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Macquarie Harbour Sailing Club, Beach Street, Strahan (2026)

15/03/2022

Apologies for the delay in getting these up, we're waiting on photos to accompany the regatta report. In the mean time, full results for the 2022 Coastal Engineering and Belting C**k o' the West. Handicap results included for interest.

12/03/2021

For the second year in a row, fleet size records fell at the annual C**k o’ the West regatta last weekend. Thirty-three boats from all across the state competed in medium to light winds under clear skies. The usual suspects from the coastal clubs were bolstered by a keen contingent from Deviot Sailing Club and five boats from the mighty Lauderdale F18 Posse.

The howling Southerly which had been buffeting the harbour all week petered out just in time for the start of day one, subsiding to a perfect ten to twelve knot breeze. Race officer Fraser Mearns set an elongated triangle course, making the most of the available space inside Long Bay. The start of race one was conservative, crews perhaps rattled by the incredible disparity of boats surrounding them. The i550s of Nicholas Richardson (WYC) and James Lohrey (WYC) took this to the extreme, still at the other end of the course when the start gun fired. The F18 cats footed off and that was the last anyone saw of them until they were lapped. Within the body of the fleet however, several groupings were forming which would have tight competition for the rest of the weekend.

Carrying over from their C**k o’ the East rivalry, the Elliott 7s of Colin Tunn (Pacman) (LYC) and last year’s C**k o’ the West Dimitri Skrinnikoff (Sheep Stations) (DSS) picked up right where they’d left off in St Helens, racing neck and neck around the course. A slipped spinnaker halyard on Pacman dropping the kite into the drink was all it took to cost Tunn and crew the win in this two-horse race. The Taipan 4.9s of Des Becker (MHSC) and Brad Strange (DSC) duelled closely until a capsize took Becker out of the race. New sailor Amin Parsi (LYC) had major difficulties on his RS Feva, completing no less than seven barrel rolls while trying to recover his capsized dinghy before being towed home. The F18s were unassailable, completing four laps and taking out the top five placings in Darren Flanagan, Jason Smyth, Robin Fleming, Rohan Hollingsworth and Chris Mundy – all of Lauderdale – respectively.

Race two had a much tighter start dominated by Nick Jones (WYC) in his laser 4.7 and Richardson’s i550. The staying power of the spinnaker cats was tested as Mundy retired shortly followed by Flanagan with an allegedly failed spinnaker halyard. This explanation of high strength dyneema failing in less than twelve knots garnered some raised eyebrows in post-race discussions. Further back in the fleet, the Dodwell family’s (LYC) Status 580 was hosting guest crew in the form of Anton Bezemer and Teresa Badrock. These two kept the regular crew largely distracted from snacks and focussed on the race, keeping the boat tangling with Phil Duthoit’s (LYC) Farr 6000. This thorn in Duthoit’s side seemed to be a severe aggravation and after some robust discussions at the top mark, the situation came to a head at the bottom buoy rounding. Duthoit had the inside line and with white line fever well and truly in play, was going to claim buoy-room come hell or high water resulting in an incredibly late call to drop the kite. Buoy room was secured, immediately followed by the Farr losing thirty metres of ground as the spinnaker flogged in the oncoming breeze. The top three placing were the F18s of Smyth, Hollingsworth and Fleming with Isaac Shipp (LYC) on the Vayne family Skud 18 and Richardson’s i550 rounding out the top five.

Day two got off to a slow start as the race committee waited for the wind to arrive. Eventually five to ten knots filled in and the planned long-distance race was shortened into another short course mêlée with the aim being to be finished before the forecast lunchtime wind shift. Fleet numbers were boosted with the arrival of Martin Shipp (LYC) and Beth Dodwell (LYC) in laser dinghies. The start line was packed with Jones once again waving the flag for Wynyard Yacht Club making another dominant start. Over the next forty-five minutes, the wind gradually faded away meaning that the slower classes of boat finished after a single lap were significantly advantaged over the faster classes who had to complete a second lap in the light air. The results were given one final shakeup when the Westerly shift blew through as the last handful of boats were finishing, boosting their average lap times. Corrected times, although perhaps jumbled, were extremely close with only seconds separating the vast majority of the fleet. Duthoit took the win, followed by Richardson, Flanagan, Ben Harper’s (MHSC) Masrm 720 and Tunn respectively.

