Marathon Race Report

Adrian Heard (Race Officer)

The afternoon of the Mawson Lakes marathon started out very windy indeed and while several of the fleet of nearly thirty boats did not start, most sailors spent time working out which of their smaller rigs were most suitable for the 20 knot conditions.

The combined start was an impressive sight with so many different classes of boats on the start line. The Ten Rater and the two Marblehead’s got away from the rest of the fleet very quickly and the smaller boats remained a real mix of classes right up to the windward buoys at the south-west end of the lake.

Bob Whitehead, Des McPherson and one or two others were casualties in the strong winds and rough conditions.

Tony White and Simon How had a great tussle in the Ten Rater Marblehead group. Peter Turcich and Brian Marshall established a clear lead over the other DF95s, but unfortunately Peter's jib became disconnected from his rig near the bridge and he had to retire thus handing Brian the lead. Adrian Heard and Darren Cathie both sailed RC Lasers with C rigs and had a close race to the windward marks before Adrian began to establish a sizeable lead.

Mark Easton managed to elude the other ML45s right down to the bridge before Dale Philp and Sylvia Nieuwenhuizen caught up to him.

Tony White managed to complete two laps of the main lake in 27 minutes and 23 seconds - an amazing time which is going to be hard to beat in future. The smaller boats faced some highly variable winds in the Promenade area and as a result they tended to bunch up and take longer to complete the course. It was here that local MLMYC knowledge came into play with Brian Marshall and John Nieuwenhuizen both doing well to finish first and third in the DF95s - Steve Knights from Lightsview did well to stay with them and finish second.

The ML45 fleet had an amazing race through the Promenade area with Dale, Mark and Sylvia all very close together. By the time they exited into the main lake Peter Trenorden had caught them and Mark had a good reaching leg to the Washing Machine buoy to establish a strong lead. Mark finished first followed by Dale and Peter - some great racing.

The RC Laser fleet became very spread out after the windward marks. Adrian and Darren filled first and second places. Garry Polomka third and John Berry both on D rigs really struggled as the winds began to moderate later in the race.

Overall, the marathon provided a great spectacle for people walking in the lake area and it was clear that sailors enjoyed themselves.

Thanks to Chris Levi for being tail end Charlie and making sure no sailors got stuck in the Promenade area. Many thanks to Lindsay Sawyer and David Woods on the recovery boat and Lorraine Berry and Meredith Reardon for scoring. Also, a huge effort overall by many MLMYC members. A day to remember.

Lots of good pictures loaded by Ms Lyons Photography on the Mawson Lakes Model Yacht Club Facebook Page.

Some great shots from Ms Terry Lyons .

Presentation Photos

Results:

 Updated: Jan 31st 2024