Sport Phillip Marine MPS Victorian Championships

Report by Tim Hill & Photos Russell Bates

16 Musto Performance Skiffs, the largest fleet yet assembled in Australia, contested the HARKEN Sport Phillip Marine Victorian Musto Performance Skiff Championships. The event was held over the ANZAC day long weekend at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, on the flat waters at the southern end of Port Phillip.
The fleet welcomed a range of newcomers travelling from as far afield as Chris Sutherland from Perth who picked up and assembled his new MPS on the Friday before the regatta, current World Contender Champion Jonothan Neate and current Australian Javelin Champion and 49er sailor Jon Newman .

Newman picked up his boat 3 weeks previously, while Neate joined Sutherland assembling his MPS in the rigging area on Saturday morning. Tim Hill also picked up a new boat, rejoining the class from a break following his win at Australian MPS Championship in January at Black Rock.


Invitation races were scheduled on Saturday but a strong front moved through Melbourne and racing was cancelled around the bay. This didn’t stop Marcus Hamilton limbering up for the series with a demonstration of how to sail an MPS in 25 knots. Jon Newman joined him in the extreme weather, where to everybody’s perplexed surprise he handled the boat with ease. They were eventually joined by a rusty Tim Hill, proving you don’t have to be under 26 to have fun in an MPS +25 knots and live to smile about it.
Racing commenced the following day at 10:30am. Two heats were scheduled in the morning, followed by lunch, then two more in the afternoon. The weather remained unstable with a fluctuating westerly breeze predicted to wing south and freshen to 25 knots amid storm cells.

RACE 1
From a clean start in 10-15 knot westerly, the fleet chose to cross the tide and head left to the southern shoreline. A small group led by Richard Ekberg and Marcus Hamilton split to the right and were rewarded with a substantial right hand shift beneath storm clouds and they led to the top mark for the first time from Chris Sutherland. Hamilton led from Ekberg at the gate and headed to the beach while Ekberg went hard right, the pursuing pack split evenly with Newman and Mark Bulka once again hitting the left while Sutherland and Hill chose the right. Ekberg led Hamilton until about 100m from the finish, Newman, Hill and Bulka followed in close behind riding a big puff.

RACE 2
The breeze began to freshen as storm clouds moved across the course. Immediately following the start the wind shifted abruptly south and freshened, forcing the race committee to abandon racing as the beat became a tight reach, the pack led ominously by Jono Neate in his first day out in an MPS.
The restart saw Mark Bulka lead at the top mark from Jon Newman. The breeze shifted back towards the west, making the first run a difficult kite reach as the breeze freshened to 15-18 knots. Hamilton made up ground on Jon Newman who led to the top mark for the last time from Bulka and Matt Hosie. The breeze continued to freshen and the fleet enjoyed a helter skelter down hill sleigh run in the small waves. At the finish, Newman held on to take the win from Hamilton and a fast closing Hill, followed across the line by Bulka and Ekberg. Hamilton was adjudged OCS by the race committee, moving everybody up a place and proving he can’t go through a regatta without breaking the line at least once.

RACE 3
Following lunch, the breeze settled to a solid 15-20 knots with clouds interrupting the warm sunshine. The fleet got away to a clean start and Jon Newman led to the top mark from Tim Moorhouse, chased hard by Hamilton and Hill. Newman’s nerves overtook him on the gate and he finally put a foot wrong, capsizing as he rounded to go upwind. Hamilton, having run down Moorhouse on the kite leg, passed Newman to take the lead. Hamilton extended his lead to record an all the way win from Newman and Hill, who finished at opposite ends of the line on opposite gybes in a photo finish, from Hosie and Moorhouse.

RACE 4
Race 4 saw the storm clouds gather over the bluff and break over the fleet halfway up the first beat bringing a solid 25 knots across the race area. Local boy Richie Robertson established a big lead in the carnage as the Mustos displayed their generally placid nature and obligingly rolled over in the storm. Sailing conservatively to the top mark for the last time, Robertson’s enormous lead allowed him to play safe and he delayed setting his kite until he’d taken a short hitch under mainsail to what he thought was the port tack lay to the finish. Hamilton commented later
“I saw he didn’t set his kite and to me it was like waving a red flag at a bull.”
Hamilton and Moorhouse followed, immediately setting their kites. Robertson misjudged the lay and was forced to make 2 gybes in the extreme conditions and capsized. Moorhouse held on for the win from Hamilton, with Bulka in 3rd and Robertson 4th, Ekberg 5th.
Everybody returned to the shore in a state of terminal exhaustion - casting around for anything hot to eat and a place to fall asleep. We have passed a resolution forbidding 4 race days in the future, as it is bad for socializing, bad for bar takings and bad for bodies in general.

Monday dawned and the breeze had shifted north, bringing warm weather and sunshine. 10-15 knots greeted competitors on the start line and racing commenced at 10:30.

RACE 5
Hamilton raced away from the start to record another win, establishing his dominance over the fleet and clearly signaling his intentions to take the regatta in style. He led to the top mark comfortably and took off down the run with a tight group in hot pursuit led by Bulka and Newman. Hill gambled left on the run and rounded the gate in third, behind Bulka and Hamilton. Hamilton held on for the win with Hill finally finding his feet and improving to second, with Bulka third, Newman fourth and Robertson fifth.

RACE 6
Robertson headed hard left and led to the top mark from Hamilton and Hill. Hamilton and Hill chose the left side of the run closing on Robertson who had chosen the right hand side. Hill briefly overtook Hamilton at the gate and chose the seeward bouy, while Hamilton followed Roberston towards the shoreline. Robertson again hit the right hand side of the course, extending his lead on Hill and placing a loose cover on Hamilton. Hamilton followed Robertson to the top mark and immediately gybed off to the left while Roberston set his kite, missed his footing and capsized to windward. Hill took avoiding action, set his kite with Neate and Moorhouse close behind. Newman chose the opposite gybe and headed out to sea. Hamilton took the gun once again, from Newman who’d ridden the pressure at sea and passed the pack, followed by Hill, Moorhouse and Neate.

RACE 7
The fleet got off to a clean start in a softening breeze. Bulka led at the top mark from Hamilton, Hill, Newman and Mark Elsworth. Hamilton and Hill once again chose the left hand side of the run while Bulka chose the right. Hamilton reached the gate in the lead and headed for the shore. Hill followed while Bulka chose the seeward gate. With the wind beginning to die, Hill took the lead at the top mark from Hamilton, with Elsworth, Bulka and Newman close behind. Hill made the best of the fluctuating pressure down the run to score a consolation win from Hamilton, Newman, Elsworth and Bulka.

Hamilton sailed consistently across a wide range of conditions to score a convincing win. Runner up Hill and third placed Newman had to separated on a countback. Reflecting on the arrival of Newman and Neate to the MPS class, Hamilton said
“I’m very pleased to win, because given the improvement left in some of the newcomers who’ve only been in the class for three weeks (cue Jon Newman), I can see winning these events has just become a whole lot more difficult.”

Youngster and new arrival Matt Lawrence took out the junior prize, while Richard Ekberg claimed the masters trophy from Chris Sutherland and Mark Elsworth.
The winter series begins at Black Rock Yacht Club this Saturday at 1pm, and at Sandringham at 1pm on Sundays, watch this space for news on the next regatta as we build up to the Broo MPS World Championship at Black Rock in January.

Many thanks to HARKEN, who provided prizes for the event through Sport Phillip Marine, and to our starters, Mark Taylor, Bob Graham and Gary Hosie. Special thanks to Richie Robertson, famous for discovering Broo, for his continuing efforts to unearth sponsors to support the class.