New England Sailing Club (NSW) Thunderbolt Regatta - Preview
by Chris Thompson 21 Oct 2022 20:53 PDT
12-13 November 2022
Duel between the top finishers at the last Thunderbolt Regatta. Olympic medallist, multiple world champion Andrew Landenberger won overall on Impulse 308. Windsurfer LT champion Chris Thompson, on the I-Sails powered Laser 143350, was second overall © Paulo Lagos
Many events can claim to be Australia's top regatta, but only one can really claim the title.
On November 12 and 13, the New England Sailing Club near Armidale NSW will hold its annual Thunderbolt Regatta on Malpas Dam, perched at 1175m above sea level - almost 300 metres higher than any other sailing event in the country.
The New England club is bouncing back strongly after a few lean years, both in numbers and in competitive strength. Once down to a hard core of half a dozen sailors, it now has about 30 racers sailing cats, Lasers, miscellaneous dinghies, the occasional windsurfer, and a growing crop of youth boats. For a small inland club, it's been earning outstanding results over recent years, with Olympic silver medallist Andrew Landenberger winning the last two world A Class Classic championships and his youngest son, also Andrew, placing third at both events. The Landenberger duo have also scored a 1-2 at the last Australian titles, while in Windsurfer LTs NESC has scored two national titles and a third place in the Freestyle event at the 2019 worlds.
This year's regatta marks 50 years since New England Sailing Club was formed. Originally it sailed on a tiny 12 acre dam near Armidale; a lake so small and fluky that one of the sailors, a local dentist, blasted boulders apart with dynamite to make the finishing line bigger. It now sails on the beautiful 400 acre Malpas Dam, high up on the Great Divide where it catches the best of the early season westerlies.
The last Thunderbolt regatta, generously supported by I-Sails, attracted 30 entries from across northern NSW and Sydney. Landenberger, sailing his Impulse dinghy, won the overall title from a strong fleet of Lasers racing in the northern NSW Interclub series. Landenberger's win marked the first time in several years that the overall title was not won by an I-Sails powered Laser.
This year, the Thunderbolt Regatta, again supported by I-Sails, is the first round for several regional interclub events that will attract sailors from the coast, Lake Keepit and Wollongong. Free lakeside camping is available at the club.
The Notice of Race and entry form will be available on the club website, newenglandsailingclub.com, from 23 October. For more information, call 0413 068 184 or email cthom249@gmail.com.