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