Australians Dominate Master's Worlds

rock steady

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:D A Very Aussie Centric Post :D

Australians fared well at the Laser Masters World Championship that finished in Brazil over the weekend, winning four of the seven divisions.

Sailing full rig Lasers, Brett Beyer won the Apprentice Master (35-44 years) division, Mark Bethwaite won the Grand Masters (55-64 years) and Peter Conde finished second in the Masters (45-54 years).
In the Radial fleets Peter Heywood was first and Gary McCrohon second in the Grand Masters, while Kerry Waraker won the Great Grand Masters (over 65 years). In the Masters, Adam French placed second and Lyndall Patterson was first woman.
Conditions were demanding, with no race held under 15 knots competitors were pushed to their limits.

Check the full Results:

http://www.2005laserworlds.com.br/results.html
 
Congrats to all the ozzie boyos and sheilas who did so well at the Masters Worlds. Now please tell us all why you think they did so well? What is it about the Australian Laser scene that breeds so many champions?
 
Old Geezer said:
Congrats to all the ozzie boyos and sheilas who did so well at the Masters Worlds. Now please tell us all why you think they did so well? What is it about the Australian Laser scene that breeds so many champions?

It's obvious; they practice sailing upside down.
 
Old Geezer said:
Congrats to all the ozzie boyos and sheilas who did so well at the Masters Worlds. Now please tell us all why you think they did so well? What is it about the Australian Laser scene that breeds so many champions?

I think our climate would be one, we hold competitive reggattas all year round. We also have a culture toward sailing in which it is viewed as a way of life, and not elitest. Encouraging young beginners and youth sailing as much as possible.

We had a very dissapointing olympics in Athens, so victories like this really help to boost national enthusiasum.
 
Errrr, Ozboy, have you ever tried to beat Ainslie in a breeze? Any of the top Euros?

They are damn fine in all conditions.

As to why Aussies do well - we have a big Laser fleet and Bourkie used to say it was the close informal training among clubmates and our strong club racing scene. The fact that sailing isn't seen as elitist seems to be vital, though.
 
OK - we now have 2 Aussies who say they do well because sailing in Australia is "not elitist". Can someone who knows say the US and Australian Laser scenes explain exactly what that means? Is Laser sailing in the USA "elitist"? If so, in what way? And if it is can we fix it?
 
I guess it simply means that it is a sport accessable to all people. Our Yachting authorities work very hard to make it something that is cheap and friendly for people to be involved in. The culture of most clubs is also very inviting. People help each as much as possible. Train together, swap gear, lend boats, take out novices etc.

I'm not saying that this is not the case in the US, I only get a brief insight from reading "Sailing World" and posts on forums such as this. It's probably something everyone involved in the sport should keep in mind cause the sterotype is pretty bad - "Sailing is a sport for rich, fat old men"
 
I'm an American sailor studying in Sydney and I think a lot of what y'all are saying is true. DBSC where most of those world champions sail on saturday is one of the most inviting clubs I've ever sailed with (and I've sailed with a bunch state side and down under).

For an American sailor it is difficult to comprehend how close net the sailing community is in Sydney. There are four major clubs within maybe six k of each other. And on a saturday you have everything from the pros to your local plumer out on the water.

josh
 
ozboy said:
hey how many of you guys are doing the coasts next weekend at teralba?

I'd love to eh, but I got a transport problem at present (no car:mad: that can tow my boat) Hoping to get things sorted so I can at least do the states this year.
 
I'll be at Teralba, with the old boat and out of practice.

Old Geezer, guys like Steve Clark who owns Vanguard says that US sailing is different from Australian sailing in that we get people from a wider variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Steve himself used the examples of plumbers - we get lots of plumbers and carpenters sailing but he says you don't get that as much in the US.

As a result, we get a higher % of the population sailing. Same thing happens in NZ. It's said to all date back to the 1880s when professional watermen used to sail Sandbaggers in the USA and skiffs in Australia - the middle class managed to chuck the pros out in America, but here they just formed their own clubs and kept on sailing.

Unfortunately plenty of our administrators are trying to get rid of the egalitarian image of sailing and they just go on and on about the maxis.....

As to how you can fix it - that's something US skiff sailors (who face a real battle) often ask. I have no real idea, but I wonder whether the small-boat club culture isn't a key. Just get a little shack and concentrate on all the other little-shack clubs, get a training fleet of Sabots or Optis, and teach the kids that there's more to sailing than the big boat/bluz blazer scene. I get the impression most US dinghy sailors sail out of yacht clubs rather than their own scruffy little dinghy club, and that's got to hurt.
 
