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Clarence River Sailing Club
Saturday 31st October 2026
Pre Xmas Comp – Race #4

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Clarence River Sailing Club
Saturday 31st October 2026
Pre Xmas Comp - Race #4

Crews had their work cut out on Saturday battling a frustratingly fickle breeze that changed direction every few seconds. One moment they’d be punching into a solid north westerly then seconds later find themselves unintentionally tacking and on a broad reach in the opposite direction. Focus, reflexes and a generous measure of luck were all essential to stay in the game. Nevertheless racing was tight. In conditions like this, positions can change in an instant so everyone sailed hard and ready to seize very opportunity that came along.

Unsure of the wind, officials hedged with a reversal of the standard course. Starting downstream of the Club the first mark was at the Convent. From here crews completed a tight loop across to the Marina and back followed by a reach / work to the Rowing Club. The final leg was a long work (and occasional reach) back to bridge. All roundings were to port. Saturday’s conditions seemed to favour the northern side of the river with boats tracking to that side enjoying a noticeable advantage.

Monohulls
It was an all Laser fleet in the Monohull Division this week. Peter Zietsch got away from the start in clear air and used the opportunity to consolidate a tidy lead. Sailing closer to the shore where possible and taking advantage of the more stable air along the bank he was able to fend off a number of spirited challenges from his rivals and went on to claim the prize. Taking out second place, Karl Cooksley made some strong gains towards the end and was only thirty seconds behind at the finish. John Nelson was next home in third with only another six seconds on the clock.

Catamarans
Viper skipper Peter Walker blitzed the catamaran fleet with decisive wins on both line honours and yardstick. Timing the start perfectly and taking off at full speed, he quickly secured his position at the front of the pack and was uncatchable for the rest of the race. Some great sailing in this powerful but challenging class and a well-deserved result. Hobie 18 crew Lindsay Cowan and Tansie Higgins struggled to get to full speed in the messy breeze but were still able to complete the course in just over an hour and take out second prize. A-Class skipper Ben Higgins sailed strongly and looked a certainty for second place before a navigation error right at finish relegated him to third.

See the website for full results and photos.

A big thanks to race official Bob Fish and course controller Neil Burgess.

Sailing is on again next Saturday (7th) for Race #5 of the Pre Xmas Comp.

Visitors or anyone wanting to have a go at sailing are most welcome to come along. Start time is around 1.00 pm each Saturday.

More details on our website. https://crsc.yachting.org.au

Results

Recorded Time	Elapsed Time	YS	YS Cr'd Time	Class	Skipper	Crew	Sail No

Monos	2 laps
00:56:38	00:53:38	114.0	00:47:03	Laser	P Zietsch		143427
00:57:12	00:54:12	114.0	00:47:33	Laser	K Cooksley		216171
00:57:19	00:54:19	114.0	00:47:39	Laser	J Nelson		175287
00:58:30	00:55:30	114.0	00:48:41	Laser	N Burgess		151965

Cats	3 laps
00:56:48	00:53:48	67.5	01:19:42	Viper	P Walker		521
01:12:05	01:09:05	76.5	01:30:18	Hobie 18	L Cowan	T Higgins	44
01:12:50	01:09:50	70	01:39:46	A' Class (Vint)	B Higgins		AUS854
DNF		78		Mosquito	G Lee	D Michell	1833

Bob Fish officiating