SB3's in the King of COwes

The 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week exploded into life today with three glorious races sailed in conditions ranging from eighteen up to twenty five knots. As the wind whistled around the Cowes Yacht Haven, there were lots of nervous faces amongst the twenty nine teams who gathered at eight o'clock this morning for the official briefing from race officer Tony Lovell. The racecourse was set in the lee of the land in Osborne Bay to provide the competitors with some shelter from the forecasted steadily increasing breeze and the fleets' sleigh ride journey down there gave several of the 2007 Cowes Week class winning helms their first true experience of the SB3 downwind at speed.

As the fleet hit the line for the start of race one, first to show at the pin end were RS K6 Class winner Richard Talbot, Victory representative John Tremlett and Dragon Class winner David Palmer. As the fleet approached the windward mark the racing could not have been closer with the top fifteen boats rounding in a tight pack, headed by 1720 representative Mark Greenaway. Most of this leading bunch chose to continue on starboard allowing Ian Kirkpatrick from the IRC6 class to take the initiative by gybing on the mark and heading out into the stronger breeze on the left. This tactical call rocketed him from tenth to first at the leeward mark. Also making big gains on the downwind leg were Graham Bailey from the Etchells Class and the Daring Class's Giles Peckham. At the finish, Ian Kirkpatrick had extended on the fleet to pull off an impressive race win. Graham Bailey came through second having managed to hold off a fierce attack from Giles Peckham on the final downwind leg.

The breeze had notched up a couple of clicks for the second race and it was the Dragon fleet's David Palmer who having started at the pin end of the line found himself leading the fleet at the windward mark. Having learned their lesson from the first race, almost the entire fleet gybed immediately at the weather mark. The SB3 fleet all under gennaker was a spectacular sight as the boats blasted downwind totally obscured by spray. Victory Class helm John Tremlett had the bit firmly between his teeth and closed the gap on David Palmer sufficiently to be able take advantage of a poor drop at the leeward mark. Having taken the lead John Tremlett was never challenged and went on to win the race from Mark Greenaway who slipped past David Palmer on the final downwind to take second.

At this point in the proceedings Graham Bailey from the Etchells Class on six points, held a three point lead over Giles Peckham (Daring Class) and Mark Greenaway (1720 Class) who were tied on nine points.

The wind was up to a steady twenty five knots for the start of the final race which was sailed around a round the cans course finishing off Cowes. At the windward mark Glynn Williams from the IRC 2 Class rounded just ahead of Giles Peckham, Russell Mead (Hunter 707) and David Palmer. On the downwind leg these four were engaged in a high speed battle for the lead which culminated in Russell Mead rounding the leeward mark just ahead of Glynn Williams. On the next beat Giles Peckham demonstrated blistering pace to move into first place and as he set off down a tight two sail reach to the next mark he was followed by JohnTremlett (Victory), Glynn Williams and Russell Mead (Hunter 707).

On the next long beat to the Gurnard Buoy, Mark Greenaway kept his podium aspirations alive by moving from sixth up to second. The final leg to the finish just outside the mouth of the Medina River saw the leaders pass the Royal Yacht Squadron at full chat and clearly at the limits of control. Giles Peckham successfully held his nerve to take the gun and was quickly followed by Mark Greenaway in second with John Tremlett coming through third.

When the results were calculated, Giles Peckham's impressive 3,6,1 scoreline had secured him an overall win and the title of 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Week. Only a single point behind in second was Mark Greenaway and Graham Bailey's fourth in the final race was enough to earn him a well deserved third place overall.

At this evening's prizegiving, held at a packed Volkswagen Touareg hospitality stand, Giles Peckham along with his winning crew, boat owner Craig Burlton and bowman Steve White was officially announced as the winner of the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes. Giles was also presented with the keys to a brand new Volkswagen Touareg and Craig received a voucher for a Mark Warner family sailing holiday. The Nexus Marine award for most passionate performance of the regatta went to Mark Greenaway, in recognition of his amazing comeback in the final race, which saw him move from almost last at the first mark, to second at the finish.

2008 Coastal Living Newport Regatta a Hit for Laser SB3 Class.

Great conditions and top competition at the 2008 Coastal living Newport Regatta for the first Laser SB3 North American event.

The class saw eight entries at this first North American SB3 regatta and some top talent on the boats with Dave Dellenbaugh, John Loe, Val Smith, David Reed and LaserPerformance’s own Team Maclaren US to name a few. With close racing, tight mark roundings and speedy downwind legs, the sailors got to experience all the SB3 has to offer in a regatta setting. Conditions varied from 8-12 knots on Saturday which tested the competitor’s strategy and tactics on the boat. Sunday’s 15-20 knots tested boat handling and the crew’s ability to control the boat in the stronger winds and bigger seas. “The boat is unbelievable - being able to sail 6.5 knots upwind without hiking, and then turning the mark and blasting off downwind with the chute up is awesome!” said John Loe, skipper of second place SB3 #3460.

The SB3 was designed for just that type of sailing. The Laser SB3 is a 20 foot one-design sportboat being introduced to the North American market by LaserPerformance, formerly Vanguard Sailboats. Already a hit overseas, the SB3 class has attracted top sailors from around the world. With 150 boats competing in the 2008 World Championships in Ireland it is only a matter of time before North America catches up. Support for the class is coming from manufacturer LaserPerformance, as well as Selden Mast, Inc. which provided additional support for the Coastal Living Newport Regatta.

A regatta report and photos will be posted on the LaserPerformance website, www.laserperformance.com. The website is also host to additional information on the SB3 and links to the international SB3 class website.

For additional information on the Coastal Living Newport Regatta and full race report please visit the organizers website at: www.sailnewport.org


LaserPerformance is the steward of some of sailing’s most recognized brands including Laser, Sunfish, 420, and Sailing World’s Boat of the Year – the Laser SB3. LaserPerformance products are actively sold and sailed in over 40 countries worldwide. For more information on the Laser SB3 and LaserPerformance please visit: www.laserperformance.com.

