Keep an eye out for the hammerheads and turtles and embrace everything Hervey Bay throws at you – on and off the water.
That’s the advice from eight-time Australian 16ft champion – and Hervey Bay specialist – Lee Knapton as a big fleet prepares to head to Queensland for a regatta with a difference.
Twelve Manly and five St George boats will line-up in the 16s fleet, while Manly will send a record thirteen 13ft skiff crews.
Noakes is St George’s sole representative in the 13s.
It will be the first time in nine years the Maryborough Sailing Club host the event. Remarkably, Knapton’s record-breaking run of wins began and finished at Hervey Bay.
He notched up his first victory there aboard BC Coatings in the 1999/2000 season and won his last title at the same venue on Brydens Lawyers in 2015/16. Not surprisingly, “Knappo” has nothing but good memories of his time on Queensland’s Fraser Coast.
“It’s one of my favourites places to sail and it’s great to see the nationals returning there,” he said. “It’s great to get out of Sydney and head up there with everyone and sail at such a beautiful spot. “It’s a holiday destination and the weather is always warm and it just puts you in the right frame of mind to sail.”
Asked if he had any inside knowledge for the nationals’ fleet, Knapton replied: “Not really. It was a long time ago but there was always consistent wind and waves. “Apart from having to look out for the odd hammerhead or turtle, there was nothing really tricky about it, “Probably not getting caught up in the laidback holiday vibe was the hardest part!”
Now semi-retired from the 16s – “I think (Pete) Mackie’s lost my phone number,” he joked – Knapton still keeps a keen eye on the racing. And having sailed at both St George and Manly, he hopes the nationals crown will remain at one of those two locations.
“Bosker Build’s (Sarah Lee) doing everything right at the moment and I reckon ‘Ruffy’ (Daniel Turner from Moonen Yachts) and Nathan (Wilmot on Imagine Signage) will go at each other and be right up there. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.”
Lee, the defending champion, said: “Going into the St George nationals last year I knew we had a chance of winning but I wasn’t confident and I feel exactly the same for Hervey Bay.”
“There’s a chance we could win but there’s probably five or so boats who are in contention for the title. “Hervey Bay favours boat speed and sometimes is a one-track racetrack.
“We aren’t the quickest in all conditions but we are pretty close. We just need to be fast across as many conditions as possible to put together the lowest score. “We are confident sailing in heavy breeze and we’ve improved lately in light air. Hervey Bay can throw anything at you.”
Manly’s Wilmot, a two-time national 16s champion, is taking nothing for granted. “You soon learn anything can happen given the quality of the fleet and the varying conditions,” he said. “Like any regatta, it’s all about being consistent over the whole week.”
In the 13s, Harken duo Heidi Bates and Orlando Sadlik journey north as the hunted, not the hunters, after taking out the recent NSW Championship on the back of a third-placed finish at last year’s nationals.
“There are so many good sailors in this fleet and we know we’ve got to sail at our best every time we go out there,” Bates said. “We are working well together and improving with every race and trying to handle different conditions. “Hopefully it all goes to plan at the nationals.”
Cybertechgroup.org (Ash Napper/Theo Franklin) will return a year after Franklin and Coby Napper combined to take out the 2023/24 title.
The Australian 13ft &16ft Skiff Championships will be held from January 4-11.
Words Adam Lucius
Photos SailMedia
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