Girl power blitzes fleet

Mirror Dinghy Sailing Championships winners Jessie Atherton and Katherine Maher.

Contributed

Two young female skippers have blitzed the fleet in the 44th Australian National Mirror Dinghy Sailing Championships at Lake Cootharaba.

The week-long event finished on Sunday, January 3, with Jessie Atherton in Kamikaze and Anita Scott-Murphy in Stealth finishing in first, second or third places in every one of the 10 heats that decide the Australian title.

Tasmanian Jessie Atherton and her crew, Katherine Maher, sailed to national victory, reclaiming the title they won in 2007. Victorian Anita Scott-Murphy and her crew, son Ben Cruse, followed closely in the Tasmanians’ wake.

The regatta was hosted by the Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club.

Mirror Sailing Association Queensland president Matthew Forrest, of Brisbane, said a fleet of 32 boats from five states competed in excellent conditions, with winds mainly between five and 15 knots.

Competitors ranged from veteran sailors to crew members as young as eight. Mr Forrest said Mirrors were an excellent family boat.

“Fibreglass boats are now built in Australia on the east and west coasts, and they are available with a single-piece mast, which means they’re easy to rig and sail,” he said.

He thanked Sydney boat builder Mark Phillips, of Dinghy Sports, who sponsored prizes for the regatta.

“The great thing about Mirrors is that ‘family’ doesn’t translate into ‘boring’.

“Mirrors are sailed extensively in Australia and around the world, and young sailors have lots of scope to develop skills, to compete, and to progress to other classes of sailing.”

Families featured extensively in the Lake Cootharaba fleet, with many of the boats sailed by parent/child or sibling skipper and crew.

There was even one husband and wife entry. Retired couple Keith and Rita Buckley were among the oldest competitors in the fleet. Their son, Brett Buckley, finished eighth place in his first national titles and was the best-placed Queenslander.

The family title was taken out by Anita Scott-Murphy and Ben Cruse in Stealth and the States Cup for the best performed state team was retained by NSW.

For details contact Matthew Forrest, president, Mirror Sailing Association of Queensland on 0419 499 669.