Event photos for media use, additional photos available from LaserPerformance upon request:

King of Cowes racing in SB3's

The announcement of the helm and owner pairings for the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week regatta on Friday 1 August, has provoked speculation, heated discussion and even argument amongst the UK's sailing community. Everyone has their favourites and their own opinion on who the 'dream teams' might turn out to be. One thing is clear however, predicting a winner at this early stage is simply impossible.

Just as last year, the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week will be an exciting, three race shoot out, sailed in Laser SB3's - the UK's most dynamic one design class. This unique event pits the major class winners at Skandia Cowes Week 2007 in a head to head battle for a chance to be crowned as 2008 King of Cowes and to pocket the keys to a shiny new Volkswagen Touareg into the bargain.

2007 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week winner, Xtreme 40 Catamaran helmsman Alistair Richardson, had this to say about his experience: 'What an event! The concept is simple but brilliant - invite the winners, level the playing field and let battle commence. Despite the enormous logistics Volkswagen Touareg pulled it off with sheer class. The standard in 2008 looks to be extremely high as all the helms are already used to winning. Good luck to everyone who is competing.'

Following on from Gabby Logan's participation last time, to add to the excitement this year, there will be no less than three celebrities taking part in the racing. Kirsty Gallacher, Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards will be competing at their first ever competitive sailboat regatta. All three have recently taken part in an intensive one-day training session, courtesy of the LaserPerformance coaching team. Under the watchful tutorage of experienced SB3 helmsman Jono Shelley, of Team Touareg, the celebs were given a crash course on the theory of sportsboat racing followed by an action packed on the water session, where they were introduced to the concepts of tacking and gybing along with the pitfalls involved in hoisting and retrieving the SB3's huge gennaker. To round off their day, the celebrity yachties got a chance to put their newly acquired skills into practice, with a short windward leeward race. The coaches all commented on the high level of commitment and enthusiasm shown by the trio of the celebrities. Colin Jackson, in particular, showed considerable aptitude during spinnaker hoists - powering the sail to the top of the mast quicker than some seasoned professionals. All three are said to be looking forward to getting to know their teams and for the chance to compete for real on the day.

Unfortunately, Glenn Bourke, who won the Laser SB3 Class at Skandia Cowes Week last year, will not be able to compete at Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week this time, but sends his best wishes to all the competitors. 'I am extremely sad that pressure of work means I will not now be able to take part in this year's Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week. Last year's event was fantastic fun and I was very much looking forward to competing again, but I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the competitors good luck for what I am sure will be another great day.'

Since the pairings announcement, most owner/helm combinations have been in close contact, formulating potential strategies and discussing their training plans. None more so than legendary one design sailor Geoff Carveth, paired with Cork 1720 class winner Mark Greenway. Carveth who has both National and European and Laser SB3 titles under his belt is clearly delighted with his allocation 'When I first looked at the list of potential helms, Mark was one of the ones I thought would be great to race with. His 1720 background gives him vital asymmetric experience and I know he has sailed SB3's before. Also his weight means that we should be able to sail with four people rather than three, which will help too'. Renowned for his meticulous preparation, Carveth is clearly focused on giving his helm the best possible chance of winning.

'This is serious stuff and I am preparing in the same way as if I was going to be helming' he said. 'We will get as much sailing in as we can over the next couple of weekends and will launch the boat early on Thursday to do some final practicing over in Cowes'. Commenting on the high level of competitors at this year's event he went on to say 'Quite a few people are here for the second time so will know better what to expect. The helms are all experienced racers used to winning so it is going to be intense on the water.' Who did he see as the main contenders for the 2008 title? 'There are lots of teams on the list capable of putting together a regatta winning series. If I had to single out one I would say Fumesy (Simon Russell) representing the XOD Class should be competitive. He has lots of small keelboat experience and he knows his way around the waters off Cowes too.'

The draw has thrown up some other interesting owner/helm pairings combinations. Chris Sherlock, skipper of the monster sized super maxi Ocean Leopard, who won Class Zero at Skandia Cowes Week in 2007, will have challenges of a significantly different scale to get to grips with when racing a twenty six foot laser SB3. Sherlock will be sailing on David Atkinson's Liftingsafety.co.uk boat.

Richard Talbot, victorious in the RS K6 class at last year's Skandia Cowes Week, will be steering Ian Southworth and Nigel Smith's Chilli Chaser. Southworth has multiple dinghy titles and a J24 European Championship victory to his name and is renowned for his ability to get the most out of whichever boat he sails. Combining this with Talbot's proven asymmetric and sportsboat experience puts this team squarely on the list of potential winners.

Another team to watch will be 2007 Victory Class winner John Tremlett sailing on Guy Jackson's Helly Hansen. Jackson, who is studying yacht design at Southampton University, told us that before the event he hoped to get at least four full days of training with his guest helmsman. 'Introducing a new driver into the team can potentially change everything so it is vital that we give ourselves as much time as possible to get used to sailing together.' Commenting on his allocated helm he had this to say 'We are delighted to have got someone like John. As well as the Victory sailing he also has a very competitive background in Finns and has been putting in some RS400 hours to sharpen up his asymmetric sailing'.

Daniel Geoghegan also believes he is on to a good thing with his allocated helmsman, Tim Spalding, the owner of last year's IRC 4 Class winner Amey Love Shack. 'Tim is very experienced and competitive so I think we will be in good shape on the day. The important thing is to be able to get off the line cleanly and with a helm like Tim we should be fine' he commented.

In subsequent press releases, as the anticipation builds towards what promises to be another exciting Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week, we will be updating you on the progress of the three celebrity sailors as well as bringing you the stories behind some of the other teams challenging for the coveted 'King of Cowes' title along with the chance to drive away in a brand new Volkswagen Touareg.

Full details on the 2008 Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week including sailor profiles on all the competitors can be found on the official website at www.kingofcowes.com

Images from the Audi SB3 Queensland Match Racing Championships

Audi SB3 Queensland match racing championship

Sean O’Rourke combined a welcome break from university study in Sydney to record a remarkable perfect score win in the Audi SB3 Queensland match racing championship off Mooloolaba Beach earlier today.

O’Rourke (19) who represented the Mooloolaba Dinghy Sailing Club when he cleverly won the Australian Sabot Championship in Bowen only four years ago clearly showed his understanding of the ‘local knowledge’ steering Oceanburo to 13 wins from 13 races during the highly competitive three day series.

