Day 2, heats 3, 4 and 5 World Tasar Champions, Sandringham Yacht Club, Victorian Australia.

It was a picture perfect day on Port Phillip, starting the day with a ray of sunshine and a gentle whisper of breeze. The temptation of rolling out the banana lounge and sipping on pina coladas from the deck of Sandringham yacht club was high, but the show must go on! A big day in the office it was and time to get down to business ! Trim, Tactics and Tenacity made it happen as an extra on shore thermal twist was thrown into the mix!  In race 4 particularly as the land heated the left side of the course developed a thermal sea breeze boosting a shore side advantage for half of the upwind leg. The key was when to get right? Over the day we saw the southerly pressure range from 180 degrees to 220 degrees , until the last upwind work in race 5 where a 40 degree  easterly shift prompted a major left hand course rotation. All 3 races employed the U flag during sequence and with the exception of race 3 where 5 UFD's were issued, race 4 and 5 were clear start. 

Congratulations to the race winners of the day:

Race 3 and 4 JPN 2987 Megaptera II, Satoshi Kami and Saori Kami

Race 5 AUS 2799 A Team, Arron Linton and Jay Whittem 

Boat of the day and current regatta leaders:

USA2981 Dr Beverly, Jonathan Mckee and Libby Johnson Mckee

Day 3 report

Another difficult day for the RO, with the light northerly disappearing before the start time of 2pm and then a wait for the light SE to fill in. Unfortunately to make things really difficult an unusual current (due to recent rains) meant the start boats were unable to hold their line for the start. This made for a difficult start for the first race of the day and a number of boats ended up with a black flag.

When the race did get away it was Harrison Sly/ Zara Challis (AUS) who picked the beat and lead all around the course followed by Lachlan Heath / Carmen Walker (AUS). But Jonathan McKee/ Libby Johnson McKee (USA) who showed their pedigree with a 5th right behind Chris Dance / Peter Hackett (AUS) with James Sly / Eliza Solly (AUS).

The second race was a similar event but with less current for the start and the wind a little less consistent across the course. This time the Japanese showed their skills with Satoshi Kami / Saori Kami (JPN) winning and Akihira Morita / Tomoyo Morita (JPN) finishing in 3rd with veteran Jay Renehan / Lisa Renehan (USA) splitting the Japanese boats.

Jonathan McKee / Libby Johnson McKee did a great job to catch up to 8th, which although their drop race is still cements their position in 1st. Chris Dance / Peter Hackett (AUS) also climbed back well to get another 4th and move clear into second overall.

The regatta now has a day off from racing, but with five more races scheduled for the last two days on the 8th and 9th of January it is still very open but a few boats are in a strong position.

2024 Worlds Final Report

9 January 2024

2024 Taser World Championships all over but the memories go on forever!  

It is not unusual for citizens of Melbourne to start a conversation with a reflection on the weather, it's actually a sport in its self to predict what will the day will bring and what has happened? Our city of Melbourne has rolled out all seasons…Hats off to every sailor as they have managed the amazing range of weather thrown at them over the series. But today was Port Phillip at its best with a perfect uninterrupted southerly race track with an oscillating 12 to 15 knot breeze. All final 3 races hit off with un bias lines and clear starts, switching on game face immediately as the class flag was dropped. Each side showed promise and spikes of brilliance but it was never for long… Together with constant gear changing, trim, working the varying sea states, the current, pressure and angle, todays racing injected all sailors with emotions of a text book yacht race. We say yacht racing is one of the highest decision making disciplines in the sporting platform, and today was no exception. 

USA2981 Dr Beverly Jonathan Mckee and Libby Johnson Mckee displayed extreme consistency and calculated professionalism throughout the whole series, an incredible result in winning the Championship.  Their best race a 3rd and worst a 13th they approached every race as a new beginning and managed each start with what was delivered. Congratulations to Jonathan and Libby.

AUS2967 Skippy, Harrison Sly and Zara Challis were an outstanding second over all, they are a powerful example of the new and younger generation of sailors, I watched them burst off the start line at the port end of race 8. Their boat was shinning with energy and performance, they sailed flat and fast working ever available gust and wave, their trim was perfect! 50 metres away on the media vessel I could felt their passion and will to take control….and they did just that to convincingly win that race and race 10. Bravo you two, we look forward to experiencing your next sailing challenge.

AUS2976 Magic, Chris Dance and Peter Hacket can only be described as the silent achievers, Chris and Pete are polite gentleman where there experience and preparation has developed an internal confidence to earn a position at the top. There Race 7 was notable by a calculated downwind comeback chopping out 20 places from 24th to 4th by picking an early gybe to take clear air all the way to the bottom gate.  

There have been so many wonderful stories across the championship, but family and friendships are the clear winners. I have played Beau Outteridges Day 3 highlight many times. Koki and Yuu's  happiness is infectious, the supportive culture of the Tasar community is also infectious… I love the thought of every human being smiling at each other for no reason ! 

Congratulations to all sailors…we hope all visitors have enjoyed our hospitality and thank you for visiting Sandringham Yacht Club, our state and our country. Take care with your travels home. There are a couple of things that make our sport of sailing a stand out, we never age out… leaving a life of experiences to continually grow and when we travel you can always guarantee a warm welcome by visiting a yacht club.