Wow, our last sailing day for the year and we cracked the jackpot. We had 19 DAC sailors for the day, almost our best turnout for the year.

The conditions were ideal with a delightful Nor’Easter at 13 to 20 Km/Hr gusting to 27, (7 to 11 Knots, gusts 14).

The temperature reached 30^oC and a gentle chop developed during the racing.

We chose a mix of B and C sails with C’s finishing the day.

The course was set in front of the Deck with the windward marks needing a short walk to check our roundings.

To ease congestion at the top marks, we chose a gate with rounding from outside to in. This did help although it took a little getting used to at first.

The score sheet was almost a reflection of our sailing year.

Phil Stevenson has warmed to his best and dominated the day with a winning score of 16 points. Phil’s 4 wins and 3 places gave him an excellent score to be virtually unchallenged. The contenders for the remaining honours were Graham Brown, Noel McPherson and Robin Tickner. Graham scored 32 points for second place and Noel 33.5 for third. Robin had 3 places and a good sailing day to finish 4^th.

There was a moderate gap following, with Judy Evans leading a closely spaced group. Judy had a great day with all her finishes in the top half of the fleet. Lew Verdon and Geoff Lucas battled it out for 6^th place with Lew winning the countback. Philip Hetherington, Stephen Deane and Martin Thearle followed with only a point between them. Narelle Derwent and Karen Paterson both had some good finishes with Karen, a second place in race 7. There were some snippets of success with myself taking a sole 3^rd in race 3 and Trevor Bowden the same in race 2. John Porter and Bruce Paterson had similar scores and each had some good finishes during the day. Rob Lowndes had some grief at the start and also had to end his day early. Peter Hirschl is gradually moving forward with his scoring. Paula Reilly had a difficult day and was not quite up to her better days on the water.

Very good sailing all round on a beautiful sea green water.

Race winners were Phil Stevenson 4, Graham Brown 3, Noel McPherson 1 and Martin Thearle 2.

Phil Stevenson took the honours for the day to win 1st place on 16 points.

Graham Brown finished in 2nd place on 32 points.

Noel McPherson finished in 3rd place with 33.5 points.

We paused after seven races to enjoy our Christmas afternoon. Snacks were brought by all with a few sparkles to wash them down.

Narelle Derwent presented the Derwent Perpetual Trophy to Graham Brown as DAC RC Laser Club Champion 2025. Graham has held this award since year 2 of its inception.

The Club Champion for 2025 is Graham Brown with Phil Stevenson in second place and Martin Thearle in third place.

The Scratch Champion for 2025 is Phil Stevenson with Graham Brown in second place and Noel McPherson in third place.

The Handicap Champion for 2025 is Robin Tickner with Martin Thearle in second place and Graham Brown in third place.

Our next Sail day is Thursday 8^th January 2026 for a Handicap Event.

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