Wildcat Regatta – Forster | Team VSC’s Match Report

It was, once again, an incredible weekend of racing at the Great Lakes Sailing Club’s annual Wildcat Regatta. Over the long weekend, eight VSC members made the trip to Forster for what has become one of the highlights of the sailing calendar.

Mick Butler, Leon Whitworth, and Andrew McKenzie took to the Turbos for some valuable training ahead of the state titles in two weeks’ time, while Paddy Butler, Courtney Smith, and Bridget Raftery stayed cat-rigged (who needs a jib anyway?). Dave Fisher helmed an F16, whilst Hayley crewed on another F16, with Kerrie and Andrew Driver competing in the fiercely contested F18 fleet.

After a quick jaunt to Earp Island on Friday to get our feet wet and reacquaint ourselves with Wallis Lake (congrats to Paddy Butler on taking 14-foot line honours), and a leisurely Saturday morning meander, racing finally got underway at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon in a tricky sou-westerly that shifted as it pleased. While Bridget was busy making new friends after finding herself in a windward/leeward with an F18, MB dominated the Turbos, and Paddy found the bronze rather agreeable for Race 1.

Of course, the real competition began once we hit the shore — who could leave their sails up the longest? No one knew what the prize was, but MB was determined not to lose. Even as he finally dropped his sails, he left them unrolled with the halyard still attached — a true masterclass in commitment. Check out Paddy’s TITV Day 1 debrief.

After a late night for some of the more intrepid sailors, who were perhaps feeling a little disheartened after Australia’s performance in SailGP, Day 2 dawned bright and early. The Sailing Instructions declared “no racing before 9 a.m.,” yet several cautious heads peeked out well before then. Fortunately, our PRO showed good sense and held the fleet until a more humane hour.

The breeze behaved much as it had the previous day — light and shifty — but that didn’t stop Macca and the rest of the Turbo squad from wholly disregarding port/starboard on the start line, rolling a fair portion of the fleet. Then, utter chaos at the pin end in Race 2 heard many a choice word used. Despite the antics, the leaderboard kept shuffling, and no one could fully dominate. Three races later, we all agreed a nap was the most strategic next move. Check out Paddy’s TITV Day 2 debrief.

Day 3 started slightly later — no doubt helped along by the excitement of the NRL Grand Final the night before. Despite the SI’s once again declaring “no start before 9,” the utter glass-out across Worimi Country had us firmly in “hurry up and wait” mode. Fortunately, the westerly filled in before long — and blow in it did. With great enthusiasm, sails went up, minor boat dramas were swiftly handled, and we hit the water. One exhilarating race later, a few damp sailors but undampened spirits returned to shore just as the breeze disappeared once more. Then it was time for boat Jenga to pack up ahead of the presentations.

A HUGE shoutout to Timmy Haffner and the Great Lakes SC team for, as always, putting on an incredible event. Cheers to PRO Steve Watt and his team for delivering such quality racing, and cheers to the ladies in the canteen for delivering even higher quality food.