That’s All Folks!
2.4mR National Titles and WA State Titles – 2026
RFBYC, Perth, WA
By Ray Smith (one of the 7 RBYC competitors who made the trip to WA)
Hmm. Sitting here at the back of the 737-300, heading home to Melbourne, tired, satisfied, happy. What a week it was at RFBYC.
We had all the usual regatta issues – gear failure, preparation shortcomings, last minute changes that were never going to work but you changed it anyway, brain not in gear, missed shifts, or tacking on a shift that turned out to not be a shift, flat water and then tsunami waves from the ferry wake dumping half the river into the cockpit, bilge pump not coping, wet bum, not happy! We need more freeboard in a 2.4mR!
What is absolutely not disputed was the welcoming team from RFBYC whose collective impeccable management made this championship one to be remembered and referred back to for years to come. We will wear our fluorescent green promo caps with great pride – “I was there, where were you?”
Very early on, the locals expressed some concern about the weather predictions. Getting 80mm of rain in a day thanks to the tail end of TC Narelle before we even started unpacking and rigging boats was perhaps a foreboding sign.
What was a little different for many of the seasoned campaigners was the arrangements for our boats. This was set up to be a dry regatta (the boats came out each day) and it actually worked out very well – having four cranes helped a lot and all sailors pitched in as required to assist their fellow competitors getting their boats in and out of the water. By day three, we were crane experts.
Invitation Race
To get us into the right frame of mind, and as is the usual custom, day one was the invitation race, but someone forgot to tell the weather gods. With two potential playgrounds for sailing – Freshwater Bay immediately in front of the yacht club, or Melville Water, up the Swan River and in a different postcode – the Race Management team decided that we had a better chance of getting breeze and a race completed if we sailed in the Melville Water area. I took my passport thinking that I might need it to get back to RFBYC.
On arrival, the course was all set up, and the AP flag was flying rather unenthusiastically from the hoist. Apparently, the sea breeze was due to arrive but must have been travelling with Jetstar. After ages bobbing around, the RO made the long-awaited signal the AP was coming down, and a race start was imminent. The tension was mounting, race faces were stuck on with gaffer tape, and we were as ready as we were ever going to be.
Now, I have to admit that I am a little vague on the details for what happened next, I think we were due to do two laps, but as we were heading to the bottom mark for the first time and with a lot of the fleet behind me, most of us started to adjust sails to a broad reach, then a beam reach and now close hauled. Then flag Charlie was displayed on the rescue boat with great fanfare from the brass section (for those who don’t regularly sail, that is a change of course flag, indicating that we were to finish at the gate marks) and with 30 metres to go (for me at least) the RO abandoned the race! What?? No finish!
Flag N (November) went up and more from the brass section. There might have been a flag A (Alpha) too – N over A – “All racing abandoned for the day”, but the message on the VHF confirmed what we suspected and we all headed back.
The wind had shifted from ESE to WSW and was dropping out. For the recent arrivals, that was our introduction to the legendary Fremantle Doctor. Apparently, a fickle fellow with many moods. Bummer! OK, heading home and the passport office and a couple of ‘lemonades’ with friends.
Discussions in the main bar, overlooking Freshwater Bay as we watched the moon rise over Perth city, were somewhat somber. Lots of predictions for what we were to get next day. Focusing on the positive, the beer was cold and the party pies were excellent and plentiful.
Day One of Racing
Day one of racing, you could feel the tension. Where would we go and what would we find?
“Get a wriggle on people, we’re off to Melville Water again! Leave early, don’t be late; we will start without you”. Now, I don’t wish to sound too critical, it is one of the most beautiful waterways in the country with a fine reputation for sailing. Enjoy the view, it is what it is!
On arrival at the ‘racetrack’ another gloomy sight – the AP flag was even more limp than yesterday. We drifted around for a while, checking and rechecking gear, trying to figure out the most appropriate setup for a perfect start; go round and check everything again, and repeat. Hmm, getting bored, back the jib and just sit for a while ‘hove to’. Chat to the neighbours, drift around some more, new neighbours, different chat.
Whoa, what was that? A sniff of breeze – yay! AP comes down to even more fanfare from the brass section – we’re going racing, for real this time. This is race one of the National Championship and The WA State Titles and not a sheep station in sight.
The start was congested and intentions clear – we were racing for real, and with so much experience in just a couple of dozen boats (multiple world champions in various classes among the esteemed crews present), it could have been quite intimidating, but everyone was very well behaved. It certainly helps when everyone plays by the long-established rules, eh?