Sure Sean O’Rourke had an advantage but that was only embraced within his personal experience which was yet to be tested in the cut and thrust of one-design match racing against a high class fleet of tried and tested crews including David Chapman’s Team Edake from The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and the Katie Spithill’s Wot Chicks from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

He confidently faced up to his first Round Robin match race on Friday making all the right choices in a light westerly land breeze to score an impressive win and continued with this form to emerge as a major title threat when they had the pace on Wot Chicks to finish with an undefeated record in the qualifying rounds on day one.

Remarkably the Oceanburo crew of Sean O’Rourke, Jay Griffin and brother and sister sailors Will and Jamie Ryan while being good friends had never raced together before they stepped into Oceanburo.

But all four were physically and mentally prepared to accept the challenge with their confidence, strategy and technique improving with every race.

That confidence was again evident when the Oceanburo crew progressively eliminated their rivals to enter the best of five final series of match races against the equally determined and more experienced Wot Chicks.

As expected Katie Spithill probed and tested the Oceanburo crew for any weakness and while she cleverly won all three starts the Oceanburo crew fought back winning the decisive first use of the breeze to win the final with three straight wins.

There was a well deserved sense of pride when Oceanburo sealed her win and while Sean O’Rourke had good reason to be happy with his first major match race title as skipper he was quick to applaud the commitment of his equally happy crew mates.

'Will and Jamie Ryan along with Jay Griffin gave me the time to think about my role of sailing fast while we all communicated on tactics and strategy'.

'It’s team work that makes winning possible and the win resulted from a top team effort'. Sean O’Rourke said.

Results 2008 Audi SB3 Queensland Match Racing championship open final:

1. Oceanburo (Sean O’Rourke, Qld)
2. Wot Chicks (Katie Spithill,NSW)
3. Allyacht Spars (Luke Johnson, Qld)
4. Team Adake (David Chapman, NSW)
5. Team Jeanneau (Phil Gray, Qld)
6. Team Noosa (Kai Timm, Qld)

Youth:
1. Oceanburo Tasqua Youth (Ryan Palk, Qld)
2. RQYS Youth (Curtiss Skinner, Qld)

3. Open Women:
Team Wot Chicks 1,
Audi Sunshine Girls (Lauren Calder, Qld) 2

Audi Queensland Match Racing Championship - Day 1

The tactically clever one-design match racing sailors experienced a 'brain drain' during the first day of the Audi Queensland SB3 Match racing championships off a warm and sunny Mooloolaba Beach earlier today.

Weather conditions were perfect for the sun seeking holidaying tourists and the local offshore fisherman who used the annual Agricultural Show holiday to return with bags of reef fish.

Unfortunately the light and twisting wind which boxed all western points of the compass with an unpredictable mood swing of up to 200 degrees helped to plunge a high number of smart match racing tacticians into the depths of despair.

However they all had the chance to draw the smart card and when the call fell short they had to accept that 'Old Huey' was playing his role in showing that natures elements can never be completely controlled.

All 14 teams representing New South Wales and Queensland clubs including the World ranked Wot Chicks, skippered by the tactically clever Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club helmswoman Katie Spithill, had good reason to not be real happy with the weather god.

Race officials also had to accept that the westerly land breeze at this time of the year will leave their skill and experience to be challenged but there is no one who can claim to have made the perfect call every time to give the equally dedicated sailors a fair go on a perfectly set course each time they tension the sails.

Results Day 1
Pool A Rd 1
Match 1. Team Jeanneau (Phil Gray) d Team RQYS (Suellen Hurling).
Match 2. Team Noosa (Kai Timm) d Team Wagop (Lachlan McLean).
Match 3. Team Allyacht Spars (Juke Johnson) d Team Mexican Bananas (Callum
Burns)
Bye Team Edake (David Chapman).

Rd 2
Match 1 Team Jeanneau d Team Wagop
Match 2 Team Edake d Team Mexican Bananas
Match 3 Team Noosa d Team RQYS
Bye Team Allyacht Spars.

Rd 3
Match 1 Team Allyacht Spars d Team Wagop
Match 2 Team Edake d Team RQYS.
Match 3 Team Noosa d Team Mexican Bananas
Bye Team Jeanneau

Rd 4
Match 1 Team RQYS d Team Allyacht Spars
Match 2 Team Edake d Team Wagop
Match 3 Team Jeanneau d Team Mexican Bananas
Bye Team Noosa.

Rd 5
Match 1 Team Noosa d Team Edake.
Match 2 Team RQYS d Team Mexican Bananas
Match 3 Team Allyacht Spars d Team Jeanneau
Bye Team Wagop

Rd 6
Match 1 Team Wagop d Team Mexican Bananas.
Match 2 Team Allyacht Spars d Team Noosa.
Match 3 Team Edake d Team Jeanneau.
Bye Team RQYS.

Rd 7
Match 1 Team Wagop d Team RQYS.
Match 2 Team Jeanneau d Team Noosa.
Match 3 Team Edake d Team Allyacht Spars.
Bye Team Mexican Bananas.

Pool B Rd 1
Match 1 Team Tasqua Youth (Ryan Palk) d Team SB3 (Nick Moriarty)
Match 2 Team RQYS Youth (Curtiss Skinner) d Audi Sunshine Coast Girls
(Lauren Calder)
Match 3 Team Oceanburo Youth (Sean O'Rourke) d Team Bake N Shake (Jack
Sweep)
Bye Team Wot Chicks (Katie Spithill).

Rd 2
Match 1 Team Tasqua Youth d Team Audi Sunshine Coast Girls
Match 2 Team Wot Chicks d Team Bake N Shake.
Match 3 Team RQYS Youth d Team SB3.
Bye Team Oceanburo Youth

SB3 Worlds Entry Full - Five Months to go...

Many of the world’s top sailors are among the 120 entries received for the SB3 World Championship where entry capacity for the event has been reached six months before the event date.

The National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, has confirmed entrants from twelve countries – including New Zealand, Australia, USA, Dubai, France, Italy – as well as large entries from Ireland and the UK.

