Schoolboys in a class of their own
Audi Australian IRC class sailing champions Rod Jones and Kai Timm have a good young team on the 'Bench' after the Tasqua Youth Squad firmed a strangle hold on the 2008 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week SB3 Dart championship today.
'Marine Tech Electric - Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week 2008 Day 2'
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The happy crew of Sunshine Coast teenagers referred to as the schoolboys by their older rivals have shown they are tactically mature to race smart in all conditions to be the masters in a close and exciting series of racing in ideal conditions on Pioneer Bay.
Skipper Matthew Jones (17) the crew spokesperson said 'We have made some mistakes, like hitting the start mark and rounding the windward mark in last place as well as some penalty turns but it's all been good fun'.
'I guess we should be happy this is our first regatta together and we are all improving our crew skills after one training session off Mooloolaba a few days before we came away'.
However we are all good mates and while it's always nice to win we are too young to celebrate with our class race mates at the bar.' Jones added.
The Tasqua Youth crew of Jones, Levi Curtis (14), Kris Blanch (17) and Sean Lindsell (17) have celebrated their results with a cold can of Coke and a mars bar and they are proving to be a real thorn in the side of the older and more experienced crews.
This was again the case on Pioneer Bay today when the determined Tasqua Youth crew displayed a maturity beyond their years to win all three windward leeward races.
Races 2 and 3 were very tight and resolved by the minor margins of seconds when the Schoolboys edged out Bowen skipper John McLean and his experienced crew of north Queensland sailing mates in Marine Tech Electrics.
After today's fourth race Tasqua Youth with her almost perfect score of 2-1-1-1 has broken away to a five point lead over Marine Tech Electrics 4-2-2-2 and the Paul Hunt skippered Magees IGA 1-3-4-3.
by Ian Grant 
