'No luck of the Irish' for Sunshine Coast skipper
The luck of the Irish has not be running with the crew of Sunshine Coast sailors during the qualifying races for the 2008 Dart SB3 World championship in Dublin.
'Windy conditions at the SB3 Worlds - Dun Laoghaire Harbour, Ireland'
Richard Langdon /Ocean Images © Click Here to view large photo
Skipper Kai Timm and crew mates Greg McAllansmith and Chris Annear were relatively confident of achieving high scoring results certainly better than their first day score of 60-67-23.
A report of fitting failure explained their below par 60th in the first race which prevented them from making the start for race 2.
However the Ocean's eleven crew expressed their skill and determination to fight back adding some respectability to their score with a 23rd in race 3.
The cold northerly wind which veered to 20 degrees on an irregular pattern added another dimension to the tactical test for the major places in this strict one-design sailing championship.
As expected there were no favours on the start line where all crews tested both the patience and skill of the race committee as the fought to gain a clear wind start.
Hull bumping and barging naturally occurred during the aggressive pre-start manoeuvrers while several crews were black flagged (disqualified) for breaking the start.
There were also the expected log jams at the rounding marks were it was common to see crews executing penalty turns for collisions and breaches against sea room.
Fortunately the Ocean's eleven crew managed to retain their composure by not adding further damage to their point score while their Australian team mates Daniel Geoghegan, Charles Cumbley and Robert Taylor crewed Platinum Blonde to an impressive 4-1-5 score.
The Platinum Blonde crew have retained their consistent score to remain in contention to qualify for medal races while the Sunshine Coast combination hope to have better luck in the remaining races to improve their international ranking.
Sure it's been a disappointing World championship debut but skipper Kai Timm will have gained valuable experience for his sail training and coaching sessions with the Ocean Buro Tasqua youth squad who recently dominated their class championship at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week.
The trio of experienced sailors have a new understanding about the importance of one-design racing which will be translated into the tactical strategy when they return to IRC class racing with the Rod Jones skippered Archambault A40 Alegria.
Skipper Rod Jones will be presented with a highly competitive 'benchmark' when Alegria tests her handicap rated boat speed against the equally impressive Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron sloops Bribie Star (Kevin Miller), Night Nurse (Russell McCart) and Cracklin Rosie (Bob Robertson) when they clash for championship points on Moreton Bay before Alegria heads south to contest major regattas in Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong.
Jones has plans in place to also contest major events including the King's Cup in South East Asia but meanwhile the 2007 Audi Australian IRC champions will focus their racing programme on improving both their technique and boat speed to challenge for the 2008-9 Audi Australian IRC championship final during the 2009 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week next August.
by Ian Grant 
