Congratulations to all 'Team NSW' men & women sailors who took part in the Australian Championships last week at
the Rye Yacht Club in Victoria. Other than in the freestyle event which Scott Buckingham from Victoria won, the NSW
men & women placed first overall in the following disciplines: Course racing, Marathon & Slalom.
Karen Murden, Rob Howard, Will Wright & Stuart Gilbert all won their respective course racing divisions. Karen added
another 2 firsts in the freestyle & marathon; Will added a further 2 more firsts in the marathon & slalom events.

All 7 course races were contested in very testing strong wind & sea state conditions. The long 2 lap courses were
completed in approximately 30+ mins with many experiencing nose dives & recoveries surfing the large waves on
the downwind legs. Lots of fun had by all, I think ?

The marathon race started with a short run to the boards at the waters edge, out to a turning mark & a very long
work to the top mark. From there the competitors sailed / survived over a 2 lap 'sausage' style course which once again
was run in strong wind & sea state conditions. Will Wright absolutely blitzed the fleet in a time of approximately 90+ mins,
always sailing exceptionally well upwind on all legs. From my point of view on the water he appeared to be in 'cruise mode' !
Although the course appeared very straightforward in the briefing many sailors mistook a similar yellow mid upwind leg mark
to incorrectly round and were DNF'd. The correct yellow buoy was indeed about a further 200m to windward of the other, so
a slightly controversial race for many, particularly those sailors in major place getting situations.

The 3 heat slalom final for the 8 starters was again run in strong gusting winds closer to the shoreline, although thankfully
the water was relatively flat in comparison to that experienced in the course & marathon races. Gybing skills were really put
to the test on the tight but fair 'M' style course. Videos were taken from the shallow water and may appear on YouTube at
a later date. The buoy rounding crashes that took place in the last heat should make for some enjoyable viewing.

Following the freestyle event on the last day a great BBQ was held on the club's upper deck with the presentation of
trophies by our now 'past' president Mr David West.

Thanks to the Rye Yacht Club race committee, the WOD committee & others who helped run a great event with NOT one
day without strong wind. Can't say that about most regattas run by this class or others !

PS : If there are any interested sailors from other classes, particularly juniors who wish to learn further from very experienced
world class WOD sailors, please contact our website listed on the AWA page. The boards may be different, they may be sailed
slightly differently, but the skill set you pick up from sailing WOD's even just occasionally will make you a better all round
competitor.