When the wind is in the east, we all know the troubles that the breeze can bring and it’s no secret that putting a winning team together nowadays, can be an experience all of its own.

Meeting in the Beachside Marquee for the pre-race briefing, we were looking at the candidates for the day with SoPYC bringing two teams to the fray, helmed by Mara Lowry and Kirstin Norris; Royal Freshwater Bay brought one team headed by Mia Lovelady; Royal Perth with one team and Kiara Parkinson at the helm. Fremantle Sailing club brought two teams up the river with Georgia Payne and Heidi Bucktin driving. But the show piece was the “country cousins” Mandurah Offshore Fishing & Sailing club. They had Bronagh Allison at the helm and a very solidly rehearsed team including Jess Lundh to come and play with the river fleets.

RO Les Swinton was mercifully short and direct and made a point of indicating a patch of no go area marked out by the gates of the channel and Heathcote spit. More about that later! The chief judge went through the drill and wished them all well, but made it clear that penalties would be handed out.

And away the fleets went, out on to the water.

Race one went to SoPYC and Mara Lowry established a good lead and defended it well rolling over the line with a smile on her dial. The next race was won by MOFSC with Bronagh Allison taking a good lead and Mara following Kirstin across the line after a spirited down wind battle which had Kirstin improve through the pack to take a third.

Race three again went to Allison with some really slick bare-away sets coming through at the top mark. But the mistakes were made on the run up as some boats went wide, some climbed up through the middle. Going out to a ley on the right hand side was fraught with perils as the breeze was shifting all the time. Conversely we watched as one or two skippers climbed up to the mark from way below. Great sailing.

To really make a point of it, RO Swinton threw in a couple of three lap races only to watch as MOFSC scooped the pool. At one stage, they had a lead of almost half a lap and were able to sit back and watch the fleet behind them scrambling for second and third place. Georgia Payne from FSC already had a pair of seconds by the third race and she snaffled another in the fourth while Mara and Kirstin were having troubles getting free from the pack and then picking the breezes. It wasn’t easy for anyone, but the wandering sou easter offered no friendships and picking the lifts and knocks was hard work.

A general recall had the entire fleet returning in the 4th and there were a number of individual returns during the racing. Of course that leaves a boat at the mercy of the boats around her and in this game, there are no friends.

Just to prove that they weren’t invincible, in the sixth and last race MOFSC went out the back door by going hard right and had to sail themselves into 6th place with some well placed moves and superior work on the boat. The last race also proved to be an undoing for one of the SoPYC boats with a foul on the green spinnaker making them do a 360 to expiate their sins and they still did well enough to regain a place.

But to no avail, as the four wins by MOFSC sealed the win and a good bit of consistency by FSC’s Georgia Payne and her team with 4 seconds was enough to take a clear second. Mara Lowry for SoPYC shared the same score with Mia Lovelady for third and won on a count back. Kirstin Norris of SoPYC took fifth place just beating Kiara Parkinson of Royal Perth by a point, with the second team from Fremantle Sailing Club (Heidi Bucktin) realising that they need more practice with the wandering Easterlies of the Swan River.

The highlight of the afternoon of course, was Freshie ignoring the warning handed out by the RO and parking up on the bank behind Heathcote Spit on their way to the club.

Many thanks to SoPYC for providing a media boat and thanks to Brian Cross who agreed to drive for me. Enough said. Well done to the umpires, the race team and mark layers (Rita and Doug) who made it possible and of course the sailors who put it together on the day. Finally Tess Parkinson was a great representative from Swan River Sailing and kept everyone on the water on the day.

From the river,

For the Womens State Keelboat Championships 2024

Rick Steuart