once again Todd showed the fleet a clean set of heels and was looking damaging with 2 wins on the board.  Rex Gibbs and his wife/crew Julie also turned some heads with an impressive 2^nd place, whilst Mitch and Calum slid into a fourth after some adjustments to their rudders after race 1.

Race 3 and 4 were back to back races which saw the wind lift a fraction and led to some much faster racing.  Justin and Bill showed their championship winning form from 2009 and won heat 3 in good style, Whilst Rex won the 4^th showing some impressive downwind speed.  Brett Lienert and son Jarred were consistent with two thirds with Brett showing why he was always a contender.

Now is probably a good time to blow the whistle on Rex a little… The boat that he refers to as “The Old Girl” has had some surgery both structural and cosmetic.  A new Paint Job, new Carbon Fibre mast, and a new set of sails with the new square top configuration has “The Old Girl” looking far more like a “Lean Mean Racing Machine”.  What a great job Rex has done – ‘Chasin’ a Feeling’ is now a real head turner!  Well Done!

The next few races saw the fleet getting tighter and tighter with some excellent racing taking place!  Lead changes were prevalent and even the slightest mistake led to boats slipping back through the fleet.  When the wind increased Mitch looked to be showing damaging upwind speed, and Rex was turning some excellent corners and seemed to be consistently on the good side of the course.  Brett was once again always in the mix.

Race 7 may well be remembered for a very long time… that’s because it took a VERY long time!  You could have thrown a handkerchief over the fleet as they rounded the bottom mark for the second time with just one triangle to go.  Todd got around first about 30m in front of the pack and quickly parked in a hole… The fleet initially thought this was good news, but Todd found a way out and the pack sailed into the very same hole… the very same hole that engulfed the course!  While the pack spend the next half an hour drifting through the chop toward the top mark (sometimes) Todd and Mitchell were stretched out on the wire having a lovely time!  In the end Todd finished up 46 minutes ahead of next best finisher Mitch… meaning that all except Todd were awarded a DNF for not finishing within time limit.  It was at this stage that Todd secured the National Title – Congratulations!

The last race saw a Northerly wind that was gusty and shifty – The lead changed on every leg – A special mention must go to Brett Lienert who went from first to last in the space of a leg!  One thing was very apparent as the series went on, and that was how much tighter the racing had become over the course of the week.  The last race was the perfect example with everybody holding the lead at some point of the race.

All in all the series was a success – and a great advertisement for family sailing!  The talk off the race course was all positive and it seems like there is a group of sailors committed to the class and trying to get people back on the water – Early indications suggest we should have 3-4 more boats at Belmont on Lake Macquarie!

Big thanks must go to Rex Gibbs who did the bulk of the organizational work, and Todd Lienert who supported him in making sure that a successful series went ahead – Big thanks also to the Cobra Association and the Arrow and Arafura Assocation!

SERIES RESULTS - OUTRIGHT

SERIES RESULTS - HANDICAP