Initially the plan was to close entries on 1 June 2008 – but interest has been above and beyond expectations as National Yacht Club, Event Chairman, Rory Byrne explained:

'There is amazing enthusiasm for the event. Considering the logistics of a full team and the associated equipment and support travelling to Dublin Bay in September, it just shows that this really is the premier racing event on the 2008 sailing calendar.'

Among the 50 Irish entries, last years Irish National Champion and Irish Olympic Sailor, Tom Fitzpatrick will compete. The UK entries include Craig Burlton and Geoff Carveth both previous European Champions in the SB3 Fleet. Many other notable sailor with National and European titles to their credit will ensure that the event is one of the most closely contested in Europe for a number of years.

The SB3 is the fastest growing fleet of keel boats in the world today and the World Championship promises to be one of the most exciting sailing events ever held.

SB3 World Championship - 20 – 26 September 2008

National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire

Programme

Saturday 20 Sept - Arrival, Registration, Measurement
Sunday 21 Sept - Registration, Measurement, Practice race, Opening ceremony 18:00
Monday 22 Sept - 1st Racing Day – 3 races
Tuesday 23 Sept - 2nd Racing Day – 3 races
Wednesday 24 Sept - 3rd Racing Day – 3 races
Thursday 25 Sept - 4th Racing day – 3 races
Friday 26 Sept - Final racing day - 2 races, Prize giving and closing ceremony

Charter an SB3 for the Audi CYCA WInter Series

Three is the magic number for the Audi CYCA Winter series
Do you suffer from one of the following?
• Crew difficulties during the winter months
• Finding time to prepare your boat for the new season
• Fancy a change

Then Oceanburo might be able to help as they have a limited number of SB3’s available for charter during the Audi CYCA winter series.

Three good reasons to get onboard:
1. The SB3 is the fastest growing one design keelboat in the world! It only requires a crew of three or 4 to race competitively, so your only worry is finding two other crew members, which enables greater winter sailing flexibility. The 270kg weight limit also means that the boat is perfect for 4 up sailing with lighter crews.
2. The Audi CYCA winter series is on for four months, by chartering an SB3 you will be giving yourself three months to race prepare your boat for the coming season, whilst sharpening your skills in this strict one design class.
3. All charter sailors will be entered into the chance to win a free wildcard entry to the SB3 Nationals at Skandia Geelong Race Week.
All the charter boats are less than six months old and are also available for sale after the event. Boats will be available in Sydney approximately two days before the start of the event and will include the appropriate public liability insurance required to compete in this event as a minimum.

So how much does this all cost?
• Boat for the whole series - $3000.00 ( includes insurance but not entry )
• Boat for 10 races of the series $2200.00 ( includes insurance but not entry )
• Boat for 5 races of the series $1100.00 ( includes insurance but not entry )

Pre regatta training will also be available from the Oceanburo team to ensure sailors are able to gain maximum performance from these exciting boats.

To find out more information on the SB3, or to book your charter please contact:

Dartsailboats Oceanburo
Tel: +61 (0)3 9016 4151 Tel: +61 (0)404 094244
Email: info@dartsailboats.com Email: kaitimm@oceanburo.com.au
www.dartsailboats.com www.oceanburo.com.au

Queensland Match Racing Finals to be sailed in SB3's

Mooloolaba Sailing Club will be the venue for the 2008 Queensland Match Racing Championships. The event will be sailed in brand new SB3's and takes place on the 13-15th June. The notice of race and entry form can be downloaded at http://www.oceanburo.com.au/QLD_MR_NOR_Final08.pdf

SB3's race in Sydney for the first time!

SB3’s are already beginning to arrive in Sydney for the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta on 1st and 2nd March. Teams are trying to keep their training secret as the racing at the inaugural SB3 national championships held during Skandia Geelong Week was so close. Sailors are now focusing on trying to get the upper hand as the fleet in Geelong was often only separated by seconds at the finish.

Early front runners include:

‘Green Machine’
Former Australian Sabot champion Sean O’Rourke has good reason to be excited about his future career in one design fleet racing and the highly competitive IRC class ocean racing. The exceptionally talented Mooloolaba Yacht Club sailor who added the Audi Australian IRC championship to his impressive career as a member of the Rod Jones skippered OceanBuro crew has already shown he can race with the best in the Dart SB3.

‘Team Ocean’s 11’
Skippered by Kai Timm, tactician, top sailing coach and distributor for the SB3 in Australia has sharpened his teeth well before the event. Timm said “We are using this as a training event for the Worlds in Ireland”

‘RGYC1’
Skippered by Brendan Garner, this top Melbourne based sailor just missed out on the top spot at the nationals after a lost protest. Brendan is probably regarded as the man to beat, but he will have his work cut out if he wants to walk away as the winner.

‘Wagop
Skippered by Mike Mclean. If Wagop can produce the same level of performance as they did on the first day of the nationals expect to see them close to the front!


Also in the mix will be the Newcastle fleet of SB3’s sporting their Star Wars names. Rod Jones, Distributor and director of Oceanburo, said “I was delighted to be part of the SB3 event in Geelong and I am excited about the sailors visiting Sydney, which is truly a great venue for this boat; I only wish I was racing!”
Another great event for the SB3.
Everyone is getting onboard! Are you?
To find out more about the Dart SB3, please contact:
Dartsailboats Oceanburo
Tel: +61 (0)3 9016 4151 Tel: +61 (0)404 094244
Email: info@dartsailboats.com Email: kaitimm@oceanburo.com.au
www.dartsailboats.com www.oceanburo.com.au

Star Wars fans have a new reason to celebrate

Star Wars fans have a new reason to celebrate. Newcastle Yachting is busily gathering Dart SB3s together for a corporate racing program and a Star Wars naming craze has hit the fleet. Expect to see ‘Dart Vader’ taking on ‘The Force’ with ‘R2D2’ and ‘SB3PO’ carving up the waters of Newcastle Harbour. The good news is that all the best names aren’t taken…yet. It’s only a matter of time before a Luke Skywalker, Jabba the Hutt or Princess Leia inspired Dart SB3 takes to the water.