Awesome - well done to our aussie masters sailors!

I think we are so successful because it seems to me that the more experienced sailors are always willing to give up their spare time (and often their sailing time too) to teach beginners and up-and-coming young people. This means the knowledge of how the aussies win is passed down through the generations. :)
 
HECS said:
As to how you can fix it - that's something US skiff sailors (who face a real battle) often ask. I have no real idea, but I wonder whether the small-boat club culture isn't a key. Just get a little shack and concentrate on all the other little-shack clubs.

Geeze - you guys have a shack? That must be the secret to your success. My club doesn't have a shack - we just show up and sail off a beach. I'll definitely be pushing the members to build a shack this winter so we can get us a good as you Aussies and thrash you at the Masters World next year.

Shackless Old Geezer.
 
Old Geezer said:
Geeze - you guys have a shack? That must be the secret to your success. My club doesn't have a shack - we just show up and sail off a beach. I'll definitely be pushing the members to build a shack this winter so we can get us a good as you Aussies and thrash you at the Masters World next year.

Shackless Old Geezer.

Bummer. We used to have plenty of shackless clubs.....they've pretty much died out, but almost none of the clubs with a shack have died. Running off a beach is great in some ways but having a clubhouse, from what I can see, gives you more continuity and club feeling and perhaps credibility than "just" running off a beach.
 
Yeah - a shack is good. Like this one http://www.mhyc.com.au/ourclub.htm

Just a shack with "a central lounge bar and balcony overlooking Middle Harbour, Shores 5 Star Restaurant, Harbourside Grill Bistro serving value for money meals in a worldclass location, Boardwalk Takeaway for the best hamburgers on the spit, beachside Sand Bar & Cafe and an executive board room perfect for meetings up to 12 people."

This is the shack at the club where at least one of the Master Worlds Ozzie champs sails. Right?

Some shack !! :D
 
Old Geezer said:
Yeah - a shack is good. Like this one http://www.mhyc.com.au/ourclub.htm

This is the shack at the club where at least one of the Master Worlds Ozzie champs sails. Right?

Some shack !! :D

I think your missing the point of the HECS post. It's about getting your sailing authorities to focus on the smaller clubs. Assisting with coaching schemes and purchasing of training boats. Grass roots development is where it's at.
 
Old Geezer said:
Yeah - a shack is good. Like this one http://www.mhyc.com.au/ourclub.htm

Just a shack with "a central lounge bar and balcony overlooking Middle Harbour, Shores 5 Star Restaurant, Harbourside Grill Bistro serving value for money meals in a worldclass location, Boardwalk Takeaway for the best hamburgers on the spit, beachside Sand Bar & Cafe and an executive board room perfect for meetings up to 12 people."

This is the shack at the club where at least one of the Master Worlds Ozzie champs sails. Right?

Some shack !! :D


Errr, wrong.

That's Middle Harbour YACHT Club. Unless something's changed very recently, Lasers have not been sailed at the Yachtie apart from some demo races about 1974.

The Laser club is next door - Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club. It's fibro, with a timber slatted floor, one little alloy rescue boat, and an honours roll that includes 3 time world champ Glen Bourke and Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn. IIRC there's 2 or 3 showers that drain into the harbour through the floor, and a single "club room" with ratty old chairs. One old wooden ramp to get in and out of the water.

See http://www.mhasc.com/

The Laser club is the little structure on the far left of the pic there.....the imposing stone structure on the left is part of the sewer pumpiung system. ('ts OK, there are no smells, MH is a GREAT place to sail and was/is a hot spot of sailing although as an ex local I'm biased).
 
HECS said:
Errr, wrong.

That's Middle Harbour YACHT Club. Unless something's changed very recently, Lasers have not been sailed at the Yachtie apart from some demo races about 1974.

The Laser club is next door - Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club. It's fibro, with a timber slatted floor, one little alloy rescue boat, and an honours roll that includes 3 time world champ Glen Bourke and Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn. IIRC there's 2 or 3 showers that drain into the harbour through the floor, and a single "club room" with ratty old chairs. One old wooden ramp to get in and out of the water.

See http://www.mhasc.com/

The Laser club is the little structure on the far left of the pic there.....the imposing stone structure on the left is part of the sewer pumpiung system. ('ts OK, there are no smells, MH is a GREAT place to sail and was/is a hot spot of sailing although as an ex local I'm biased).

I stand corrected. Pleased to see that Aussie Laser sailors are keeping the tradition of sailing out of a shack alive.
 

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