Welcome
Koonawarra Bay Sailing Club will be hosting a
major sailing event over the Easter weekend in 2009. These
International Championships are the pinnacle event for the Paper
Tiger Catamaran class of sailing boat. The event is held two years
out of every three and alternates between Australia and New Zealand, with the first one
being held in 1975. The event has been held here at Koonawarra Bay
only once before, back in 1997. We are indeed privileged to be able
to host it again so soon.
The event will see between 40 and 50 Paper
Tiger Catamarans competing in nine races over four days to determine
the Champion Team and also the new International Champion. There
will be two teams of ten boats each (one from
Australia, one from New Zealand) as well as around 20 additional
Australian boats and up to ten additional New Zealand boats. The two teams
will be selected at each country's National Championships, to be
held over the Christmas/New Year period.
The Paper Tiger Catamaran is a 4.3m (14ft)
single-handed catamaran (two-hulled sailing boat) that is sailed in
all states in Australia, on both islands in New Zealand and in a few other countries like South Africa and Canada. These boats are
"one-design", meaning they are almost identical in hull shape and
sail size. However there is quite a variety in the way they are
fitted out, catering to each sailor's individual tastes. The strong
similarity in the boats provides close and exciting racing and it
also means that the person who wins is the best sailor in the
conditions, not the one with the most money.
We encourage you to come down to the club over the weekend to check
out these modern racing boats, to watch the racing and to meet some
of the sailors, especially our visitors from
New Zealand. Check out the
program
of the racing to give you some idea of the best times to catch the
racing. Races can take from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the wind
strength and the course size.
2007 International Champion Bruce Rose (AUS) on the right in front
of Mark Bell (NZL)
Photo taken by David Godfrey
Maersk Line - proud sponsors of the 2009 Maersk Line Paper Tiger
Catamaran International Championships
Les Gallagher (NZL) competing in the
2007 International Championships in New Plymouth, New Zealand
Photo taken by David Godfrey
