51st National Heron Title Goes to SA

10:21 PM Tue 5 Jan 2010 GMT

'National Heron champions Phil Kelly and Lauren Henderson power 10237 through the Largs Bay chop - 51st National Heron Championship Regatta' Dave Birss Click Here to view large photo

The 51st National Heron Championship has been won by Phil Kelly and Lauren Henderson from Port Lincoln, South Australia, sailing 10237 Drop Bear. The regatta was hotly contested by a fleet of 58 boats at Largs Bay Sailing Club (Adelaide) in conditions varying from thumping 25 knot sea breezes to teasing light air.

Coming into the last heat, Drop Bear trailed 10205 Two Goats in a Boat sailed by N.S.W. father/daughter combination Greg and Emma Harris by three points. In very light conditions up the last work of the last race, Drop Bear was able to sneak away from Two Goats and take the title. Fraser Galloway and James Croker in 10228 Two Fools Fumbling (Qld) were third. Two Fools was the first of six boats in the fleet carrying a Bermudan rig, approved for the Heron class earlier this year. The Bermudan rig option did not appear to give any advantage over the traditional gunter rig during the regatta.

Drop Bear is a home-built stitch and glue timber boat, while Two Goats is a GRP boat made from the Association mould. Of the top ten boats, three were stitch and glue timber, three were traditional framed timber (one of these boats was built in 1970) and four were GRP.

Six of the first ten places were taken by family members sailing together, emphasising the values of the class. Eleven junior skipper/crew combinations contested the series. Ryan Kelly completed the double for the Kelly family by winning the First Junior award with Mark Barwick in 10192 Fierce Creature.

The 52nd National Heron Championship will be sailed at St Leonard's Yacht Club near Geelong, Victoria, from 14 to 21 January 2011.

Results for the series can be found at www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/results/largsbay/2009/events/herons/SGrp3.htm

Pictures from the series are at www.epsomrdstudios.com.au/index.php?cPath=7360_7381_7382&;sort=3a&page=1&osCsid=fd3017702347fca9c35362690e1ab78b

by Richard Gibson

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