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Victorian Tasar State Championships 2021 at McCrae Yacht Club

by Laura-Jane Evans 11 Mar 2021 13:20 PST 6-8 March 2021
Victorian Tasar State Championships 2021 at McCrae Yacht Club © Sue Sly

The pristine waters at McCrae Yacht Club on the Mornington Peninsula provided the ideal setting for the Tasar Victorian State Championships 2021 on the labour day weekend of 6-8 March 2021. This year's regatta saw extremely close quarters racing, with the title going down to the final race!

The first day of racing provided above forecast, gusty 15-20 knot conditions for the first 3 races of the regatta. Tensions ran high as some "enthusiastic" starts quickly brought the black flag into use. Heather Macfarlane and Chris Payne took the first two races of the day with Michah Schwalow and Taj Duff successfully taking the top spot in the 3rd race. Consistent sailing left Michah and Taj leading the fleet after the first day, closely followed by Heather and Chris, with Chris and Mandy Green 3rd.

Sailors made it out onto the water on the second day, optimistic for a light weather day in the stunning setting and 25 degrees, however the wind did not last long. As the wind continued to fade with little hope of coming back, the call was made to go back to shore. Whilst it did not return for the remainder of the day - sailors made the most of the scenic McCrae grounds, enjoying cheese and bubbles in the evening sun.

In spite of the cloudier conditions on the final day of the regatta, sailors were keen to get out on the water (especially those in need of a discard!) and sure enough the wind filled in right on schedule. The final 2 races were held in much lighter, tricky 6-9 knot conditions, causing some further upsets across the fleet. The title was in reach for multiple boats going into the 5th and final race of the regatta, after Paul and Bronwyn Ridgway won the 4th race, and in the knowledge that the discard would come into play upon completion of 5 races. Heather and Chris won the 5th race, clinching the regatta win, and successful defence of their title to become back-to-back State Champions.

The Tasar class continues to show its unique ability to attract exceptional talent across wide-ranging age categories and this year's States was no exception. Tim and Estelle Davis won the Masters category, with Heather and Chris also taking home the Grand Masters trophy. The event also saw a heartfelt goodbye from Tony and Julie Creak who have been the longest running competitors within the class.

The youth segment of the fleet saw impressive performances with the awarding of the Under 30 Helm trophy to Harrison Sly and Zara Challis and the 20 / 20 trophy to Michah and Taj. The 20 / 20 trophy was one of the most hotly contested categories - seeing a record number of 12 boats entered (comprising one team member over the age of 20 and one team member under the age of 20). It has been fantastic to see the rapid growth of the youth categories since their recent introduction!

Congratulations to Heather and Chris and all prize winners! Many thanks to McCrae Yacht Club for running a fantastic regatta in addition to Ronstan and Felco for their support of the event.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoSkipperCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5Pts
12969Heather MacfarlaneChris PayneSyc11‑7417
22948Paul RidgwayBronwyn RidgwaySandringham(BFD)261211
32790Chris GreenMandy GreenIndented Head3333(BFD)12
41049Michah ShuwalowTaj DuffSandringham Yacht Club2418‑1315
52971Mark BulkaOliver BulkaMcCrae YC554.5‑6620.5
6AUS 29Harrison SlyZara ChallisSandringham yacht club‑146210422
72956Neil LongWendy LongSpeers Point Amateur Sailing Club1174.5‑13325.5
82776Gareth EvansLaura‑Jane Evans 71011‑17533
92579Tim DavisEstelle DavisRGYC9139‑18738
102859Ross MartinNatasha MartinSafety Beach Sailing Club81210‑14939
112941Alistair MurrayTracey / Josh Murray / BakerSandringham YC6‑171215841
122192Ian TaylorWilliam TaylorHampton Sailing Club1011‑1491242
132907Brad JonesAllegra JonesAltona13‑211821750
142983Peter DavisKaren DavisRoyal Yacht Club of Tasmania/Hampton SC‑151413111553
152617Andrew MartinImogen MartinSafety Beach Sailing Club4DNE812‑1855
162769Tony CreakJulie CreakRoyal Geelong Yacht Club1920(DNS)71056
172854Cary PediciniPat PediciniSomers17‑242151962
182943Campbell MartinJacquie Bange 1619‑22161162
192823Philip PotterMonica TonnerSandringham Yacht Club208‑26201664
202784David TaylorDe CrawshawSandringham21920‑242070
212963Blaise VinotKate VinotHampton sailing club18161622‑2472
222826Chris ClarkeToby ClarkeBendigo YC12251521‑2673
232788Peter BulkaVicki EvansSafety Beach Sailing Club221525‑261476
24AUS 2967Jake GuntherAuralia MartinHampton Sailing Club(BFD)1819192278
251967Alex CraigGarry CraigNorth East Windsports Club24222323‑2592
262587Andrew DickinsonEva / Leo DickinsonMordialloc Sailing Club272317‑282794
272843Lynden RobertsKatrina HarrisSomers Yacht Club23‑2624252395
282323Philip SchwarzOliver SchwarzSomers yacht club25‑28272721100
292733Ryan JohnstonBailey JohnstonMcCrae YC26(BFD)283029113
302570Kristian JohannessenEdward JohannessenMcCrae Yacht Club(DNF)27292928113

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