The overall regatta and catamaran division win was claimed by the consistent Jason Smyth, Rohan Hollingsworth in second and Nick Richardson in third, also being the leading trailerable yacht. The dinghy division win was taken by Dave Stutterd (BYC) in eighth position overall. Dimitri Skrinnikoff took home the apprentice shield for highest ranked sailor with less than four years experience after placing fourteenth and Laura Dodwell took home the highest ranked female skipper for her fifteenth overall placing. Thanks to Des for hosting us, Scott and James Newett for the loan of the boat and the time spent on the water and everyone who travelled to the wild west for another year.

08/03/2021

Full report and photos to come later this week but in the mean time, full results for the 2021 C**k o' the West are below.

12/03/2020

The 2020 C**k o’ the West, held last weekend attracted the largest fleet in the events history with twenty-one boats competing in the event over two days including a full complement of seven trailer sailers packed full of boisterous crew. Leven, Burnie, Wynyard and Port Dalrymple Yacht Clubs were all well represented in a fleet ranging from mixed purpose dinghies to carbon/nomex catamarans.

Day one began with a steady but chilly twelve to fifteen knot south-easterly breeze blowing in under a dark sky. Streaks of foam on the water combined with the dark outlook made the weather feel more ominous than it actually was resulting in the resolve of some crews wavering before the briefing and subsequent race start which was capably handled by stalwart OoD Des Becker. The start line was busy but relatively orderly with Leven catamarans of Rob Rickard, Isaac Mearns and Ron van Beek breaking away to an early lead in front of the fleet. Looking calm and confident in the middle of the fleet, Port Dalrymple’s Piers Findlay and Dimitri Skrinnikoff in their sleek Flying 15 began a game of cat and mouse with Leven’s Basil OHalloran and Tom Killalea on their 505 that would continue all weekend. On corrected time, Findlay took the win eight seconds clear of Burnie’s David Stutterd on his Laser. Port Dalrymple’s Tristan Gourlay snagged third in a very generously yardsticked Pilot Bay 18. An honourable mention goes to Wynyard’s James and Belle Lohrey who finished in seventh but were several minutes clear of the other bunched trailer sailers at the bottom of the table.

Race two got away to a similar start to the first but with one less participant. The blue Cobra catamaran of Leven’s Amy Dodwell and Erin Dickers was MIA, drifting upside down toward Risby Cove. It took the combined efforts of a jetski, powerboat and several extra volunteers half an hour to get the cat back up the right way. Meanwhile, race two was well underway. Van Beek kept Mearns on his toes and finding some form, snagged third and second respectively. Once again Findlay slipped in at the top of the fleet a mere forty seconds clear. Dishonourable mention to Leven’s Fraser ‘Goldilocks’ Mearns, who, after sitting out the first race, launched his boat for just long enough to decide that he still wasn’t happy with the wind strength before heading back to shore again. Port Dalrymple's Rob Moreton brought home the wooden spoon in a Pilot Bay 21. For crewmember Alanna Story, the pain of last place paled in comparison to the realisation that she was going to have to listen to fiancé Skrinnikoff’s tales of winning for the rest of the evening upon arriving back to shore.