Newcastle Yachting is currently trialling their Dart fleet every Thursday from about 5pm on Newcastle Harbour with a formal racing program still in the pipeline. They joke that people are walking out of their waterfront offices, throwing off their suits and hopping on a boat. If you’d like to join the fun ring Newcastle Yachting on (02) 4962 5288 or flick an email to sales@newcastleyachting.com.au

‘We’re always open for people to crew either on our club racing or in the SB3s. With the SB3s they’re sometimes looking for some rather light people’ commented Newcastle Yachting’s business manager Elizabeth Kuruilaca.

Well known Newcastle business identities Scott Walkom, of Walkom Real Estate, and Mark Prince of MAP projects are both proud Dart SB3 converts and it is likely that other business people and corporate entities will follow suit. Businesses will be able to advertise on the hulls and kites with plans to set up a live video link so that harbourside spectators can enjoy the racing.

Prince started the Star Wars naming craze after one of his young children thought that Dart sounded like Darth, as in Darth Vader.

‘Mark has got young children so it was ‘Dart Vader.Yeah!’

Dart Vader recently competed in inaugural national championships at Skandia Race Week, Geelong and placed 11th overall.


Recognising the Dart SB3’s potential for fun club racing, Newcastle Yachting started selling the boats alongside their well known Archambault and Jeanneau brands. The first Dart arrived late last year and immediately attracted the attention of punters looking for the convenience of a trailerable yacht coupled with the performance of a sportsboat.

What’s good about the 20 foot Dart SB3s is how easy they are to rig, tow and pop in the water: the manufacturers say that you can be rigged and ready to go within 30 minutes of arriving at your venue. Obviously the time it takes to get a sailing boat ready to go is one of the small but significant factors which impacts on the enjoyment a man or woman gets out of their vessel.

A boat that is always ready to go at a moments notice means that the average owner will spend more time on the water and less on the couch thinking about sailing.

Another common problem that the Dart SB3s solve is the need to round up a large crew. Many keel boat owners find that assembling a crew can be like getting cats to march in formation, it’s even more difficult if you insist on having skilled people on board, and once you’ve trained someone up it’s more than likely that they’ll be poached by another skipper or buy their own boat. Dart SB3s only need three people on board so skippers will not be spending their Saturday mornings on the mobile asking absent crew ‘where are you?’

The strict one design limitations and no hiking rule mean that the Dart breed is popular with older sailors and those wanting serious competition on a budget. These restrictions help level the playing field and mean that teamwork, sail handling and tactics come to the fore. Winning doesn’t rely so much on athleticism and a high budget, whereas cunning and experience will help get you across the line.


‘The Dart SB3s are a very clever design because they cater for the broadest cross section of the sailing market of any boat I’ve ever sailed’ observed Newcastle Yachting broker Glenn Coulton. ‘They have a performance component to the boat: downwind they’ll go quite hard.’

‘There’s a no hiking rule so therefore it takes out that component of having to be fit, young and athletic to perform and to compete well in the class. They’re a very well ballasted boat: they have almost a 60% ballast ratio which means they’re very stable.’

‘Yet you turn the corner and put the asymmetrical spinnaker up in above 10-12 knots and they’ll be planing.’

First Volvo Laser SB3 Middle East Grand Prix outside the U.A.E.

The city of Muscat played host to the fourth round of the Volvo Laser SB3 Middle East Grand Prix which took place from Jan. 25th -26th in the waters near the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa.
Eight boats, two of them with Oman-based crews, had to manage the Grand Prix’s most difficult and stormy weather conditions so far. On the first day, twenty knots of wind and rough seas pushed crews and equipment to their limit. Luckily, some of the teams spent the previous weekend training in high winds with Colin Simonds in Dubai. Colin, 3rd at this year’s Cowes Week in the SB3, aided Jonathan Hill’s Team during the weekend to give them two first’s on Friday. Also putting in a good first day performance was Markus Fiala with all results within the top three. Following closely was Team Premier Composites, the only team to beat Jonathan Hill on the first day. Although only stepping on an SB3 for the first time the day before, one of the Omani teams skippered by Fran2 van Beek managed a respectable performance with a third place in the first race.
The second day began much calmer with clear skies and a lighter breeze. This allowed for much closer tactical racing in the first race. The second race however saw the winds increase dramatically with 15-18 knots. This made an thrilling finish to the last two races, even creating the first “man over board” situation of the series: thanks to the experienced crew on board Men On Pause, the incident ended quickly and safely. Even the increasing wind strength in the last race could not deter Team MacLaren, the all female team, from clearly winning their first race, which proves “girls can do it”.
In the end, the third place of this exciting racing weekend went to Team Premier Composites, second was Markus Fiala on Petit Tazo and the overall winners of the fourth round of the Volvo Laser SB3 Middle East Grand Prix were Men On Pause skippered by Jonathan Hill.
To further develop sailing in the Oman, the whole event was enthusiastically being supported by the Ministry of Sports Affairs, Sultanate of Oman (Mr. Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al-amri and Mr. Saif Al –Shibli), the Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha (Mr. Bob Looker), the Ras al-Hamra PDO Recreational Centre( Mr. Tony VanThiel) and the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa.

Race 5 Vectrix SB3 Nationals

SB3 Australian Championships

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Results by : TopYacht Software
Updated on : 26/01/2008 18:39:46

Race 5 (26/01/2008) PROVISIONAL RESULTS


Elapsed Time results Start : 17:20:00 Place Sail No Boat Name From Elapsd Skipper Score
1 3386 HOME TEAM RGYC 52:17 Brendan Garner 1.0
2 3382 GBR 1 UYC 53:22 Jon Shelley 2.0
3 3380 SAIL-MCRAE MCCYC 53:35 Guy Bancroft 3.0
4 3356 OCEANBURO 11 MDSC 54:12 Kai Timm 4.0
5 3357 WAGOP NQCYC 54:24 Mike McLean 5.0
6 3384 OCEAN BLUE RQYS 54:27 Mark Dagge 6.0
7 3383 GBR 2 UYC 54:29 Andy Hazell 7.0
8 3387 NOOSA RIVER FERRY NRYRC 55:16 Phil Crawford 8.0
9 3352 DART VADER NCYC 55:28 Mark Prince 9.0
10 3364 TASQUA YOUTH MDSC 56:15 Sean ORourke 10.0
11 SM3001 SEABISCUIT SYC 57:45 Ian McLeod 11.0
12 3385 FLYING FISH ONLINE MHYC 59:02 Andy Fairclough 12.0
13 3389 PBR- MDSC 01:00:15 Leigh McMillan 13.0

