On Saturday 2nd of April the Derwent Sailing Squadron held the Tasmanian J24 Championships. With a lot of work behind the scenes, Peter Bingham (Streetcar) managed to secure five boats to compete in the championships.
Racing was tight in the first two races, with Drumbeat (J. Cooper) taking the honours from Another Toy (G. Rowlings) and Divine Madness (C. Squires). After the first race the wind died and the DSS racing committee flew the AP flag. The wind must have had a numbing effect, as a number of boats miscounted the numbers of laps on the subsequent race!!
Race three was a tightly contested affair, with numerous lead changes over the course of the day. Newcomer to the class, Greg Rowlings (Another Toy) secured his first win for the series followed closely by Streetcar and Divine Madness.
After a short break, racing in the afternoon saw the wind pick up to 20 knots with numerous white caps in the Derwent. Another Toy (Greg Rowlings) showed a clean pair of heels taking out these two races and subsequently the series. Drumbeat and Streetcar fought it out until the end with Drumbeat finishing runner-up on a countback. What is more remarkable is that the owner of Drumbeat, John Lewis, donated his boat to the Cooper boys (Johnny and Tom) and fellow students from St. Virgil’s College, who displayed excellent boat handling skills in their first up regatta in a J24. Watch out for these boys in years to come!
A special mention must go out to the Derwent Sailing Squadron who continue to help support the Tasmanian J24 Association. They put on a magnificent series and backed it up with a great BBQ at the club afterwards.
Final Results
Another Toy- Greg Rowlings AUS4431 – 5
Drumbeat- Johnny Cooper AUS137 – 10 2nd on countback
Streetcar- Peter Bingham AUS187 – 10
Divine Madness – Craig Squires AUS105 – 11
Sailing Made Easy- James Anderson AUS141 – 20
Good on you fellow J sailors-great to hear of your enthusiasm and competition. Can’t wait to have the nationals there one day!