In a variable westerly, the first day of the Mick Hole Winter Keelboat Regatta got underway today on Pittwater with three sprint races sailed from Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
“We sail this regatta in honour of a very special bloke, Mick Hole, whose memory is a reminder to all present and future members of what the RPAYC is really all about.,” Alfred’s member Simon Grosser said. “The world would be a much better place with a few more Mick’s.”
Leading in the Etchells division of 13 boats is Cameron Miles on Sea Wings.
“The best thing about today was sailing with mates I haven’t sailed with in years and with my 12-year-old son Darcy, who was calling the shots,” said Miles, the current National
“On flat water, everyone was going at the same speed, so it came down to the starts and rolling the fluffy dice across the cockpit floor, because it’s Pittwater in a westerly,” he said.
“I went to school with Mick Hole and sailed many miles with him. He was a great man.”
Rounding out the podium in the Etchells class is Karabos, skippered by Ron Jacobs and DOT, skippered by Jan Scholten.
Leading in the Sports Boat division, also in a fleet of 13, is the REO 7.2, Re-Heat skippered by Luke Ratcliff.
“We had our 29er skipper and my son, Harley Ratcliff, steering,” proud father Luke Ratcliff said following their three wins today.
“Brett Davis made all the difference with his crewing today after coming off winning the 16ft Skiff Nationals with Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot (the 2008 Olympic gold medallists) earlier this year,” he concluded.
Two Shaw 650’s are in second and third, The Stig, skippered by Scott Wallace and Stuart Innes’ Tickety Boo.
Leading the Mixed Keelboats is Inevitable, an 11 Metre built in 1993 and skippered by Ron Palmer, over Simon Grosser’s Young 88, Young at Heart and Pacesetter, skippered by Andrew MacPhail, also an 11 metre.
The regatta will conclude with three more races scheduled for next Saturday 16 July.
Full results: https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/13/results/series/1704/pointscore?view=individual&handicap=s
For more information on the Etchells Australia class head to: http://www.etchells.org.au
Nic Douglass
