Young crews win out

After day two of the ACE Etchells Worlds in Mooloolaba

Yachting history was made today in the ACE Etchells World Championship 2004 when two of the youngest and lightest crews each won a heat, outsailing many of the world’s best yachtsmen, including America’s Cup legends, past World Champions and Olympians in the huge 85 boat fleet.

Julian Plante, 31, from Pittwater’s Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, sailed Odyssey to victory in heat two this morning while 28-year-old Lucas Down from the host club, Mooloolaba Yacht Club, helmed Whooska to win this afternoon’s heat on the Pacific Ocean off Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Both boats sailed with a crew of four, as against the normal three-man boats, the first time in the 29 year history of the Etchells class that a four-crew boat has won a heat of a World Championship. The one-design class has a maximum crew weight of 285kg, enabling four-man crews for those with lighter sailors on board.

Down’s crew included the youngest competitor in the fleet, 15-year-old Sean O’Rourke, from Mooloolaba, the current Australian champion in the Sabot dinghy class. “He was over the moon in being aboard a yacht that had won a World Championship heat,” his skipper said back at Mooloolaba Yacht Club.

Both skippers said they sailed to a pre-conceived plan in each of the races they won today, based on conditions in yesterday’s first race. “We went inshore, looking for flatter water and had a clear air start that put us into the lead at the first windward mark,” Plante explained.

On the other hand, Down elected to go offshore in the second race looking for stronger wind. Of sailing with a crew of four, Down commented: “It’s an extra set of hands, hands and brains.”

No so fortunate was another young competitor, Adam Emilari, 17, from Wellington, New Zealand. He was hit in the nose by the boom of the Youth Team yacht, No Boundaries, during a crash tack near the end of heat three and tonight is in Nambour Hospital.

He is understood to have suffered a fractured nose and possible concussion and was semi-conscious when brought ashore. He is reported to be in a stable condition.

Both races today were sailed in 12-15 knot breezes with lumpy seas and significant wind shifts that has seen many of the “heavies” of sailing in the Etchells one-design class produce inconsistent results in the three races sailed so far.

Leading the overall pointscore is Lake Macquarie sailmaker Peter McNeill, skippering Tom Piper XVII, with placings of 2-8-11 for 21 points. He is ten points clear of former World Champion Cameron Miles with Pacesetter who has placed 11-12-8 and Bruce McBriar from Melbourne, helming Fast Forward to 12-10-9, with each on 31 points.

Tasmanian Andrew Hunn is fourth overall with Zulu, on 33 points after placings of 7-7-19, while current Australian champion Mark Bulka, fifth overall with Balanced A-Tack, on 37 points with a 20-13-4 scorecard. Julian Plante is sixth overall while today’s other winner, Lucas Down, is 23rd in the fleet.

World number one Etchells skipper, America’s Cup legend John Bertrand from Melbourne is 12th overall, with better results today, a 4th and a 13th after yesterday’s 37th with Two Saints and a Magpie.

His America’s Cup rival of 21 years ago, Dennis Conner from San Diego, sailing Menace, followed his 23rd place in race one with an 11th in the first race today, but then had a shocker, placing 44th. He is back in 24th place.

Two-times past Etchells World Champion John Savage from Melbourne, could not repeat this 3rd place from race one, today recording a reasonable 15th followed by a midfleet 41st. Nevertheless, he is still 14th overall with Cobra IV.

In heat two this morning, Odyssey (Julian Plante) from the Perth yachtsman Rob Bird, sailing Moody Blues who finished just two seconds ahead of Melbourne skipper Ian Johnson, helming Bananas in Pyjamas. John Bertrand, also from Melbourne, placed fourth in Two Saints and a Magpie followed by Brisbane fleet sailor Mark Bradford with Racer X and Steam Packet V (Rob Brown) from Pittwater.

In heat three this afternoon, Whooska (Lucas Down) won from Brisbane fleet’s David Rose, steering the War of the Roses, who fought back to beat the experienced Sydney yachtsman Peter Gardner at the helm of Humpback. Australian champion Mark Bulka, sailing Balanced A-Tac from Mornington, placed fourth, with local sailor David Turton finishing fifth with 1219, and Adelaide Chris Pratt sixth with Squid.

Overall results:

