The Australian titles, the longest-running national event in the entire sport, sticks to the traditional class format with four disciplines that test everything from light wind tactics to trick sailing. First off was the slalom; a test of reaching skill and boardhandling over a short course. That was followed by the course racing, set around a triangle course and with upwind pumping banned to put the emphasis on tactical skills. The third event was the marathon, with a spectacular Le Mans start off the beach followed by a tour of Port Stephens. The final event was the Freestyle, where each competitor has three minutes to show off their boardhandling skills with tricks like rail riding, pirouettes, sail spins or just spectacular splashes.

The series was sailed in light to moderate winds on the stunning location of Port Stephens. The racing was run impeccably by PRO Brian Lancey and the Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club and the class was greatly supported by Zhik, Windgenuity and especially the very generous Scotty O’Connor from Namotu Island resort in Fiji.

Anyone who thinks that One Design racing is reserved for crusty old sailors would have been surprised when the regatta kicked off with the Junior One racing, open only to sailors aged 15 years and under. Using sails of 4.5 m and under, the Junior Ones raced on a shorter course in the mornings before the Open Fleet took to the water.
Both Matt Wilmot and Annalise Gilbert are the children of multiple world champions and Olympians, so it was no surprise when Matt fought off a determined challenge from the lightweight Annalise to take the win. In third was inexperienced but fast-improving Ashley Heyworth, the newly-crowned national Manly Junior champion. Another famous Windsurfer name came to the fore when Owen Long, just 10 years old, took out the Freestyle win and the sub-junior division.

In the main fleet, the fastest sailor on the water in the Open Fleet was Jessica Crisp, multi-class world champion and 5th at the 2008 Olympics. Her light weight was perfect for a series sailed almost entirely in marginal planing conditions, but she was also simply a notch or two ahead in every department and came home first in every race bar one. Second to Crisp in almost every race was Norwegian Olympian Jannicke Stalstrom, who relished the tactical racing of the WOD fleet in shifty winds.

Because weight is such an important factor in Windsurfers, the men’s racing for One Designs is divided into Light-, Medium- and Heavyweight divisions. The outstanding racing performance among the men came from Middle Harbour’s Paul Ivshenko. Normally one of the heaviest sailors in the Lightweight division, this year a waterlogged Ivshenko made it up into the Mediumweight class. Despite the added weight, he showed outstanding speed and flawless sailing, finishing ahead of all the Lightweights in conditions that suited them. Other outstanding performances came from Scotty O’Connor, who celebrated his return to the class after 20 years by leading his first heat for several legs, and Rohan Cudmore who put on some amazing performances with an ancient daggerboard and dacron “Classic” board.

The overall crowns in One Design titles go to the winners in the “Pentathlon”, which combines the scores for slalom, freestyle, marathon, course racing final placing, and course racing average placing. After four days of sailing and four disciplines, Jessica Crisp had a perfect score in the women’s event; first in course racing with a string of wins and first in slalom, marathon and freestyle. Stalstrom was equally consistent in second. Former Laser Women’s world champ Krystal Weir, who has become a fanatical windsurfer since making the Yngling finals in the Beijing Games, just squeaked into third ahead of former champs Karen Constable and Deb Apthorp.

It was a much closer contest among the men, where the Pentathlon went down to the final discipline of freestyle - the only event where men from each weight division compete against each other. After losing the Heavyweight Course Racing title to former world champ and Olympic reserve Stuart Gilbert, perennial champ Dennis Winstanley was only in third place before the start of his freestyle heat. But no one can spin a One Design around like Dennis, and just three minutes later, after pulling off tricks like a piroutte while rail-riding, the Queenslander was national Windsurfer One Design champ for the 15th time. Winstanley was followed by the very consistent Mike Lancey (Olympic trials runner-up), defending champ Chris Thompson, Gilbert and Martin Stone. Defending champ Matt Ivshenko was fastest of the Youth sailors, finishing ahead of Matt Wilmot (who took the Junior crown) and Alex Wyatt, who also won the Silver Fleet division.

With the Windsurfer One Design class bouncing back in numbers and once again established as the most popular board in the country, the regatta ended on the most optimistic note in recent history. The location and club were so popular that there was an almost unanimous decision to return at the same time next year. With longboard windsurfing growing once more and new Windsurfer One Designs selling as quickly as they can be built or unearthed from sheds, organisers are planning for a fleet of 70 to 80 boards for 2010.


Men’s Course Racing – Lightweight 1st Mark Lloyd (Vic); Mediumweight 1st Paul Ivshenko (NSW); Heavyweight Stuart Gilbert (NSW); Women 1st Jessica Crisp (NSW). Slalom Lightweight 1st Martin Stone (NSW); Mediumweight 1st Paul Ivshenko; Heavyweight 1st Dennis Winstanley (Qld); Women 1st Crisp. Marathon Lightweight 1st Mike Lancey (NSW); Mediumweight 1st Paul Ivshenko; Heavyweight 1st Winstanley; Women 1st Crisp; Freestyle Men’s Overall; 1st Winstanley, 2nd Chris Thompson (NSW); 3rd Lancey. Women’s Freestyle 1st; Crisp.

Men’s Pentathlon - 1st Winstanley (2nd Course Racing, 1st Slalom, 1st Marathon, 1st Freestyle) 6.,; 2nd Lancey (2, 2, 1, 3=10pts); 3rd Thompson (2, 2, 2, 2, =10.2pts). Youth – 1st Matt Ivshenko (NSW); 1st Master – Winstanley; 1st Grand Master Thompson; 1st Ancient Mariner - Warren Holder (NSW). Silver Fleet – 1st Alex Wyatt; 2nd          ; 3rd       

Women’s Pentathlon – 1st Jessica Crisp (1st Course Racing, 1st Slalom, 1st Marathon, 1st Freestyle =     pts); 2nd Jannicke Staalstom (2, 2, 2, 2, =    pts); 3rd Krystal Weir (       ).

Junior One Design; 1st Matt Wilmot; 2nd Alis  Gilbert; 3rd Ashley Heyworth; Sub-Junior 1st Owen Long.
 

Final results are available by clicking here and a photo gallery have been uploaded here. A race report is coming soon and photos will be available for download in the near future.