Qld A Class championships 2023
The 2023 QLD A Class Championship was raced this year at Eagleby over two days. Conditions on both days were light SE in the morning building to a good A rig in the afternoon. Racing was closed after 26 races with a clear result and another race win for the consistent Barry Grant. Placegetters were Frank Russell QLD 1st, Barry Grant NSW 2nd, Peter Anderson NSW 3rd.
The 2023 QLD A Class Championship was raced this year at Eagleby over two days with the intention of attracting interstate entries and pushing the class forward in the classes one hundredth year. The A class is a large boat but that you get is value for money. The boats are elegant, sails beautifully and despite the large variation in hull shape and dimensions racing is very close. Most of the boats racing this year are modern and home built.
The NSW contingent was led by Peter Anderson who designs and builds his Fuse designs which are all different from balsa and glass. The UFO 2 designs were all built from bare carbon hulls, some by Peter, Frank, as well as Iain Kirley while Bruce McLaren completed his own. Trevor Fisher sailed the unusual and very fast Robinson A1 light air flyer for the first time and was always in the group, leading at times. John Fulton sailed his Gothica which was built by Gary Taylor.
Conditions on both days were light SE in the morning building to a good A rig in the afternoon. The courses were three laps with closer marks to allow for clean rounding and races were over 10 minutes.
Racing was close in the group, but boats who got away into the lead early tended to stay there and stretch out unincumbered by other boats involved in the otherwise close racing in the group.
PRO Andrew Wilson had the racing away just after 10am in light conditions. Peter Anderson started well with 2 wins, closely followed by Barry Grant and Bruce McLaren. Frank Russell then started to work out the conditions and based on some clean starts managed to get away early in most races, as the breeze gradually built. Minor placings were shared around pretty much the top seven placings which showed the evenness of the fleet.
Iain Kirley unfortunately retired after race 9 due to illness and he didn’t return the second day. Peter Anderson was also not well suffering from a stomach bug but still sailed well. 14 races were completed on the day after which a sausage sizzle was held at the club’s impressive race management trailer.
Day 2 started with a win by John Fulton sailing his ex-QLD Champion Gothica after repairs with help from other skippers to an errant fin which decided to rotate around its support tube.
Frank, after a fifth place resumed winning races based on mostly good starts as the breeze built to 12 to 15 knots with all boats on A rigs, leading at times to all boats sailing screaming running legs in the gusts.
Racing was closed after 26 races with a clear result and another race win for the consistent Barry Grant. Placegetters were Frank Russell QLD 1st, Barry Grant NSW 2nd, Peter Anderson NSW 3rd.
The presentation, sausages and beer were held after at the trailer to end what was a great a Class event.
Many thanks to the organisers of the Eagleby club. To Andrew Wilson and John Gower for scoring.
- FR
Pos | Name/Club | Sail No. /Design | Nett | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Frank Russell SUNSHINE COAST | AUS 75 UFO 2 | 25.0 | 41.0 |
2 | Barry Grant KOONAWARRA BAY | AUS 20 FUSE | 59.0 | 85.0 |
3 | Peter Anderson KOONAWARRA BAY | AUS 10 FUSE | 64.0 | 97.0 |
4 | Bruce McLaren SPRINGFIELD LAKES | AUS 31 UFO 2 | 84.0 | 115.0 |
5 | Dale Smith WYNNUM MANLY | AUS 11 UFO 2 | 92.0 | 122.0 |
6 | Trevor Fisher LAKE SAMSONVALE | AUS 14 ONE OFF | 125.0 | 158.0 |
7 | John Fulton LAKE SAMSONVALE | AUS 95 GOTHICA | 130.0 | 167.0 |
8 | Lester Pearson ILLAWARRA | AUS 28 GUN | 139.0 | 174.0 |
9 | Iain Kirley FRASER COAST | AUS 01 UFO 2 | 195.0 | 235.0 |