Another awesome APC Logistics Australian Multihull Championship

by Peter Hackett on 29 Nov 2016 The boats are just about home, the crews are tending the bruises, and the organisers are hopefully still sleeping after the running of another awesome APC Logistics Australian Multihull Championship at Wangi ASC.

This event has been running every two years for as long as I can remember, and it is not hard to see why we all keep coming back. Flat water, fresh to strong breezes, grassy beaches to drag the boats up on, and a truly eclectic village atmosphere for crews and spectators to enjoy a beer on the grass or a seafood bouillabaisse in a local eatery make for a perfect formula.

Shane Russell and his wife Michelle and daughter Kimberley did the hard yards again this year, and like all great organizers they say this is their last. As long as the merry band of smiling locals keeps doing the job, the tradition should continue nicely.

An invitation race and six heats were run, mainly intending to feature tactical multiple windward leeward legs, but nature shifted these a little to quite a few reaching legs in the fresh winds. Multihullers hate reaching at speeds in excess of 20 knots (in most races!!), and the photos show that we hated that a lot. The 36 mile passage race that covered the full length and width of the lake was superb in 20-25 knots of wind. This race was more testament of the high standard of the fleet with hardly a shackle broken, and just a sea of smiling faces at beer o’clock.

The major awards were decided on the recently upgraded Offshore Multihull Rule, and the general consensus was that things seem pretty fair now. The flat water definitely favoured the smaller boats compared to performances measured on our exposed home clubs, but that is what travelling the country is all about. The smallest boat in each of the top two divisions won their event, and more interestingly, both owners have downsized from much larger boats.

In Division one all eyes were on the new French Diam 24 Wilparina III owned by Rob Remilton, and they smiled all the way to the podium just ahead of David Renouf’s Airplay. The foil assisted Bare Essentials trimaran of Tim Pepperell and Rob Reiger put on a great show of spray in third place, and the boys were glad to finish the series for the first time in three successive attempts.

Division two was a clear win for the little green F22R Sknot, Chris Culph and Craig Unthank’s latest love affair. John Dowling put together a hot crew of A class mates to get the Mark one Sprint Triple A Racing into second place, just ahead of my 20 year old F28R Trinity. We managed a navigational faux pas in one race to help the other guys.

In Division three local legend John Longworth ran his masthead kite on most legs to win the gold, but on the last heat his newly blown two piece mast shortened that day for him.

Grahame Rivett won cruising division on his F24 with a furled or unfurled screacher up all day, what a way to enjoy the view.

The open waters of Moreton Bay at RQYS will probably be the venue for the 2017 national series, and that should encourage the big bridgedeck racers to join the fray. Rumour has it that a few boats will be flying above the water by then…..