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The
2000 Sail Melbourne S.O.M.R.
Thee
Sail Melbourne Southern Oceans Multihull Regatta 2000 was a two
boat Regatta. Dieter Tietz's F25 'Reasonable Doubt' won four of
a possible six races with brilliant sailing skill in the widest
possible conditions ranging from 45 knots to 5 knots. Martyn Riley
debuted the 50' racing cat "Raw Nerve' at SOMR and won line
honours in every race it started by convincing margins. Nothing
else came close to beating Raw Nerve for outright speed and there
were no 'slow' boats at the Regatta.
While
Reasonable Doubt has figured in the placings at previous Regattas
(SOMR and others around the country), it was Dieter's first Regatta
win, and he was delighted. Supported strongly by his regular crew
of Dave Senior and joined by hotshot sailor Matthew Owen, the trio
simply outsailed some strong and experienced local combinations.
Particularly impressive was the adaptability and tuning of the F25
so much so that the trio proved almost unbeatable in light, moderate
and strong conditions. Dieter described the Race 2 of about 32 nautical
miles in winds up to 45 knots as "the best sail of my life".
The
big name at the Regatta was 'Raw Nerve', a Southern Ocean 50 catamaran
designed by Brett Crowther and built by Mal Hart, who crewed on
the boat. After her initial launching in '98, her breakup and later
rebuilding, there was obvious nervousness as the boat made her first
official start line only to retire with some minor problems. In
the windy Race 2, Raw nerve blitzed the fleet which included many
fast multis like Rapid Ride, Spirit of Emu, Bagatelle and Blithe
Spirit. None could match the rock steady non-pitching motion or
sheer speed of Raw Nerve. Most competitors soon realized they had
witnessed the arrival of Australia's fastest sailing boat. It will
simply shatter the line honours aspirations of all competitors,
multi or mono, in this country.
Back
in the fleet, Wayne Huxley's (now sold) 30' flier "Rapid Ride'
could beat every other boat for speed except Raw Nerve, although
Rapid Ride actually passed Raw Nerve downwind in one triangle leg
of Race 4. Rapid Ride got the most severe testing in the heavier
days and came through unscathed, a testament to the preparation
by Wayne and a good omen for her new owner in Western Australia.
'Bagatelle',
Lindsay Cumings evergreen 45' cat sported a brand new 'airblade'
wing mast stepped very recently and suffered from not enough familiarisation
time. 'Spirit of Emu' was another rush preparation and could not
display her true abilities.
In
the smaller sizes, Chris Culph and Craig Unthank's 31' tri 'Slick
Willie' performed well and took second place in the Regatta ahead
of Chris O'Brien's F24 Mk2 'Sayonara'.
The
Multihull Yacht Club of Victoria ran the event from the fabulous
Western Port Marina at Hastings, near Melbourne. Together with support
from the Marina and the Mornington Peninsula Shire, the MYCV hired
a professional cameraman, a helicopter and a speed boat and will
produce a video of the event. Unfortunately, on day 2 of the Regatta
the helicopter was grounded by the notorious fuel crisis that affected
certain aircraft.
The
event was strongly supported by the Sail Melbourne organisation
and by Horizon Sails and the Galley at the Marina. Speak to any
of the competitors and be prepared for rave reviews of the facilities
and the sailing location. It was a memorable start to 2000.
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