Page 15 - Kwasind May 2020 issue

MAY 2020
International 14 Worlds 2020: Perth, Australia Eric Tulk
SAILING • 15
Over New Years 2020, thirteen International 14 sailors from the RCYC competed in the CST Composites International 14 World Championships in Perth, Western Australia. Our 40-foot container was packed with seven dinghies in October 2019, and shipped to the geographically farthest major city from our home in Toronto.
CAN 593 Spanish Kiss. Skipper E. Tulk. Crew E. Young. Photo: Ironbark Photos (Lindsay Preece)
Racing was hosted by the historic Perth Dinghy Sailing Club, founded in 1903. The club is located on the northeast side of what is known as Melville Water, which is essentially the wide point in the Swan river prior to its approach to the Indian Ocean at the Port of Fremantle. The racing area is approximately four times the size of Toronto Harbour, though being an estuary, there are numerous sand-bars and the shape is less uniform. Melville Water is arguably the greatest skiff sailing venue worldwide. It is relatively small and protected, the thermal breeze known as the Fremantle Doctor (cool air from the ocean blows into the city over Melville Water) is generally strong, and the water is otherwise warm.
The World Championship Fleet Racing event includes seven scheduled races over eight days. A total of sixty- six teams from six countries attended the event. On a typical day, crews would arrive at the dinghy club in the late morning, survey the repairs on other boats from the
CAN 622 Doug. Skipper D. Cunningham. Crew I. Struthers. Photo: Ironbark Photos (Lindsay Preece)
previous days thrash, and finish-up any repairs to their own boat. The breeze was usually blowing from an arbitrary direction and strength as boats launched off the beach, but ‘The Doctor’ was fairly reliable, with 15-25+ kt breezes from the southwest during the afternoon’s racing.
Racing in Perth was as advertised. Upwind sailing was completed in breezy and gusty conditions. Spinnaker launches were in the lee of the windward shore, a lighter and welcomed relief. The strong gusts which hit after spinnakers were launched were often enough to point our boats near-dead downwind at speeds faster than we had ever gone before with no waves to hinder boat speed.
The sound of cracking carbon fibre composites was commonplace on the treacherous race course, with the majority of boats in the event registering at least one set of letters on the scoresheet. Three Canadian teams found creative ways to both break and repair (at least one) substantial tapered carbon spar during the event. There was never a shortage of technical boat building materials or prowess in the boat park and even boats with rather grizzly breakdowns managed to get back on the water.
The winners of the event were GBR 1565 Zog, sailed by Archie Massey (also winner of the 2013 Toronto Worlds) and Harvey Hillary. The top Canadian team was CAN 621 Pandamonium (22) with Lauren Laventure again winning the prestigious Glass Doll Trophy as top female finisher at the Worlds. The RCYC competitors were:
22. CAN 621 Pandamonium – L. Laventure + J. Lemieux 31. CAN 601 Something Rude – P. Hayward + H. Fischer 40. CAN 593 Spanish Kiss – E. Tulk + E. Young
41. AUS 675 Black Betty – D. McGeoch + A. McConnell 43. CAN 618 G-Force 3 – G. Loffree + I. Merry
48. CAN 614 Beachslam – C. Leigh + J. Hudson 53. CAN 622 Doug – D. Cunningham + I. Struthers
CAN 601 Something Rude. Skipper P. Hayward. Crew H. Fischer. Photo: Ironbark Photos (Lindsay Preece)