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Samuel Watson, Wednesday, 27 January 2010
The 2010 Australian Access Class Championships were held at Royal Brighton Yacht Club from January 14-17. 69 sailors from 7 Australian States & Territories, along with 7 New Zealanders, took part. Competitors included 54 sailors with a disability.
Strong results from local sailors ensured that Victoria won the overall team trophy for the first time in the 12 year history of the competition.
The Victorian Championships were also held concurrently with the Nationals. Docklands and Mornington Yacht Clubs both fielded strong teams for the regatta.
Charles Weatherly (Ballarat) won the International Access 2.3 premier division just one point ahead of Andrew Cook (Sandringham / Docklands). Weatherly has won the 2.3 national trophy twice previously and also been Australian Champion in the 303 and Liberty.
In the 2.3 second division, Kevin Clarke (Docklands) was third with three members of Victoria’s Special Olympics Sailing Team close behind. Mark Thorpe (Wellington), Martin Waller (Sugarloaf) and David Weatherly (Ballarat) will be sailing in the single person division at the Special Olympics National Summer Games in Adelaide this April in a bid to be selected to represent Australia in Athens next year. Sarah Millsom (Latrobe Valley) will compete in the two person division. The open Access Nationals provided excellent regatta preparation as part of their training program being conducted by Alison Weatherly and Morgan Staley for Sailability Victoria and Special Olympics Victoria.
In the 303 single-person fleet, Alison Weatherly (Docklands) finished 2nd behind Canberra’s Mark Durnan by 2 points. Alison secured her place with a win in the big breeze of the final race. This placing in a highly competitive fleet resulted in Alison being awarded the Best Female at the regatta.
Cadeyrn Gaskin (Docklands) teamed with experienced Flying Fifteen sailor Gavin Dagley (Mordialloc) to win the Access 303 two-person competition by one point after posting three race wins. This was the biggest division fleet of the regatta with 15 boats. Next best of the Victorians were Roy Jewell (Docklands) & Joan Andrews (Albert Park), and Paul Borg (Gippsland Lakes) & Bruce James (Latrobe Valley), finishing 6th & 7th overall. Alison Weatherly (Docklands), sailing with Special Olympics sailor Sarah Millsom (Latrobe Valley), placed 10th.
Only one Victorian competed in the Liberty division that was dominated by New Zealand entries. Doris Little (Sandringham / Mornington) is an experienced keelboat sailor but this event was her first racing in a Liberty. 6th overall was very respectable finish amongst a very experienced field. The division was won by veteran Queenslander Barry Coates.
The 2010 Championships were the first time that the SKUD 18 nationals were held. The largest and most high performance of the Access family of boats, the SKUD has an asymmetric spinnaker and was sailed ‘Paralympic Style’ with two seats on the centreline for this event. Krista Bailey (Mornington / Docklands) paired with Canberra sailor Michael Leydon, finishing 3rd after a tight battle with the New Zealand crew.
Winners of the Victorian Championships were:
Access 2.3 Division 1 Charles Weatherly (BaYC)
Access 2.3 Division 2 Kevin Clarke (DYC / S.North)
Access 303 Single Person Alison Weatherly (DYC)
Access 303 Two Person Cadeyrn Gaskin (DYC) & Gavin Dagley (MSC)
Access Liberty Doris Little (SYC / MYC)
SKUD 18 Krista Bailey (MYC / DYC) & Michael Leydon (ACT)
Servo Electric Martin Waller (SSBC)
Best Female Alison Weatherly (DYC)
Best Youth Thomas McGann (MYC)
The number of sailors competing in the Access classes is growing in Victoria, with many participating in Docklands Yacht Club’s Short Course Series held on Victoria Harbour each month during summer. A number of other clubs are now including the Access classes in their regular racing programs. The Victorian Special Olympics Sailing Team program is also building the skills of this keen group of sailors.
Victorian clubs and Sailability programs provided much support for the event, with over 20 charter boats being provided at minimal cost for visiting sailors and a strong contingent of volunteers on hand to boost the on-water crew from Royal Brighton. The host club provided an excellent venue for racing and social activities.
The venue for the next Nationals is will be either NSW or WA with the event expected to return to Victoria in 2016. The 2010 Access Class World Championships will be held in Rutland in the English Midlands in early June.
For more information, visit www.accessclass.org or www.rbyc.org.au
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