Race 4 Vectrix SB3 Nationals

SB3 Australian Championships

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Results by : TopYacht Software
Updated on : 26/01/2008 18:10:19

Race 4 (26/01/2007) PROVISIONAL RESULTS


Elapsed Time results Start : 16:20:00 Place Sail No Boat Name From Elapsd Skipper Score
1 3389 PBR- MDSC 41:40 Leigh McMillan 1.0
2 3386 HOME TEAM RGYC 41:43 Brendan Garner 2.0
3 3384 OCEAN BLUE RQYS 41:48 Mark Dagge 3.0
4 3383 GBR 2 UYC 41:51 Andy Hazell 4.0
5 3380 SAIL-MCRAE MCCYC 41:56 Guy Bancroft 5.0
6 3382 GBR 1 UYC 42:43 Jon Shelley 6.0
7 3356 OCEANBURO 11 MDSC 42:51 Kai Timm 7.0
8 3387 NOOSA RIVER FERRY NRYRC 43:05 Phil Crawford 8.0
9 3385 FLYING FISH ONLINE MHYC 44:21 Andy Fairclough 9.0
10 3352 DART VADER NCYC 44:50 Mark Prince 10.0
11 SM3001 SEABISCUIT SYC 45:15 Ian McLeod 11.0
12 3364 TASQUA YOUTH MDSC 47:35 Sean ORourke 12.0
13 3357 WAGOP NQCYC 52:55 Mike McLean 13.0

Race Three Results - Vectrix SB3 Nationals

SB3 Australian Championships

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Results by : TopYacht Software
Updated on : 26/01/2008 3:10:53 PM

Race 3 (26/01/2008) PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Elapsed Time results Start : 13:25:00 Place Sail No Boat Name From Elapsd Skipper Score
1 3382 GBR 1 UYC 01:00:03 Jon Shelley 1.0
2 3386 HOME TEAM RGYC 01:01:53 Brendan Garner 2.0
3 3389 PBR- MDSC 01:01:56 Leigh McMillan 3.0
4 3383 GBR 2 UYC 01:02:12 Andy Hazell 4.0
5 3380 SAIL-MCRAE MCCYC 01:03:33 Guy Bancroft 5.0
6 3384 OCEAN BLUE RQYS 01:03:40 Mark Dagge 6.0
7 3387 NOOSA RIVER FERRY NRYRC 01:03:42 Phil Crawford 7.0
8 3356 OCEANBURO 11 MDSC 01:03:49 Kai Timm 8.0
9 3385 FLYING FISH ONLINE MHYC 01:03:53 Andy Fairclough 9.0
10 3364 TASQUA YOUTH MDSC 01:05:38 Sean ORourke 10.0
11 3352 DART VADER NCYC 01:05:46 Mark Prince 11.0
12 3357 WAGOP NQCYC 01:06:38 Mike McLean 12.0
13 SM3001 SEABISCUIT SYC 01:07:08 Ian McLeod 13.0

Vectrix SB3 Nationals Race report Day 1

Champagne sailing conditions for Day one of the Vectrix SB3 Nationals

The first days racing at the inaugural Vectrix SB3 National championships lived up to all the hype during the last few months. A quality fleet, with top international crews battling it out against crews from Melbourne, Hobart and Queensland.The British sailors have arrived with serious intentions to drive away on the Vectrix Scooter and have the advantage of more time in the boat, this however was not evident from the two event favorites GBR 1 and GB2.

Race One was sailed in 4-7 knots and was always going to be interesting as this was the first time many of these sailors had lined up against each other. The race was lead from start to finish by team PBR, skippered at the last minute by Leigh McMillian. Second place was local boy Brendan Garner and Third Wagop, skipper by Mike Mclean. The surprise from race one was the two pre regatta favorites, 2 times runner up at Skandia Cowes week Jono Shelly being OCS and the other British Team skippered by Andy Hazell DNF.

Top Five Results Race One:
1 PBR, 2 Home Team, 3 Wagop, 4 Oceanblue, 5 Tasqua Youth

Race 2 saw around 9 – 13 knots of breeze and the boats one design nature resulted in one of the closest finishes seen in Keelboat racing for some time. Team PBR, GBR1 and 2 and Brendan Garner all finished within two seconds of each other, highlighting the caliber of the sailors competing. On returning to shore race winner McMillian said “Every second counted in that one, and we really didn’t know who had one!”
With three races forecast for tomorrow the early favourite is now McMillian, his performance will be easy to measure as event leader he will carry the black Vectrix kite. However with so little separating the fleet it’s all to play for.
Talk in the bar from sailors to climb the ranks tomorrow are: Guy Bancroft (Sail Mcrae), Mark Dagge (OceanBlue) and Kai Timm.

Race Two Top Five Poisitons:
1 PBR, 2 GBR1, 3 GBR2, 4 Home Team, 5 Sail McCrae

For Full Race results and pictures please visit:www.dartsailboats.com

For more information:
Tom Rosoman (Dart Sailboats)
tom.rosoman@dartsailboats.com

Race Two results - Vectrix SB3 Nationals

SB3 Australian Championships

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Results by : TopYacht Software
Updated on : 25/01/2008 4:43:42 PM

Race 2 (25/01/2008) PROVISIONAL RESULTS


Elapsed Time results Start : 15:18:00 Place Sail No Boat Name From Elapsd Skipper Score
1 3389 PBR- MDSC 54:24 Leigh McMillan 1.0
2 3382 GBR 1 UYC 54:25 Jon Shelley 2.5
2 3383 GBR 2 UYC 54:25 Andy Hazell 2.5
4 3386 HOME TEAM RGYC 54:26 Brendan Garner 4.0
5 3380 SAIL-MCRAE MCCYC 55:11 Guy Bancroft 5.0
6 3384 OCEAN BLUE RQYS 55:13 Mark Dagge 6.0
7 3356 OCEANBURO 11 MDSC 55:53 Kai Timm 7.0
8 3387 NOOSA RIVER FERRY NRYRC 56:29 Phil Crawford 8.0
9 3364 TASQUA YOUTH MDSC 56:50 Sean ORourke 9.0
10 3385 FLYING FISH ONLINE MHYC 57:02 Andy Fairclough 10.0
11 3357 WAGOP NQCYC 57:14 Mike McLean 11.0
12 3352 DART VADER NCYC 57:49 Mark Prince 12.0
13 SM3001 SEABISCUIT SYC 59:09 Ian McLeod 13.0

