Around 15 B14's are heading to the Midway Point Yacht Club this morning to take part in the first major regatta for the 2017-18 sailing season, the Sarah Lovell Pittwater Regatta. The regatta consists of 8 races across the weekend with racing commencing at 1pm Saturday and 12noon on Sunday.

 

Crews from across the state are continuing their preparations for the Tammar Cove CST Composites World and Petuna Bell Bay Aluminium Australian B14 Championships which are being held on the Tamar River at Port Dalrymple Yacht Club from 27 December 2017 through to 6 January 2018.

 

Local Southern Tasmanians, Robbie Hunt and Ben Price are racing and are expected to be front and centre at the world championships. The Sarah Lovell Pittwater regatta will be one of their only weekends of practice together as Hunt and Price live at opposite ends of the state making training a little challenging through the week.

This weekend sailors are also promoting the Movember Foundation as part of the regatta, targeting the conversation of men's health around the event.Have you had your prostate checked? Movember is coming to its peak with moustaches getting to their maximum length across the globe. 

 

Media are invited to take in the Midway Point sights and capture the weekend competition. The Midway Point Yacht Club offers a great vantage point for spectators and the club canteen a great spread of food and drinks. Check out the address on google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/rMPDQKwWsYw

 

For more information or to get on the water for filming contact club Commodore, Byron Johnson 0400 239 981

 

Updates will be posted over the weekend on the B14 Skiff Sailing page on Facebook.

Gul B14 Nationals at Whitstable © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

Day 4 of the Gul B14 nationals, only 4 of 10 races had been sailed, With a maximum of only 4 races on the day, the championships effectively started again with only one discard available. Looking at the form guide and odds, would it be a good day to place a bet.

Snoozes, squalls and shifts

Gul B14 Nationals at Whitstable © Nick Champion / www.championmarinephotography.co.uk

During the 6 hr wait for the breeze to settle, the B14 'athletes' spent the day limbering up with ice creams, bacon rolls and practicing how to rig with the finest athletes taking time out for several power snoozes...

The sails were up and down like a prom dress as the squalls blew through and the rain/hail/sun/wind came in teasing bursts.

Eventually a window of opportunity appeared and we launched into a 6kn westerly and the setting Southend sun.

With day one being a day of sightseeing and sampling the delights of Whitstable as the wind screamed down the beach it was with great anticipation that the fleet woke for day 2. Some a little hazy after the first night Leaky and Wattsy attempt to mix competitive cards with interesting cocktails!