Day two got off to a slow start with no wind whatsoever for the first few hours. Sailboards and ski biscuits kept participants entertained until some tendrils of breeze found their way across the harbour. The fleet was bolstered with the arrival of local Ben Harper on his Masrm 720 trailer sailer and the lasers of Burnie’s Sonya and Luciano Rodriguez and Leven’s Martin Shipp. Isaac Mearns dominated the slightly biased line, making himself popular by cutting the entire fleet off in the final seconds before the gun. The light breeze turned most of the previous days rankings on their heads with the trailer sailers moving up the rankings. Leven’s Phil Duthoit with son in law and grandson as crew managed a third. Leven’s Lou Jager redeemed himself from two DNFs the day before to manage a second but no-one could catch the Flying Fifteen. Despite a change of crew with Piers subbing out for wife Sarah Port Dalrymple’s finest were unbeatable.

The Findlays and Skrinnikoff took the regatta win with three wins, Stutterd’s consistent performance netted him second with Rickard slotting into third. Thanks to Des for hosting us, Bushy for the loan of the committee boat and Ezra Meijer for keeping track of times.

Full results are in the comments below.

11/03/2019

The 2019 C**k o’ the West was contested this weekend with the weather over the two days of competition varying wildly. Seventeen boats made the trek to Strahan with sixteen of them competing in the three races. Day one began with OoD Des Becker delivering the briefing at 1230, timed to perfection as tendrils of breeze began to snake across the mirror flat water of the harbour.

Race one got underway in only three or four knots of wind with the start line dominated by the VX One of Burnie Yacht Clubs Commodore Deb Thompson and crew Dave Stutterd and the F16 of Leven Yacht Club Commodore Isaac Mearns. In what was to become a pattern for the day, in the next line back, the Farr 7500 of LYC’s Gerald Hendriks rolled over the top of the Farr 6000 of LYC’s Phil Duthoit in slow motion with Hendriks looking very pleased with himself at the helm. Wynyard Yacht Club’s father and daughter combination of James and Belle Lohrey were sailing a new Hartley 16 which needed a bit of fine tuning to take the rough edges off. Specifically, the rough edge of the traveller track which turned James’ shorts into a pair of chaps. There was a healthy contingent of five Laser dinghies on the water and in the super light conditions, they were sticking with the faster boats more than they usually would. Sue Cowgill of BYC was regularly seen hassling the catamarans at the top end of the fleet. It was also great to see LYC’s Martin Shipp getting a sail in as more often than not he finds himself driving a pickup boat. His full-size sail paid dividends in the light air compared to the smaller radial rigs of his competitors. On yardstick corrected time, Duthoit took the win thirty seconds clear of the Lohreys with LYC’s Teresa Badrock and BYC’s Faith Morgan in third a further minute behind on an LYC club RS Feva.

Race two started in similar fashion to the first with plenty of shouting from the Farrs of the fleet. Last years winner Russell Hicks of BYC nailed the start on his Laser dinghy and maintained a good lead over his Laser compatriots on the first lap. A passing seal caused some issues, playing chicken with some of the trailer sailers on the first upwind leg. Leven’s Dodwell family was out in force with Amy and Emma crewing on Colin and Jodi Tunn’s South Coast 22 assisting Minister for Snacks Jodi distribute treats to their sisters Beth and Katie on their Status 580. Crewing for Beth and Katie, in a fairly momentous occasion was their dad Chris. An import from Queensland, Chris, a known sea sickness sufferer, had shunned all attempts to get him on the water until arriving at the perfect sailing waters of Strahan and being convinced to don the lifejacket for his inaugural sail. For the second race in a row, LYC’s Fraser Mearns' mosquito came home several hundred metres clear of rival LYC’s Karl Kunta. One can only assume that the age of the paint jobs on the two boats must correlate to friction through the water. The yardstick top three for race two were identical to race one. A performance worthy of note by LYC juniors Pia Tucker and Bellah Maxwell managing a fifth place and a win on handicap corrected time after keeping their boat well balanced and moving smoothly all race.

Post racing, most crews had a barbecue dinner at the clubhouse. Notably absent, Gerald Hendriks and Alana Gale who slunk off to the tavern for a debrief after twice allowing Duthoit to slip past them after commanding starts and suffering for it in series ranking. Along the beachfront, a game of spotlight stretched long into the night.

