The final heat of the NSW MG14 State Titles was held at Gosford SC on 5 April, in fine weather and light breeze. The top 3 places were already decided before the race, with Water Rat (Lindsay Mason and Daniel McLachlan of St George SC) taking the title with great consistency, including four 1sts during the series, followed by Xanadu (Gary Reeves and Paul Tyson of St George) with two firsts, and then Filthy Fase (Bob Taig and Dylan Moore of Toronto SC) with consistent placings through the series.

The three leaders were clearly the elite teams in the fleet all season, but also supported the series by attending each race. Kerry Beatty and Michael Foster on “Blew True” from Balmoral had a very consistent series with three firsts to win the State Handicap Title.

While the numbers attending across the series were a little disappointing, there was lots of exciting racing and laughs on shore and on the water across the races. Who could forget Filthy Fase’s suicide mission at Greenwich, when Bob and Dylan decided to impale their boat on a 40-foot monster. Worse still they were on port tack at the time! Then the Water Rat crew managed to ground themselves on their home water at St George. And who could forget the spectacle of both Xanadu and Water Rat sailing much of the last race with inside-out battens. The most embarrassing part of this last point was that Gary and Helena still managed to leave the rest of the fleet floundering in their wake.

Despite the major placings being already decided, there was plenty of interest during the afternoon at Gosford. Nine boats fronted the starter. Xanadu and Foxee both used the MGB rigs and finished first and second (unofficially). Filthy Fase had the last laugh for the season, snatching first place (officially), ahead of Water Rat. It was great to see that the bulk of the fleet finished in reasonable proximity to each other. Crikey (Brian Mansfield and Coen Laven from Toronto) was rewarded for its consistent attendance all season with the handicap win for the day.

The new Executive Committee will meet soon to decide the format, timing and venue for the State Championships in 2008/09. We look forward to seeing plenty of participation next season…..GET READY!!  

    Full Results.