Wild Cat @ Forster Great Lakes

WildCat Regatta was a fantastic event; great weather, great wind and great fun!

Over the long weekend down at Forster Great Lakes Sailing Club I competed in the Hobie 16 Cat in preparation for the worlds that are coming up in February. I was sailing with young Paige Caldecoat and at 12years of age and 45kg she did really well. My crew for the worlds Kingsley was busy running the courses on the commiteeboat. Local NEWS

The Wildcat regatta is an annual event that hosts catamaran sailors from all over Australia. Everybody camps down at the club with lots of social fun. Day one we had moderate breeze where we posted a 9th, DNC and a 10th. We were coming third in our second heat but our block exploded at the top mark and we lost our jib. We then had to tip over and tie the jib together at the top of the rig, in the next heat we were going very slow with a slack rig. It was also the first time Paige had ever tipped over a Hobie16 which she handled really well. Day two we posted our best result a 6th place. On the last day of the regatta the wind was up around the 25knot mark so Kingsley jumped onboard for a fun race and we ended up winning! What a great confidence boost for our team. Well done to Jason Waterhouse with his sister Bridget for winning the event. Results

There is a strong team of people down at the club who make this event happen. I have been training down at Great Lakes Sailing Club for the past three months in preparation for the Worlds & they have made me feel so welcome.

Also thankyou to Amaroo Whale Cruise for taking me out to watch the whales the weekend before Wildcat. I had a great time and couldnt think of a better way to get up close to the local wild life.