The Sabre fleet has been growing steadily at Maylands this season. We lost Raj (Tiwi) to an interstate transfer prior to Xmas – although his boat, Tiwi, has been kept in WA, being purchased by Rob Dipiazzi of PDSC at the eleventh hour!
Welcome to Barry Newell who picked up a very good timber Sabre, number 1417, last weekend and will now be giving Steve Rose some hurry up in the older timber boats brigade.
We have gained two fleet leading sailors this season in Ray Martin and Terry Gaunt Jnr. Both have excellent timber boats, at or near minimum weight, and both know how to keep them moving at all times. Bruce Lee and Chris Holyday now have to fight for the final podium place most weeks.
The Sabres now sail the longer Laser courses and enjoy seeing how much they can beat the Lasers home over a full length race! The Lasers are now finding they are unable to peg back the leading Sabres when they give them 5 minutes head start in lighter winds as the Sabres will continue to start with the Mirrors to even out boat numbers on the start line.
Maylands boats enjoyed great success at the recent City of Bayswater Regatta – Sabres had the largest fleet on the day – 12 Sabres competing with many visitors from PDSC and an EFYC boat.
Maylands skippers, Ray Martin (Jam) and Chris Holyday (C3) headed all fleets home. We were lucky to enjoy local knowledge in coming from behind two PDSC boats, Gavin Davies (Dark Horse) and Clayton Erwin (Unfinished Business), up the final work, by heading for more southerly breeze to the right side of the course. As an indication of the friendly racing amongst all clubs sailing Sabres, the writer was even given some sail tuning tips during the race by Clayton Erwin who himself had every chance of winning right up to the final legs of the race. And C3 was carrying one of Clayton’s older sails!
