6:09 AM Sat 14 Nov 2009 GMT
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'Wharf Tavern Etchells Queensland State Championship 2009, action on board Hong Kong's Dreamon, skipper Mark Thornburrow'
Peter Duncan ©
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Knowing the local conditions was not enough to guarantee good results in the tricky conditions off Mooloolaba in the first day of racing in the Wharf Tavern Queensland Etchells State Championship.
Three races down and three boats hailing from outside of the Sunshine Coast are on equal ten points. Hong Kong's Mark Thornburrow had a brilliant day with a score card of 1-3-6. Defending State Etchells Champion, Brisbane's Vaughan Prentice started badly with a seventh, then came back to deliver a second then finished the day with a first. Noel Paterson, also of Brisbane and national president of the class, raced his boat Waterloo Bay consistently finishing the day with 3-5-2.
'It was really good tactical racing; almost a game of snakes and ladders. The States are always really tight racing. I figured at the end of today the top boats would be tight on total points,' Prentice said at the end of the day.
Light winds and brilliant sunshine off Mooloolaba greeted the fleet of 14 boats at the start of the two-day Wharf Tavern Etchells Queensland State Championship regatta.
Crews left the dock with only the essential food and safety gear on board to counter the expected light winds.
The first race started with only one boat over the line; defending State Champion Vaughan Prentice. At the first mark Hong Kong skipper Mark Thornburrow lead the fleet ahead of local skippers David Turton and Trevor Martin. Racing in a building east-north-east breeze of nine knots, the fleet kept a close eye on the large bank of clouds building to the east of the course area. When the gun sounded Thornburrow and his crew of Greg Farrell, Andy Service and Martin Mok finished first with a large margin ahead of local fleet member Turton, and Brisbane's Noel Paterson in third.
With Prentice finishing in seventh and Peter McNeill in eighth place, half way down the results list, it is expected that the first race will be the race to drop for these skippers when it comes to the final regatta results.
The second race saw little change to the breeze. Brisbane's Mark Bradford cruised through to first place. Just behind Bradford was fellow Brisbane fleet member Vaughan Prentice. Continuing on his commanding performance in the light Mooloolaba winds was Thornburrow in third place.
Making up for a poor start to the regatta Prentice got the gun in the final and third race of the day. Another Brisbane skipper, Noel Paterson was second with Mooloolaba Fleet Captain Trevor Martin in third.
If five or more races are completed tomorrow the competitors will be able to drop their worst race result from the overall results.
'It will be in the roll of the dice who will win at the end of this regatta. I have lost more Etchells regattas than won with the last race,' Prentice said as he headed off to the Wharf Tavern for a relaxing cool beer.
Racing continues tomorrow with the final three races.
www.mooetchells.yachting.org.au
Provisional Results
Mooloolaba Etchells Fleet - Wharf Tavern 2009 Queensland State Championship
November 14 - 15 2009
Series Summary
Pl B# Crew From 1 2 3 T
1 04 Vaughan Prentice, Christopher Anderson, Darren Hutchison & Curtis Skinner Brisbane 7 2 1 10
2 03 Mark Thornburrow, Greg Farrell, Andy Service & Martin Mok Hong Kong 1 3 6 10
3 10 Noel Paterson, Sarah Board, James Chilman & Douglas Watson Brisbane 3 5 2 10
4 09 David Healey, Ashley Deeks & Gary Van Lunteren Brisbane 4 4 5 13
5 11 Mark Bradford, Brian Hillier, Andrew Gough & Adrian Finglas Brisbane 5 1 11 17
6 05 Trevor Martin, Joshua Torpy & Glenn Thomson Mooloolaba 6 10 3 19
7 08 Mark Dagge, Matthew Hansen & Joshua Willis Brisbane 12 6 4 22
8 14 Peter McNeill, Robbie McNeill & Greg Torpy Lake Macquarie 8 7 7 22
9 02 David Turton, Darryl Spicer & Andrew Turton Mooloolaba 2 11 12 25
10 12 Gary Gray, Michael Daly & Darrell Civic Mooloolaba 10 12 8 30
11 15 David Biggar, David Ingle, Alexander Cavill & Max Marion Mooloolaba 9 13 9 31
12 06 Mark Sanders, Gunther Lamprecht & Scott McInally Gold Coast 11 8 13 32
13 01 Charles Piggott, Greg Black & Warren Myles Mooloolaba 13 9 10 32
14 07 Greg Willis, Peter Loder & Nev Willis Brisbane 14 14 14 42
by Tracey Johnstone
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