Dixon’s CST Composites scores a tight 18 footer win
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18 footers CST, Avaya and Frame Group.
Photo courtesy of Glen Stanaway |
In mild conditions on Sydney Harbour where the wind strength rarely got above 12 knots, Chris Dixon managed
a narrow victory on his 18 footer CST Composites. The race sailed on a North Easterly course CST Composites
had to fight to gain the lead and was threatened all of the way by Churchill’s Sports Bar and Sydney Star.
The race started in a soft 10 knot north east breeze and CST Composites was initially caught in the wind
shadow of Synergy and Sydney Star. Dixon dropped back in the fleet early and was faced with some hard work to
get to the front.
Overall, CST Composites managed to claw back to win, largely due to efficient crew work, sound tactical
decisions and simply avoiding making errors.
In the fickle breeze the first six places changed several times as the fleet worked up Sydney Harbour.
Churchill’s Sports Bar led around the first turning mark, followed by CST Composites, Avaya (Michael Rynan),
Sydney Star (Michael Boyd) and then Synergy (Michael Carter).
It was little mistakes that others made that allowed CST Composites to eventually get first place. Avaya
capsized at a critical moment allowing the other leaders to escape further ahead. Boyd’s Sydney Star was one
to capitalize and slip through into 3rd. Unfortunately Boyd and his team made a similar error by sailing into
the wind shadow cast from a historical 18 footer.
The huge sail areas on these replicas of 1940 models play havoc on anyone trying to sail through their lee.
Boyd’s team were celebrating their good luck a little early, as Carter on Synergy slipped past upwind of the
two and took 3rd off of Boyd just as quickly as he had gotten it. Other 18 footers Dinghy Solutions and Frame
Group similarly got stuck trying to sail past one of the historic replicas and lost any chance of staying with
the leading group.
| Placings |
| 1. | CST Composites (C. Dixon) |
| 2. | Churchill’s Sports Bar (I. Pretty) |
| 3. | Sydney Star (M. Boyd) |
| 4. | Synergy (M. Carter) |
| 5. | Avaya (M. Rynan) |
| 6. | Dinghy Solutions (R. Scarr) |
| 7. | Frame Group (C. Doran) |
| 8. | Ella Bache (A. Dunphy) |
| 9. | ING (C. Kameen) |
| 10. | Intercall (L. Sitja) |
| 11. | Macquarie Bank (M. Mckensey) |
| 12. | Sign-a-Rama (S. Merrington) |
Other errors that cost dearly included Carter on Synergy who had managed to catch a large piece of
submerged plastic material on his skiff, who then had to stop racing and try to dislodge it. Heartbreakingly
Boyd and Sydney Star were only a little behind the leading pair and seriously threatened but a poor spinnaker
set on the last leg cost them hundreds of meters.
Like so many other sports it was simply exercising an error free display that allowed winner CST Composites
and second place Ian Pretty’s Churchill’s Sports Bar to break free of the rest of the fleet.
In line with Dixon’s own individual success on the day, it was a parallel coincidence that the top five
places were using masts made from carbon fiber sections supplied by CST Composites themselves.
Related Articles:
18 foot skiffs overpowered in tough race (Mon Sep 26)
Brutal gusts cancel 18 Footer’s opening race (Tues Sep 20)
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