League legend to tackle SB3 Airlie Beach challenge
Queensland rugby league legend Mike McLean will take to the water next month in the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week helming his SB3 in the one-design division.
'Mike McLean racing with brother John in the 2008 QLD Match Racing Championship'
Ben Calder
Regatta director Denis Thompson announced this week the 2008 regatta will include a one-design division for the SB3 class. He expects five entries with a possible sixth, to race on special courses within Pioneer Bay.
Leading the SB3 fleet will be 45-year-old McLean. He has recruited a group of avid Queensland SB3 sailors to challenge him on the waters off Airlie Beach which he describes as 'a good playground for sailing'.
'I think the boats will go beautifully in the bay. It is a wonderful sailing area. We have sailed the boats at Geelong, Sydney and Mooloolaba. Now we just wanted to get them up north.'
Ensuring all the entries in this class of boat, newly introduced to Australia, have on board access to experienced SB3 sailors, McLean has split his crew across the boats. His two brothers, Lachlan and John, will be racing against him each on different SB3s. McLean's regular crew member Steve Wallace will also be on another boat with Paul Hunt from Bowen.
In the fleet will the Tasqua Youth Team from the Mooloolaba Dinghy Sailing Club. Led by confident helmsman, 17-year-old Matt Jones, the group of four youngsters expect to learn from their older fleet members. Jones will have with him Sean Lindsell (17), Levi Curtis (14) and Morgann Stanton (15), all from the Sunshine Coast.
'Hopefully they will be nice (to us). They are a lot older than me and so they know a lot more. I think I have the best opportunity out of it because I am the youngest and I have a lot more to learn.'
McLean will be keeping a close eye on the Tasqua Youth Team. 'They will definitely be hard to beat. That has been the beauty of the boat. There has been a lot of youth sailing them and it is a great training boat for guys like myself,' McLean says.
Bruised and battered after many years playing at the top level of Rugby League, the two-time State of Origin team member, who retired from football in 1993, is enjoying turning his focus to his other passion; sailing.
'I have sailed all my life when Rugby League wasn't in the way. I started in Sabots in Bowen, then 16 foot skiffs.' He then progressed to racing Lasers.
In between dinghy racing and rugby league playing commitments McLean tried his hand at some blue-water racing. His biggest race was the 1989 Sydney to Hobart Race competing on board the Holland 52 footer China Bear with a 'motley crew'. 'It cured me of racing that end of town.'
The recent move by McLean to the one-design SB3 class has been driven by his need to find a class more suitable to his 'ageing body' while still racing dinghies. McLean says as he is less nimble these days he is enjoying racing a class which is more comfortable on the body, but still competitive.
'The SB3s are very competitive and they are hard work. These boast offer no excuses, but your talent.'
Green southerner's invasion.
Cronulla Sailing Club's Bruce McKay has gone up a step this year entering his newly-purchased 40-foot green machine, Wasabi, in the performance racing division.
McKay campaigned his Northshore 369 Avanti in the last two Airlie Beach regattas.
''It is quite a step from the 369 . It certainly has the potential to be a very fast boat. I don't think that boat has had its full potential realised at all yet,' says McKay.
He purchased Wasabi in June and has only had one weekend of crew training off Mooloolaba where the boat is still moored.
While the preparations for the northern winter racing season have been fast and furious, McKay has tried to take full advantage of the knowledge of the boat's designer to help better understand its capabilities. Sailing with the team on their weekend training session, McKay says Jon Sayer with his 200,000 plus sea miles and absolute sheer knowledge, proved an invaluable experience for all the Wasabi team.
McKay will be joined by a team of sailors from Cronulla and New Zealand and 'a few mates' from Cairns. 'There are no rock stars, but there will be a bunch of quite competitive guys on board.'
The Brisbane to Great Keppel Race will be the Wasabi's team shakedown. 'We thought about bringing the boat down to Sydney, sailing it for a month and then racing in the Southport Race. But I would prefer to head out of Brisbane in a fleet of 30 boats than try to get out of Sydney Heads in a fleet of 70 or 80 boats in the Sydney to Southport Race. Next year I will do it, but not this year.'
With the shakedown race out of the way, the Airlie Beach regatta will be the team's baptism of fire in inshore racing. They will be up against a quality and experienced fleet.
'I enjoy the technicality of Airlie Beach racing with its windward starts.'
Is he nervous ? Not yet he says. However, once the Wasabi team is on the Airlie Beach regatta start line for the first time with the other performance racing division boats, all trying to be in the 'same five square metres of water', the nerves may then set in.
McKay's expectations of achieving a podium finish with his new boat are realistic. 'I am not expecting to go up there and be a world beater. I have no doubt that I will be able to sail the boat as slow as anything.'
He has been surprised by the interest in Wasabi. 'I think there are quite high expectations in the sailing community about its performance. Just give us a year before we realise those full expectations.'
When the racing ends the party begins.
First-timer McLean says his main focus for the regatta is on the sailing, but he has heard the after-race party is a 'fair bit of fun'.
He has heard correctly.
The regatta kicks off with a welcome party at Whitsunday Sailing Club on Thursday night. After the fleet has shaken off its first race-day nerves, the 'pig pen' will be there to welcome the thirsty.
Saturday's passage race should tire a few of the sailors, but not dampen their post-race party spirit. Sunday will test even the most dedicated sailor with tough competition on the water followed by a seriously good calypso street party. Thank goodness the sailors will have Monday off to relax and recuperate.
Back on the water on Tuesday competitors will have their hands full on the water before returning to shore to join the Wolverines who promise to do what they do best; party.
Wednesday's long passage race should slow down a few of the die-hard party makers before the final race day on Thursday. To make sure all the sailors remember what a great time they had at the Meridien Marina Airlie Beach Regatta, the Wolverines will again be there on Thursday to party out what is left of the competitors energy and sailing shoes.
Event Details
Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week
14 - 21 August 2008
Key Dates
Entries close: Friday 8 August
Registration: Thursday 14 August
Racing commences: Friday 15 August
Final race day and trophy presentation: Thursday 21 August
click here to go to Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week website
by Tracey Johnstone 
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