Pos	Sail #	Crew	Subg.	Boat Name	R1	R2	R3	Tot
1	AUS915	P. McNeill, P. Turner & G. Torpy		Tom Pepper XVII	2	8	11	21
2	AUS509	C. Miles, C. Links & D. Sampson		Pacesetter	11	12	8	31
3	AUS865	B. McBriar, T. Bond & J. Casley	Masters	Fast Forward	12	10	9	31
4	AUS1289	A. Hunn, S. McCallum & D. Connor		Zulu	7	7	19	33
5	AUS1277	M. Bulka, G. Ashby & S. Nichols		Balanced A-Tac	20	13	4	37
6	AUS1254	J. Plante, N. Garland, G. Bonouvrie & M. Day		Odyssey	13	1	29	43
7	AUS1121	I. Johnson, G. Smith & T. Ede		Bananas In Pyjamas	17	3	23	43
8	AUS1275	R. Antill, J. Antill & J. Antill	Masters	Trekker	4	30	12	46
9	AUS867	D. Rose, S. Cavanaugh & S. Casey		The War of the Roses	25	20	2	47
10	AUS923	M. Bradford, M. O'Brien & G. Adshead		Racer X	28	5	14	47
11	AUS1117	G. Collings, S. Young & J. Gunther		Satu	14	23	16	53
12	AUS1244	J. Bertrand, R. Allanson & M. Richards	Masters	Two Saints &a Magpie	37	4	13	54
13	AUS1143	C. Pratt, G. Evans & N. Paterson		Squid	9	40	6	55
14	AUS1287	J. Savage, P. Gillon & A. Plympton	Masters	Cobra IV	3	15	41	59
15	AUS832	D. King, S. Cunnington, A. Butler & J. Ware		Barry White	16	18	26	60
16	AUS1219	D. Turton, A. Turton & D. Spicer		AUS1219	10	49	5	64
17	AUS751	S. Gunther, J. Collingwood & R. Hutton		Legless	35	14	15	64
18	AUS1131	D. Clark, J. Whittaker & A. Smith		Little G	24	21	22	67
19	AUS1088	R. Brown, B. Wookey & G. Gudmunson		SteamPacket V	39	6	24	69
20	AUS1273	M. Coxon, W. McCarthy & S. Jarvin		North Sydney	1	28	42	71
21	AUS1274	R. Jones, J. Walker & P. Meehan		Ethel	26	25	20	71
22	AUS874	J. Muir, L. Prescott & S. Lambourne		Racer XY	6	61	7	74
23	AUS1213	L. Down, S. Gaddes, A. Roberts-Thomson & S. O'Rourke		Whooshka	29	47	1	77
24	USA1060	D. Conner, P. Burton & D. Kneulman	Seniors	Menace	23	11	44	78
25	HKG1269	M. Thornburrow, T. Parsons & A. Webster		HK1269	47	27	10	84
26	AUS1237	G. Wharington, G. Taylor & I. Walker		Satu ll	49	19	17	85
27	AUS1257	D. Lawrance, B. Hawkes & J. Newman	Masters	Temptress	44	17	30	91
28	NZL892	G. Turnbull, K. Hogan & A. Willis		The Old Hag	54	26	18	98
29	AUS1186	P. Gardner, S. Barlow & G. McKellar	Masters	Humpback	50	46	3	99
30	AUS1160	R. Bird, G. Johnson & N. Gray	Masters	Moody Blues	48	2	51	101
31	NZL814	L. Kennedy, T. Swinburne & G. Catley	Masters	Upfront	18	24	59	101
32	AUS951	M. Soulsby, M. Fisher & D. Lane		Fish Factory	58	22	21	101
33	AUS1084	R. Coxon, D. Ritchard & T. Watkin	Masters	The Bottle	5	60	38	103
34	AUS850	A. Drummond, R. Alston, I. Drummond & A. Drummond		Run Like You Stole S	43	38	25	106
35	AUS945	M. Manford, R. Rowell & D. McAullay		The Croc	19	57	33	109
36	AUS864	V. Prentice, C. Anderson, A. Deeks & D. Hutchinson		Little Bit Funky	31	52	27	110
37	AUS1030	N. Drennan, B. Browne & E. Lawrence		A Cat and Two Saints	38	34	40	112
38	AUS1102	S. O'Rourke, J. Minter & B. Swane		Panther	34	16	63	113
39	NZL1240	J. St. Clair Brown, D. Kendall & D. Barnes	Masters	Waiwera Infinity	36	36	43	115
40	AUS1136	D. Royle, P. Royle & J. Ward		Bohica!	42	29	48	119
41	AUS963	R. Maxwell, S. Shaw & B. Moore		The Rat	40	9	71	120
42	AUS1253	M. Doyle, P. Martyn-Jones & T. Tubman		Miramar	8	63	57	128
43	USA1212	J. Nye, J. Muysken & D. Baker		Carina	30	33	67	130
44	NZL1184	C. Appleton, P. Gudmunson & P. Merrington		Embers	41	59	35	135
45	AUS1270	S. Estella, B. Smith & M. White		La Vie Dansante	32	31	74	137
46	AUS1144	D. Bull, S. Miller & A. Wilkund	Masters	Bullet	27	42	70	139
47	AUS893	M. Bellingham, A. Owen & J. Hastie		Queen Annes Revenge	64	51	28	143
48	AUS869	J. Warlow, R. Byerly & T. Jordan		Blinky 3 Eyed Fish	21	64	61	146
49	AUS940	P. Dash, E. McCarthy & C. Allen	Masters	Just a Dash	45	62	39	146
50	AUS943	B. Melia, M. Garbler & S. Backhouse		No Mercy	52	44	50	146