Race One results- Vectrix SB3 Australian Nationals

SB3 Australian Championships

Hosted By Royal Geelong Yacht Club

Results by : TopYacht Software
Updated on : 25/01/2008 3:34:39 PM

Race 1 (25/01/2008) PROVISIONAL RESULTS



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Elapsed Time results Start : 13:15:00 Place Sail No Boat Name From Elapsd Skipper Score
1 3389 PBR- MDSC 01:00:08 Leigh McMillan 1.0
2 3386 HOME TEAM RGYC 01:01:02 Brendan Garner 2.0
3 3357 WAGOP NQCYC 01:02:15 Mike McLean 3.0
4 3384 OCEAN BLUE RQYS 01:02:57 Mark Dagge 4.0
5 3364 TASQUA YOUTH MDSC 01:04:38 Sean ORourke 5.0
6 3356 OCEANBURO 11 MDSC 01:04:52 Kai Timm 6.0
7 3387 NOOSA RIVER FERRY NRYRC 01:05:32 Phil Crawford 7.0
8 3380 SAIL-MCRAE MCCYC 01:05:36 Guy Bancroft 8.0
9 3385 FLYING FISH ONLINE MHYC 01:05:43 Andy Fairclough 9.0
10 3352 DART VADER NCYC 01:06:20 Mark Prince 10.0
11 SM3001 SEABISCUIT SYC 01:07:38 Ian McLeod 11.0
DNF 3383 GBR 2 UYC Andy Hazell 14.0
OCS 3382 GBR 1 UYC Jon Shelley 14.0

The Australian Sailing Team Crowned ‘King of the Docklands’

Over the weekend of 19th – 20th January 2008, Victoria Harbour, in Melbourne’s Docklands was venue for the inaugural King of the Docklands event. With 20 competing in strict one design racing in SB3’s, battling it out for the title of King of the Docklands.

The sun was out briefly for a super Sunday of sailing on day two of the Skandia Docklands Invitational. While the ocean racing yachts raced out on Port Philip, twenty teams of elite sailors gathered to race in super-slick one-design sports boats as part of the Vectrix SB3 King of the Docklands event. The first prize of a high performance Vectrix electric maxi-scooter focused the attention of the twenty teams battling for the 2008 King of the Docklands trophy.

Anticipation was intense as crews prepared to take part in the high adrenaline competition at Victoria Harbour in Melbourne’s Docklands. The harbour was transformed to a hive of activity when boats of all shapes and sizes took to the water for various events, with many describing the blustery southerly wind as potentially chaotic.

Guessing the winner from any of the heats was always going to be difficult. One of the favourites for Heat One was Oceanburo, skippered by Kai Timm; tactician and top sailing coach in his own right and director of Oceanburo, distributor of the SB3 in Australia. However, with a field that included Skandia Team GBR, ten time world champion of various classes Mitch Booth and local sailors the Ridgeways it was not going to be easy for anyone. Early leaders in heat one, Skandia Team GBR appeared to have the race rapped up, until the on water jury judged them to have infringed class rules so they had to do a 720o turn that took them out of contention for the heat. This left Team Oceanburo and Mitch Booth to dual it out and it was Booth who came out on top.

In race two, the Australian Sailing Team, skippered by current 49er World champion Nathan Outtridge and crewed by Laser World champion Tom Slingsby took line honours and Andrew Campbell’s North Atlantic Sailing Team (NATO) raced to glory in the third heat. Campbell, a member of the US Olympic Sailing Team Pan American Gold Medalist was joined by Abil Torchinsky, and Dave Wright, both of Canada.
Race four had the biggest upset of the day with well-respected sailor and editor of Australian Sailing Magazine, Vanessa Dudley showing speed and technique to clinch the final heat from Olympic medalist Mark Turnbull and hot favoutite for Olympic Medal in the Tornado Class in this years Olympics. It was only on her return to shore that the commentators spotted she had enlisted the crewing abilities of Australian Sailing Team member Brendon Casey.
After the four heats there was star studded line up for the final race. Spectators gathered on shore to watch the race for the most expensive prize in a single days racing in Australian history.
Racing in short courses, there was no room for error as the experienced sailors pitted against one another, putting their boats to the test in a thrilling final. Laser World Champion Tom Slingsby, 49er World Champion Nathan Outteridge, 470 World Champion Nathan Wilmot and Radial National Champion Sarah Blanck, Captain of the Australian Sailing Team consolidated their considerable skills to outrace their opponents.

Arriving back at the dock Tom Slingsby was full of praise for the Dart SB3 sports boat, a relative newcomer on the Australian sailing scene. “It was nice to sail, it would get up and plane and was tactical to sail upwind” he said adding “we had a great time out there!!”
In a generous gesture, the four sailors of Team AST will donate their prize, a revolutionary Zero-emission Vectrix electric vehicle valued at $17,500, to the Australian Paralympic team and look forward to defending their “King of the Docklands” title at next years’ Skandia Docklands Invitational event.
The Vectrix SB3 King of the Docklands event was part of Skandia Docklands Invitational, which was proudly presented by Skandia, the Victorian State Government, the City of Melbourne, The Age and the organising authority, Royal Geelong Yacht Club.

Vectrix SB3 King of the Docklands - The Teams

20 teams will face off in the inaugural Vectrix SB3 King of the Docklands. The competition will be tight as Olympians, World and National Champions battle it out to win the prestigious title. Their prize, one of the richest in a single day of sailing is a $17,500 high performance Vectrix maxi-scooter.

