Main Arm resident Duncan Dey, sailing with the Richmond River Sailing and Rowing Club has won the RS100 national championships held at Toronto, on Lake Macquarie, late last month.
Five boats from the RRSRC took part in the championships in a five to 10 knots sou-easter for the first and third day of competition, interrupted by a shifty, light northerly on day two.
Duncan leapt out of the blocks on day one with two firsts and a fifth. Even after a poor second day (fourth and sixth) Duncan held the lead on points in Casper, the friendly ghost.
On day three, Bill Heuchmer fired up in Shachi and easily won races six and seven. Duncan suffered poor-start syndrome until race nine, where he had an average start, and came home first again.
‘The light winds suited me, it was my weekend,’ he said. ‘It was such a pleasure to have boat speed. If I couldn’t catch someone upwind, I’d get them downwind. Sailing the boat flat works in all winds over three knots. My concern was that they’d call the races off, due to lack of wind. Luckily that didn’t happen.’
As well as overall champion, Duncan was declared Great Grand Master (over 65 years old).
Second in the series was Mike Boswell from Melbourne.
Bill came in fourth with two wins.
Nineteen of Australia’s 26 RS100s were at Toronto.
RS100s are a much more sophisticated dinghy compared to a Laser.
‘They are a racing machine,’ Duncan said. ‘If you stop concentrating for a second, you go over.’
RRSRC sailor Garry Scott came in 10th, Vince Selleck was close behind in 11th place and Dave Scott (17th) followed.