Tim Caslick headed the fleet when the Lake Keepit Sailing Club hosted the first heat of it's annual Head of the River series.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Willow Tree youngster was the pacesetter in his international A-class catamaran, which club commodore Tim Corben described as a 'carbon-fibre flyer', showing the veterans how to fly.
He led from start to finish and was packed up long before the rest of the fleet got back.
READ ALSO:
On corrected times (personal handicap) Caslick was third behind Breeza's Mick Bradfield in his laser dinghy and Tamworth's Hugh Evans, also sailing a laser dinghy.
The first heat of five to be held throughout the season, a fleet of 12 boats took to the starting line.
The series is unique, Corben explained, in that the course is a "passage race" rather than three triangles in the Parks' bay area.
Setting off from near the club, the fleet then headed around a turning marker to the east of the home bay and headed north east, basically following the original Namoi river-bed pathway up past the Sport and Recreation Centre. They then rounded another turning mark before retracing their course back to the clubhouse.
"It is such an interesting exercise rather than the usual bay course and requires so much concentration to follow wind pattern on the surface, avoiding willy-willies, no wind at all areas and dead standing tree branches," Corben said.
This Sunday was to be the Commodore's Shield event but due to the Gunnedah LGA lockdown that has been pushed back to hopefully the weekend after.
