Local Aussie hero claims
Contender world title
The iSail Whitsundays Contender World
Championships culminated in a finale
between the week’s two mighty Australian
contenders - Mark Bulka and Jason Beebe.
Light winds allowed just one race
onthe last day, with a four point
difference between Bulka at the top
of the leaderboard and determined
defending champion Beebe.
Beebe came off the start line like a bullet
but closing the gap fast was Mark Bulka,
who was second by the gybe and with
criss-crossing up the beat, took the lead
to never look back; 2016 world champion
Bulka claimed the final race bullet and
the title for a third time, sailing on home
waters at McCrae Yacht Club on the
Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne.
“After losing last year it’s pretty
sweet to come back and win at
my home club,” he said.
Bulka had taken the first bullet of the
championship, while in ideal conditionsDOWN UNDER FEATURE
SB20 World Championship –
‘Vive la France’ as Brits take third
French and British sailors dominated the
top five at the SB20 Worlds in Tasmania.
In a 10-15 knot ENE breeze on a hot summer’s
day, it was a sparkling finish on Hobart’s River
Derwent for young French skipper Achille
Nebout, sailing Le Reservoir/Mazet & Associates
with his equally young crew, who concluded
the 12-race series with a 1,2, and 44 points.
Another young French crew, headed by 2015
world champion Robin Follin, finished second
overall on 53 points, with third on the podium
going to British boat Marvel, skippered by
Richard Powell, just four points further back.
Marvel was one of only two boats to win
two or more races, with Follin winning
three; Powell and his crew of Tasmanian
Tim Burnell and Brit Ben Vines sailed an
excellent series, only twice finishing worse
than 11th in the 59 boat international fleet.
An ecstatic Powell commented: “With so
many good boats going into the final day with
a chance of podium places we were always
just working out the permutations on the
race course; it just adds another dynamic
to what else you have to think about.”
He said that having finished third overall,
first Brit, and ahead of Paul Burnell (AUS,16th)
with his brother Tim in the crew, there had
been a number of “races within races” and so
the Marvel team were “all round pretty happy!”
Fourth overall was Hugo Feydit’s French team
IOLIFT Racing, while British entry Xcellent,
skippered by John Pollard with Royal Yacht
Club of Tasmanian commodore MatthewJohnston joining the crew, placed fifth overall,
despite having a BFD in the final race.
Apart from that and a 30th in race 10, Pollard
sailed consistently with several top 10 finishes.
New world champion Nebout described
it as “a great regatta and a challenging place
to sail”. His comments were echoed by
Britain’s 2017 world champion Jerry Hill,
helming sportsboatworld.com, for whom
it proved to be a difficult championship.
Hill, who won his second worlds last
August on his home waters of the Solent,
had his best result, a fourth, in race one,
but this was followed by a 38th.
Worse was to come in race 9 when
Australian David Graney protested and won
a port and starboard incident at the start. Hill
accepted a 30 per cent penalty (38 points)
and ended up 21st overall, commenting
that the locals had put on a great regatta but
that it was a “disappointing result for us”.
“The Derwent is a tricky place to sail,” he said.
Jointly hosted by the Royal Yacht Club
of Tasmania and the Derwent Sailing
Squadron, the championship was blessed
with moderate to fresh breezes.
Top Australian boat was national champion
Aeolus, skippered by local Brett Cooper, in
sixth overall after sailors from Britain, and
France in particular, claimed the top five.
As Follin summed up: “The French team
did very well with a first, a second and a
fourth overall, and the Nations Cup. We are
very happy with our Australian adventure!”54 Yachts & Yachting March 2018 yachtsandyachting.co.uk