Pittwater Life November 2017 Issue

Boating Life
Boating Life
Coutas show
‘Tenacity’
The name says it all – Don
Telford’s ‘Tenacity’ became
the first non-Victorian crew to
claim an Australian title in the
historic Couta Boat class when
the Sydney team wrapped up
the four-race series on a tricky
Pittwater on October 15.
A second NSW team and
Tenacity’s Royal Prince Alfred
Yacht Club clubmates, Larry
Eastwood’s Sylvia, finished
runner-up by two points and
the Sorrento crew of Margarita,
skippered by Australian class
president James Mighell,
completed the podium results.
“We had no idea if we’d won
overall after today’s race,” said
Telford (pictured right). “It’s a
wonderful win; to take it to the
Victorians was magnificent.”
Long-time mate and tactician
John ‘Steamer’ Stanley – pleased
to knock off an Australian
championship at the age of 70 –
added: “after the Sydney regatta
we worked out you had to be in
the top 10 in every race”.
Tenacity finished tenth from
an outstanding multi-state line
up of 22 Coutas in the final
passage race around Scotland
Island and then north to
Mackerel Beach and back south
to the area known as ‘the pond’,
in 8-10 knot east sou’easters.
Following one
general recall and
a re-jig of the line,
Stanley opted to
play it clean at the
start and from
there Tenacity’s
crew of six left
nothing behind, knowing the
championship result rested on
their final score.
Said Telford: “Steamer was
saying for old guys this is the
only class left; everything else
is sailing on the water not in the
water. These are beautiful and
very hard boats to sail.”
The likes of professional
yachtsman Steve McConaghy,
coach Rod Hagebols and Moth
sailor Josh McKnight raised the
bar at what was already a very
serious class meet – serious
enough for 10 Victorian owners
to transport their Coutas on
B-double trucks from the
Mornington Peninsula and one to
send his boat the length of the
continent from Perth.
At the closing awards
presentation at Avalon SC,
James Mighell acknowledged
the hospitality and work of the
volunteers, chiefly NSW president
Larry Eastwood and his helpers.
“Bringing the boats to Sydney
was a crazy idea borne of people
with foresight. But for it we’d all
be sitting around our own little
clubs. It’s people like Larry and
Couta boat builder Tim Phillips
who have the vision to drive
ideas like this one,” he said.
On combined scratch (over the
line) results it was a Victorian
whitewash, with the top six
racing for the Sorrento Sailing
and Couta Boat Club, led by Nick
Williams’ Wagtail.
In the Wattle Cup, reserved
in 2017 for the classic Coutas,
Kelly Holder’s syndicate-owned
Kathleen Mary (built 1988)
from the Royal Motor Yacht
Club Broken Bay collected
the main trophy, while Tim
Phillips’ century-old Muriel
(SSCBC) finished second and Jeff
Richardson’s Georgia (SSCBC)
placed third. – Lisa Ratcliff
36 NOVEMBER 2017
The Local Voice Since 1991