Day two dawned with significantly more breeze for race three than the previous day. An eighteen-knot southerly was violently gusting into the high twenties. Early retirements came in the form of the Mosquitos of Mearns and Kunta, the Fevas of Badrock and Tucker and the Lasers of Martin Shipp and Tony Cowgill not even making it off the beach. Late entrant for the day Ben Harper brought along his ex-Mark Dwyer Masrm 720 after putting in some significant effort getting it back up to race-spec over recent months. His local crewmember Candace Wise was supposed to be crewing for Isaac Mearns on the F16 before subbing out at the last minute. She was reportedly fairly happy with her decision as she watched the F16 complete a flawless nose dive and end over end cartwheel under spinnaker landing on top of its skipper. Also providing entertainment for the spectators/judges on the beach, Hicks managed four capsizes in his Laser. Sue Cowgill scored high points for managing to save what looked like a certain capsize on the final leg where her masthead touched the water before recovering all without leaving the cockpit. In yardstick corrected time, heavy weather specialist Isaac Shipp took the win after a dominant display in his Laser well clear of the consistent Lohreys in second. The pub pep talk must have worked with Hendriks and Gale pushing up into third. The previously unbeatable Duthoit had lost half his crew with son in law Thomas and grandsons heading off on a Gordon River cruise. Stand-in crew Elly Knowles did an admirable job by all accounts, two years of dating Isaac Shipp having osmosed some heavy weather skills allowing a fourth placing.

Duthoit’s Farr took the overall win, a countback being required to separate them from the Lohreys’ Hartley in second. Sue Cowgill took out third on her Laser. It is great to see three different clubs represented on the podium from a truly diverse, mixed fleet. 45% of competitors for the weekend were female and boat yardsticks ranged from 70.5 to 130. The highest ranked apprentice crew (less than four years sailing experience) was Badrock and Morgan in eighth overall. Thanks to Des for hosting us, Bushy for the loan of the committee boat and Shane Flanagan, Amy Norman and Jaidyn Smith for running the races and snapping photos. Norman’s bookkeeping was the finest the handicapper had ever seen and may yet be framed as an example for race officers to come.

Full results are in the comments below.

31/01/2018

Day 2. Stronger, gustier breeze and hot hot hot. F16 spinnaker-cam.

31/01/2018

Day 1. Very light breeze. F16 boom-cam.

31/01/2018

Feedback received following this years C**k o’ the West Regatta suggests that it was thoroughly enjoyed by the sailors and their families who made the trip down to Strahan on the Australia Day long weekend. With around half attendees camped in the Club grounds the atmosphere was very much ‘holiday camp’ and great fun on and off the water.

It was excellent to see two boats from Wynyard Yacht Club and one from Burnie Yacht Club joining the eight boats from Leven Yacht Club restoring the status of the regatta as a true inter-club event.

Hot conditions and pleasant light winds greeted competitors on Saturday as they set up and were briefed by local legend Desmond Becker. The two races staged on Saturday provided some very close racing despite the huge difference in the types of boats sailing. The NS14’s of Chris Thomas & Linda Hyland (WYC) and Colin Tunn (LYC) criss crossed continually as did the trailer sailers of Anton Bezemer (LYC) and James Lohrey (WYC). Isaac Mearns blazed away at the front of the fleet with his F16 ‘Blade’ leading the way in all races yet still struggled to keep up with his yardstick.

Sunday brought very hot conditions into the high thirties (showcasing the reason why only a fool would paint his boat black) and extremely difficult sailing with 0-18 knot winds subject to regular massive, sudden wind shifts making tacking a lottery. Russell Hicks (BYC) did a great job sailing his Laser neatly and after sticking to the NS14's like glue all day Saturday, managed to pip Tunn at the post by a few seconds.

Many sailors commented on how difficult Sunday’s race was, exhausted being the most common word! Karl Kunta decided he'd had enough and headed back to shore early for refreshments.

