Bugg’s eighth straight shows he’s still top dog

WORLD-RANKED Tasmanian sailor Matt Bugg has shown over the weekend he has lost none of his seamanship and tactical skills in the International 2.4mR yacht, the class in which he won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics.

The 2017 Tasmanian Sailor of the Year, Bugg yesterday clinched a record eighth consecutive win in the Australian open 2.4mR championship, without having to sail the final race on Hobart’s River Derwent.

After a spell from racing this summer, Bugg won four of the seven races in which he sailed, with a win and a second yesterday giving him overall first place.

He finished with a net 11 points, four points clear of Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania vice-commodore Stephen “Rowdy” McCullum, who won three races to finish with a net 15 points, yesterday winning two of three last races.

Second place was well deserved by McCullum, better known as an ocean racing yachtsman with 23 Sydney Hobarts in his log book.

He has been the driving force in encouraging an expanding local fleet of 2.4s, small keelboats likened to small scale models of America’s Cup 12m class yachts.

Third overall, with 19 points in this 21st annual championship for the 2.4mR class, went to Canberra sailor Peter Thompson, who represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

In the Tasmanian state championship for the International Laser class, which was sailed over the long weekend in Bass Strait off Devonport’s Mersey Bluff, defending champion Sam King continued his domination of the Radial division.

King has won four of the first five races to lead the series from Will Sargent with three other sailors on equal points behind the two top boats.

The Port Cygnet Race, the highlight of Port Cygnet Sailing Club’s annual regatta over the weekend, has been won by Kettering Yacht Club entry Rad, Brent McKay’s Radford 35L.

Sailing in up to 30 knots of wind, the 50-boat fleet provided spectacular racing around the buoys in Port Cygnet with the Hobie 16 Tigger, sailed by Henry Sheerwater from the Peninsula Aquatic Club, taking line honours from Rad.

On corrected times, Rad won the race from Tigger by just eight seconds, third place going to the Hobie 33 keelboat Emotional Rescue (Mike Hutchinson).

Another centreboarder, the venerable gaff-rigged 12square metre Sabre, sailed by Stewart Gordon and his crew from the host club, took line and handicap honours in Division 2 of the Port Cygnet Race.

Fine Cotton, Philip Adamson’s Knoop 36, finished second in Division 2.

Third place went to EENEE, Sue Allison-Rogers’ Moody 45 DS.