Bill Fenelon
Monique Smith from Elanora and her team, Matt Andrews and Kate Yeomans, came home triumphant, taking 2nd place in their first ever Corsair Queensland State Titles.
A hardcore group of Tweed sailors competed in the Monomasters regatta this weekend – sweltering up on the Sunshine Coast at Lake Cootharaba SC.
The regatta included the single-hander Impulse and 3-crew Corsair State Titles.
In the Impulse class Adam Hurt from Fingal Head battled through all six races in up to 30-knot winds and very choppy conditions while many of his fellow competitors went for one capsize too many and retired to the shore.
Adam’s skill and experience paid off and he took 14th out of 26 entrants despite being in the oldest Impulse in the fleet.
The Tweed Valley Sailing Club also held its 4th heat of the Summer Pointscore Series in near-perfect sailing conditions on the Tweed River this weekend. Up to 20-knot winds and a strong tide made for fast, fun sailing for the 16 competing boats.
First to finish was Murwillumbah local Dave Chester with Karen Vidler on Hobie 16 Sledder.
First Corsair home was No 199 Minnow skipper Reg Court from Victoria with Deborah Flannery and Peter Ross.
Sunday was also the third heat of the Tweed River NS14 and Laser Championships.
Five boats competed in the NS14 class: 1st Glenn Slight and Kynan Luescher on Radical Phase, 2nd Malcolm Maiden and Tom Busbridge and 3rd Mark and Ty Banbury on Sulis Blue.
It was the Banbury’s best result so far, and they are a team to watch!
This was the third win for Glenn and Kynan and, with two heats remaining, they appear certain to win the series – but anything could happen.
The Laser win went to Gary McCrohon with 2nd John Haywood
Next event for the local sailing club is Sunday 11 December, the most competitive class race, the Tweed River Corsair Class Championship, for the big three-handed 16ft boats. This will be a great event for spectators as these boats will all be flying Spinnakers. 1pm Race Start at Fingal Boat Ramp.
Look out for Monique Smith on Swell Lady. She is expected to set the pace after her great results this weekend.