Overall rankings were, 1st place, Russell Hicks (BYC), 2nd place, Gerald Hendriks (LYC) and 3rd place, Colin Tunn (LYC).

A big thanks to Desmond Becker for hosting the event, LYC member Martin Shipp for giving his time taking times on the official start boat, Bushy Becker again for his time and the use of the Suzie B and all who contributed the event.

Full results in the comments below.

12/03/2017

The annual C**k o’ the West regatta was held in light winds at Strahan this weekend. This is a relaxed regatta and many sailors brought their families with them for a weekend away. The weather was glorious for camping and some competitors arrived a day or two before racing started to soak it up and get a measure of the prevailing conditions. Nine boats got on the water on day one. The tenth boat in the fleet, Gerald Hendriks of Leven Yacht Club’s Roselyn was discovered to have some structural damage after the trip down and was confined to its trailer for the weekend.

Race officer Des Becker set a triangular course in the light five knot winds with the option of reversing the direction of travel around it should the forecast wind shift come through. Race one got off to a clean start and after a short upwind leg, the boats carrying spinnakers were disappointed to find the wind had swung enough that hoisting their extra sail was not an option as the angles weren’t quite right. Fyn Harding and Isaac Shipp aboard their B14 sailed magnificently to take out the win ninety seconds clear of Colin Tunn and Amy Norman in an NS14 and Fraser Mearns on his mosquito in third who sailed his catamaran exceptionally well to finish so high up the rankings in such light wind. All top three boats representing LYC.

Race two was sailed around the same course but in the opposite direction, taking the buoys to starboard this time. The start was almost catastrophic with husband and wife team Isaac and Gelisa Mearns catching the stern of Tunn’s NS14 between the bows of their F16 catamaran and almost impaling him on the spinnaker pole. Somehow, no contact was made between the two boats or the start buoy that they were sandwiched up against although it was only a matter of centimetres. The wind progressively died out over the course of the race leaving crews stationary and frustrated at times. A rope floating adrift from one of the marker buoys caused chaos with half of the boats in the fleet coming to grief with it at various times throughout the race. There are unsubstantiated reports that Anton Bezemer may have dragged the mark exacerbating the problem. Fraser Mearns lost significant ground after being ensnared not once but twice while passing the buoy. This hurt his elapsed time leaving Bezemer free to take the win closely followed by Burnie Yacht Club’s Russell Hicks sailing his laser. Tunn took out third. Dinner was held at Regatta Point Tavern followed by a game of Cards Against Humanity which all present would agree was 'good to the last drop'.

Day two dawned rainy and without a breath of wind. Race three was on the verge of being called off until a tiny ripple was seen on the water. A breath of breeze followed it and, no-one wanting a DNS against their name on the scoresheet, most boats hoisted sails and got on the water with the exception of father and daughter combo Daryl Connelly and Bella in their mirror dinghy and Fraser Mearns who had the good sense to realise they had better things to do than drift around in the rain. Becker gave Sam Norman the keys to the kingdom, turning him loose solo in the Hobie Getaway. The sky cleared and the upwind leg of the course proceeded smoothly. When half of the fleet had rounded the mark however, the wind simply stopped. This was great news for the slower boats in the fleet. As everyone drifts at the same speed, they were keeping up with the faster boats much better than they normally would. The two frontrunners, the B14 and the F16 were lucky to catch a little puff which was enough to push them over the finish line but it took a long time indeed for the rest of the fleet to follow suit.

In the series wrap up, Bezemer just edged out Hicks for third by one point, second went to Tunn only a point behind the winners, the lads from LYC on the B14. Thanks to Bushy for the use of his boat for running the races and Peter Bradshaw and Martin Shipp for giving their time to support the fleet and record results.

Macquarie Harbour Sailing Club

15/03/2022

12/03/2021

08/03/2021

12/03/2020

11/03/2019

31/01/2018

31/01/2018

31/01/2018

12/03/2017

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