Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Nash Advisory VX One Australian Nationals at Royal Brighton Yacht Club - Overall

by Nic Douglass 18 Jan 10:41 UTC 15-18 January 2024

Six in a row for Mack One

The formidable AUS332 Mack One crew of Ben Franklin, Alan Moffat and Josh Franklin have claimed a sixth straight national title at Royal Brighton Yacht Club. They clinched the win by four points over AUS330 Pipeline Drillers, skippered by Brett Whitbread, after racing was abandoned on the final day due to high winds with gusts over 30 knots.

"You've got to have a good crew, a really good crew", Ben Franklin revealed when asked what the secret was to Mack One's success. "It's a bit of a surprise each year. We've had pretty close competition with other Queensland rivalries since we started, especially Brett Whitbread but it's cool to see that we can keep edging out in front", he finished.

The racing was competitive across the ten race series, with top ten finishes by boats all the way through the fleet. It was consistency that paid at the end, with the top five places carrying results no higher than seventh. As mentioned by Franklin, Whitbread was on form, and was the boat that could have had a crack at taking the title from Mack One.

"How good was it to get different conditions every day, that's the best thing", said Whitbread of the conditions as he claimed runner-up with his crew, Danny Fuller and Brayden Daunt.

"The Melbourne guys, they have got such a good culture going on down here, they put on a great regatta. Hats off, they really turned it on for the racing, and their hospitality, I can't speak highly enough, well done", he complimented.

Rounding out the podium was AUS359 Gidget, skippered by Dave Alexander, with Max Sturman ("Bob") and Max Yoshida ("Yoshi"), crew that the South Australian had not sailed with for long, but they still sailed exceptionally well to take third overall.

"To the other competitors, great regatta. Mack One boys, great, fantastic, and everyone, it was a good regatta", said Alexander.

The first Master skipper was Peter Conde, LateShift AUS243, the first female was Sophie Whitmore also from LateShift AUS243, finishing fourth overall. The Beast 5, AUS352 skippered by 17 year old Jordan Barney was the Junior Helm winner. With brother Hayden Barney and Libby Kirby, the youthful team were sixth overall with an average age of 19. Barney paid tribute to the newest Life Member of the class, Michael James, for his support in owning their boat, and funding their campaign. A huge personal effort to keep the class moving forward.

The strong performance of boats throughout the fleet shows the depth developing in the class in Australia. VX One Australia Class President Greg Clarke said it's exciting to see the growth.

"It's exciting times for the VX One in Australia. We have more boats and more people sailing them all the time, and fleets developing in new places." Clarke said.

"Coming to Melbourne has been brilliant, the hospitality of Royal Brighton Yacht Club has been fantastic. We are a great travelling class and it's a lot of fun to show off these boats around Australia. We can't wait for the year ahead, culminating with our next Nationals at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Pittwater next year."

A massive thanks to the Royal Brighton Yacht Club for hosting the event, Kevin Wilson acting as Race Officer, with his brother Ross Wilson as deputy with a fantastic team of volunteers, as well as all of the sponsors and supporters.

The next event on the VX One calendar is the Victorian State Championship in February, followed by the NSW Championship in March and the annual Winter Nationals from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in June.

Full results can be found here.

Follow on VX One social channels @vxoneaus

Related Articles

Register Now for Charleston Race Week 2025
Early entry discounts for competitors Don't miss your chance to race on beautiful Charleston Harbor, sip Mount Gay Rum daily aboard the iconic USS Yorktown, and enjoy the famous southern hospitality and exquisite dining of Mount Pleasant and Charleston when you're off the water. Posted on 21 Oct
St. Thomas International Regatta registration open
51st edition to be held March 28-30, 2025 Get ready to cross a ‘must-do' Caribbean regatta off your bucket list! Registration is now open for the 2025 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) set for March 28-30, 2025. Posted on 6 Oct
Register Now for Charleston Race Week 2025
Launch and haul with free storage Event organizers of Charleston Race Week 2025 at Patriots Point cordially invite you to a bigger and better-than-ever regatta. Registration is now open — take advantage of early entry discounts! Posted on 1 Oct
Ovington Multiclass Open at the WPNSA Preview
This is the final big multiclass event of 2024! Entries are now open for our multiclass event down at Weymouth, WPNSA on 5th / 6th October. This is the final big multiclass event of 2024 and features top coaches Adam Bowers and Sam Pascoe, who will host a racing de-brief on Saturday night. Posted on 20 Sep
Announcing the VX One Caribbean Cup 2025
St. Thomas International Regatta & BVI Spring Regatta to host the event One of the hottest one-design sport boat classes returns to the Caribbean for the peak of the region's race season in the spring of 2025. Posted on 20 Aug
62nd Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy
Excellent event included fund raising for the Great North Air Ambulance Service Over its 62 years, the Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy run by Ullswater Yacht Club, has evolved into a 3 day festival of sailing, centred on an unique pair of all class handicap races in breath-taking scenery, for dinghies, keelboats and yachts. Posted on 18 Jul
Celebrating 40yrs of Newport Regatta
A premier East Coast Sailing event four decades after its launch This weekend marks the 40th Anniversary of the Newport Regatta at Sail Newport, featuring 147 boats and ten one-design racing classes. Posted on 11 Jul
8 days of VX One racing in Germany and Italy
With the European Open at Lake Walchensee and Gold Cup at Lake Garda After a slight delay, things are now really getting going in Europe after America and Australia: a full schedule, new boats, booming class associations... Posted on 28 Jun
62nd Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy Preview
One month to go, 160 entries have already been received The 62nd running of the Lord Birkett Trophy, which commemorates the saviour of Ullswater, is now less than a month away on 6th and 7th July. Posted on 10 Jun
BMW Spring Regatta 2024 on Victoria Harbour
104 boats turned out over the weekend Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club's last major event of the 2023-2024 sailing season, the BMW Spring Regatta, took place on 18 to 19 May on Victoria Harbour with fair winds and good racing conditions showcasing Hong Kong's yachting at its best. Posted on 21 May
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERSavvy Navvy 2024