The 2015 / 2016 season has seen significant change in NSW and with that change, some signs of new life coming into the Association in NSW.
We have had a number of boats sold within the last 18 months with Risk, Old School and Another Challenge (Daniel Fitzgibons – multiple Para Olympics Gold medallist’s old boat) going to new owners in Pittwater, Eye Candy going to New Caledonian and Whisper heading south. To balance the southern migration, the black Lexus has come back to the harbour under its new name of Shine On. The Bigger Picture has move to Lake Macquarie and is now sailing under its new name, Austral.
So a lot of new owners who are expressing enthusiasm about participating in the Association and in addition, we still have a strong fleet of up to eight boats sailing out of CYCA. Our challenge is to attract more boats to our OD regattas!
A number of NSW boats headed north to participate in the Airlie/Hamo/Maggie circuit with The Goat under charter to Ray Roberts racing as Team Hollywood, winning the Hamo IRC Racing Passage Division with Tony Levett’s Eleni coming 5th.
The NSW Championship was conducted on the 5th and 6th of this month at RPAYC and saw seven 38’s competed in six races in Pittwater and Broken Bay, in conditions that varied from 35 knot gusts to less than 10 knots with the dreaded westerlies playing havoc with the wind direction. Phil Tomkin’s Next winning the double of NSW Champion and Corinthian, Richard William’s Calibre close on Phil’s heels in 2nd place and Peter Byford and David Hudson’s Conspiracy taking out 3rd. Great to see some new members competing with Stuart Williamson (Challenge of Whitby), Chris Heraghty and Greg Moore (Risk) and Peter Mayo (Austral).
Lots of planning is currently going into the 2017 Nationals, which for the first time ever is going to be the Sydney 38 International Championship. The regatta will be hosted by MHYC and held off Sydney Heads on the 3rd to the 5th of March 2017 as part of the now famous, Sydney Harbour Regatta. So entrants will have the chance of winning two regattas in one! We are hoping for a fleet of mid-teens with boats/crews from Victoria, NSW, Queensland, USA, New Caledonia. We are also planning to make this a Sydney Yachts event with a Sydney 36 fleet competing on an adjacent course. Don’t miss it!
Peter Byford & Richard Williams NSW Representatives