OK, let’s not dwell on what happened next as you are probably going to guess anyway. We did a quick (actually very slow) one lap race, then good old ‘where’s Wally’ flag reappeared. This is going to be a long day. We bobbed around for another little while – actually about two hours, then a bit if breeze came in from somewhere and the RO was going to try again.
By the time that race was done, it was getting late and if I was to stay out there any longer, I would need a note from my mum!
By the time we got through passport control and hoisted all the boats onto their respective trolleys we had been on the water for over seven hours! That is a long time for even the most robust athlete, but it has been a while since most of us were honestly in that category! More wonderful hospitality from the locals, but an early night was definitely the priority. We were all very, very weary.
Day Two of Racing
Day two of real racing and everyone was greeted with bright sunshine and BREEZE!
WSW, and it looked as though it was going to be steady, so the Race Management team took a punt and set us up in Freshwater Bay – just a few minutes to get to the starting area and an on time start sequence. This was really starting to feel like a real regatta at last.
We managed three, three lap races with steady breeze with just the usual minor shifts to keep everyone focused on the job. Fabulous, exactly what was promised in the sales brochure! Everyone came home exhilarated and happy. Chat in the upstairs bar was enthusiastic and animated with the usual banter about who missed whom and by how much. I love this sport!
Best of all, we had a series. If tomorrow didn’t allow us to sail, and the forecast was a bit depressing, then we had a result in the bag, even if it might not have been what we hoped for.
Final Day of Racing
The last day, and by now we had a feeling for who we were racing against. For some it was the half dozen at the top of the leader board. For others it was the guy/gal who bought me a beer last night, somewhere else down the score card. Time to pay attention and take the slim chance to improve one’s position by a couple of points.
The sad part was that the breeze was everywhere but Freshwater Bay, so another expedition out to Melville Water. I didn’t pack enough snacks to make this trip again. The Race Management team was well and truly setup by the time we all arrived, and the breeze was sort of steady from the SSW. Course set, AP down, class flag up – racing!
Three good two lap races, navigating around tourist ferries and dozens of pleasure craft of every description from big to bigger. The sea (actually the river) was very confused. The sun was out and it was Easter Sunday and fuel cost probably kept most skippers in the river to save fuel (instead of going off-shore to Rottnest Island), so of course everyone with a boat was out there.
As previously mentioned, while making sure that we port tack boats were keeping clear of the starboard tack boats, trimming the jib sheet that extra 5.3mm, or easing the main 12.5mm, adjusting the back stay and maybe even tweaking the traveller, you had to keep an eye on the waves.
Melville Water is the lower reaches of the Swan River and as such it had banks each side which were reflecting the bow waves against other bow waves, and sometimes they got into sync and well, “surf’s up!”
Then the Freo ferry comes past and the aforementioned waves were reinforced by the bow wave of this huge ferry and we had a tsunami wave – beam on, so that, not only were you knocked substantially off course, you got the whole thing inside the boat, down your back and everywhere else (I don’t have to paint a picture) because we are sitting in it! And I wasn’t dressed for sailing on Port Phillip, I was dressed for something warmer, sub-tropical even, and getting cold and grumpy!
OK, that’s it – finished racing and heading home to the dock, satisfied smile on the smug face and so glad we made the huge effort to pack up and deliver our boats to this remote and oh, so beautiful location.
Final Results
Peter Russell successfully defended his title by a very narrow margin, with Neil Patterson in second overall and first Para sailor (and youngest in the fleet by a few decades). The first female was newcomer to the class and local member Sandy Anderson (Dragon Class Legend) in 5TH overall once again proving the 2.4mR class is the world’s most inclusive class. Darin Maher got the State Title win by a few points ahead of Sandy to take the repurposed ‘Matelot’ Trophy, last awarded in 1939! Well done Darin.
The details of the results may be found here.
Congratulations to the winners of both events (the Nationals and the WA States) and huge thanks to RFBYC, the race team and especially Sharon and Deb in the office. Extra special mention to Susy Parker and John Brodziak because, without their leadership and commitment, this would not have been possible. Thanks also to the anonymous (to us) volunteers who helped make this event the wonderful experience that it was.
And finally, to the competitors – what a fine bunch of sailors we are.
Fair winds and calm seas.
Ray Smith
2.4mR AUS 43 – ‘Emilou’
Pics by Jim Henry and the Author