The teams vying for the title are:

Ridgidige
o Paul Ridgeway – numerous State and National titles
o Bronwyn Ridgeway – Numerous State and National titles
o Hugh Ridgeway – 2005 Junior World Champion

Firbog Team Ireland
o Paddy Oliver - Olympian 1984 & 1998
o Bill O’hara - Irish Olympic Squad
o Chris Kalleen - British Team Racing Champion
o Diane Nelson - Current Australian Team Racing Champion

Mitch Booth
o Mitch Booth - Dual Olympic medalist, 10 time World Champion
o Pim Niuewenhuis - Olympic Team 2008

Oceanburo
o Kai Timm - ‘Team Oceanburo’ Skippered by Kai Timm, tactician and top sailing coach. Kai is the distributor for the SB3 in Australia and will have had a chance to sharpen his teeth well before the event.

Skandia Cowes Week
o Jono Shelley
o Lawrie Smith - 2nd in Cowes Week (fleet size 90 plus) for three years running

Hawaiian Lau
o Michael Harvey - Match Racing UK Team member
o Darren Simcox - Match Racing UK Team member, 7 Melbourne to Hobarts
o Lino Lascalia
o Peter Nagarski - 4 Melbourne to Hobarts

AST
o Tom Slingsby - Australian Team sailing member, world champion, NSW Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year

Sail McCrae
o Guy Bancroft - Numerous National dinghy titles
o Rhys Bancroft - National Title Winner
o Kelvin Boyle

Ocean Blue
o Mark Dagge - 3 time Hong Kong Yachting Association Yachtsmen of the Year
o James Dagge - 2nd Youth Championship – Laser
o Samantha Dagge - Royal Queensland Yachtsmen Squadron Junior Yachtsman of the Year, multiple State and National championships

Team Hungary
o Tamas Keleman
o Andras Vigh
o Balint Perjes

Tasqua Youth
o Sean O’Rourke - Audi Australian IRC Champion

Home Team
o Brendan Garner - 2 time fireball Australian Champion
o Jake Newman - 4 Sydney to Hobarts
o Michael Schilt

AST Masters
o Tom King - A gold medalist at the Sydney Olympics and World Champion
o Mark Turnbull - OAM, over the years Mark has won nine Victorian, five Australian, two pre-worlds, one World Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal

Skandia Wild Thing
o Grant Wharington - Too many to mention, Sydney to Hobart and much more

North Atlantic (Nato)
o Andrew Campbell - US Olympic Sailing Team 2008 Laser, PanAmerican Games Gold Medalist (07) Youth World Champion (02), US University Sailor of the Year
o Ed Wright - British Sailing Team – Finn, currently winning Sail Melbourne, top three at Finn Gold Cup, World ranked #3
o Dave Wright - Canadian Sailing Team – Laser, current US Laser National Champion, US University Champion

Team GBR
o Nick Rogers - Nick and Joe have grown a reputation as one of the worlds strongest pairings, achieving medals at Olympic, World and European competition and reached No 1 on the world rankings
o Joe Glanfield
o Ronstan
o Michah Shusalow
o Josh Newman

AST
o Glen Ashby - Australian and Victoria Sailor of the year. A number of World, National and State titles in catamaran classes, including two F18 World titles as crew for Darren), two F18 Australian titles, five European A-Class wins and as of February 2007 the pair are currently ranked number on in the world in the Tornado class.
o Darren Bundock - Australian Sailor of the Year, Olympic Silver medalist at Sydney and representing Australia in the 2008 Olympics

Intrusion – Demand
o Cameron Way – S80 2007 State Champion
o Luke Reinher – S80 2007 State Champion
o Gary Holdsworth - S80 2007 State Champion
o Mike Kusnank - S80 2007 State Champion

Australian Sailing
o Vanessa Dudley – Editor of Australian Sailing Magazine
o Alistair Murray – Managing Director of Ronstan

Sunshine Coast Sailors do battle in SB3 Nationals at Geelong

Kai Timm and Sean O’Rourke will have their personal friendship challenged when they contest the inaugural Dart SB3 Australian championship on Corio Bay, Geelong over the Australia Day weekend.

There is absolutely no evidence of feud between the two talented Sunshine Coast sailors who played a contributing role when Mooloolaba’s Rod Jones skippered Alegria to a runaway win in the Audi Australian IRC championship last August.

However they will become rival skippers when the battle lines are drawn to decide who is the smarter one-design racing helmsman.

Naturally personal pride is at stake and the tactical skills of the clever Kai Timm will stretched to the depth on his international sailing experience by the younger Sean O’Rourke.

They are both very good mates and are individually proud to be representing the Sunshine Coast.

However that friendship will be left onshore when the respected tactician and coach Kai Timm and his student Sean O’Rourke enter into a personal match race in what promises to be an exciting debut regatta ‘down under’ for the Dart SB3 which has recently gained International recognition as the World’s fastest growing sports boat class.

The battle between the two exceptionally talented sailors will be one of the highlights of the championship which has also attracted entries from champion English helmsman Jono Shelly and the experienced Victorian B16 skipper Guy Bancroft.

Based on his valued Dart SB3 racing experience in England and Europe Jono Shelly deserves his ranking as the title favourite however while he promises to set the speed sailing benchmark the title result remains in the melting pot simply because the clone nature of the class provides all the crews with an equal chance from the start line.

Sure Shelly has proved his sail-fast technique but his results will hinge on the ability to limit the mistakes in the important human applied elements of race strategy and crew technique.

Corio Bay has a reputation for being a tricky course and promises to test all of the crews irrespective of their career results which sets the pattern for an exciting series of races when the fleet of Dart SB3 one design ‘sprint machines’ duel for their important debut class championship in Australia.

Both Kai Timm in Oceanburo and Sean O’Rourke in Tasqua Youth despite their limited class experience have the temperament and the tactical skills to master the challenge but who will finish with the best place will only be decided during the final meters of the last race.

Sean O’Rourke has already proved his sailing talent winning the Australian Senior Sabot title before climbing the ranks as one of Australia’s best one on one match and fleet racing sailors.

He also has a good young crew of Nik Peate, Matt Jones and Mitch Kennedy who are well prepared to enter into a tactical title dog-fight under the Tasqua Youth battle-flag.

They all have the skill and determination to enter the battle and will not hesitate to test their combined talent and youthful endurance to win a medal against their older rivals.