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25.3.2002
Wellington Slalom Champs 17.3.2002 (Report
by Nick Hunn)
Unbelievable!
For the past few seasons we have always had difficulty getting the
Slalom champs going at the first attempt. But this year we finally
had a reasonable forecast, and on Friday night it looked like we might
get away with defrosting the sausages only once. We were promised
strong Northerlies and unbelievably they turned up on Saturday, more
or less as predicted.
Bugger ! (number 1)
The race organisers and keenest racers arrived at Seatoun Beach about
10:30am to find Butsy on his waveboard on a 4.7m and Annie having
a blast on a smaller sail. This looked promising. We immediately set
about getting the bouys out, but were completely buggered when our
usually reliable boat wouldn't start. Bron got a pre-race workout
trying to pull-start the engine until her arms gave out, and a few
others had no luck either. Fortunately we had a back-up boat available
from H2O sports at Worser Bay and they flew across to help us out
and set the course.
Big Turnout !
The moderately fine weather and good forecast brought out 30 sailors
and one of the best fields in years. We had 2 very highly ranked racers
make the trip down from Auckland (well done Jarred Scollay and Luke
Watson) and the best from the Wellington region (which at the moment
means the best in NZ).
The format was round robin heats with on-the-water timed starts -
definitely the best and fairest way to start slalom races. Huge thanks
to Carol for running the start-finish line throughout the day, and
to the other spectators who helped out.
Gusty !
We began the racing with 3 sets of 3 heats, following a random draw
to allocate 10 racers into each heat. The wind seemed to be holding
up well but right when the first heat kicked off the sodding wind
dropped away. The heat was sailed mostly off the plane and it was
not a good start to the event. Fortunately the wind filled back in
for the rest of the day, but the conditions overall were extremely
gusty with a very rough sea. It was hard work, but a real test of
skill and sailing ability with the top racers showing consistency
no matter how difficult the wind and waves made it to get around the
course.
Had Enough ? No Way !
Showing serious sado masochistic tendencies the organisers decided
to run 2 more full rounds (6 heats) at the conclusion of the first
3 rounds. Another random draw was completed and most of the sailors
fronted for some more tough, full-on slalom racing.
Bugger ! (number 2)
The wind had shifted to the west so we needed to re-set the course
before the next rounds begun. Clayton and Gareth got the WWA boat
going first time, and headed out to the outside mark to move it to
a better position. They got out near the mark when the boat just gave
up and started drifting towards the rocks, or if they missed the rocks
it was out the heads and into Cook Strait. We weren't sure if they
had signed the liability waiver on the entry form, so the organisers
immediately rang the 111 emergency services to alert the Lady Liz,
as well as our mates at H2O Sports again.
The H2O team beat the Lady Liz by a couple of minutes and towed the
disabled boat and the slightly worried Neil Pryde race team back to
shore just before they took on the rocks. Thanks again guys.
More Racing!
The final rounds were eventually completed in very windy and gusty
conditions. The racing was very close with a lot of places won or
lost on the last straight or at the final gybe mark on the finish
line. Several sailors ended a race frantically swimming their gear
over the line, having fallen in just short of the finish. It was a
great event for spectators with the start-finish line and the inside
gybe mark right on the beach. It was also a chance to see New Zealand's
top slalom racers competing right on our doorstep in the central city.
BBQ at Last !
The event was rounded off with the traditional BBQ and prize-giving
in fairly summery weather out of the wind. Overall it turned out to
be a very enjoyable event - in spite of the boat problems and gusty
conditions.
Results
Gareth Woods sailed brilliantly, winning all 5 of his races to be
a clear winner. Jarred Scollay was second with 3 firsts and 2 second
places, and Clayton Dougan was third with 2 firsts, 2 seconds and
a third. Bronwyn Ward won the women's division from Carmen Saltzburger
in second.
Full results in the Open division were:
1. Gareth Woods
2. Jarred Scollay
3. Clayton Dougan
4. Alexander Thielitz
5=. Leland le Breton
5=. Dave Steel
7. Dave Holt
8. Nick Hunn
9. Luke Watson
10. Tony Rule
Final Word: These races are
open to everyone, and if we get some more moderate weather it would
be great to see some more intermediate sailors give it a go. The standard
of racing at this event was very high, but none of the intermediate
racers had to worry about getting in the way of the experts because
the start format means the experts can clear out and look after themselves.
Also, almost everyone missed gybes during the event, and some probably
missed most of them. So don't hold back, come along and give it a
go, and at worst, enjoy the BBQ.
Finally, thanks to everyone who took part for sailing and competing
with a great attitude and making it an event to remember. And thanks
to the many helpers and members of the Association for pitching in
and helping on the day. See you all next year.
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