Marine News

Sydney crew of Hugh Tait and Tom Potter convincingly won the Australian MG14 Championhip sailed from 27 Dec. – 2 Jan. at Taree Amateur Sailing Club.

The pair launched their new boat just in time for the regatta which sported CST’s IM series elliptical mast and boom. “Carbon Neutral” sailed a near perfect regatta with five 1st placings and a 2nd to win the series on 7 points.

“I want to thank CST for fitting me in at the last minute
making it possible for Tom and I to attend and win the Championships. The rig worked extremely well and we had excellent speed, upwind in particular”, said Hugh.

2nd place went to Rohan Nosworthy and Lindsay Mason with ex Australian Champion Gary Reeves and Alexander Warner in 3rd.

"Carbon Neutral" rounds the bottom mark just ahead of Nosworthy's "Water Rat"

The 40th Contender class World Championships were hosted by Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, attracting a fleet of 60 boats.

Sailed over a 10 race series with 2 drops, Australian Jono Neate on board AUS2323 won the regatta. Jono sailed a consistent regatta with four 1st place finishes and a total score of 18 points. 3 points behind was Italy’s Andrea Bonezzi and in 3rd Germany’s  Christoph Homeier, on 22 points.

Jono sailed one of the Bonezzi built timber hulls sporting a CST mast. Our new HM Club range of Contender masts was developed in the lead up to the Worlds and is available as 1 or 2 piece option.

Strong fleet of 109 boats contested the International 14 class Worlds on Sydney Harbour. The regatta hosted by Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club, required a split in fleet to Gold and Silver divisions, due to the high number of participants.

The series was sailed in a range of conditions over a 7 race format and eventually won by Sydney based Brit Archie Massey and Australian crew Dan Wilsdon. The winners on board Carbon Fibre Express sponsored boat were dominant in all conditions with superior tactics, boat handling and excellent downwind speed.

The pair scored four 1st placings, a 2nd and 6th to win by 11 point margin over Roger Gilbert and Ben McGrane with Mark Krstic and Andrew Wilson in 3rd place.
This is also Archie Massey’s 2nd consecutive world title crown, something that has not occurred before, in the class that has heritage dating back to the 1930s

“We did a lot of development with Archie and Dan leading up to the series. Particularly with his new CST HM2 Mast and with Dave Alexander doing sail development. It is fantastic to see the guys win the series,” said CST Composites General Manager Chris Dixon.

CST’s new range of High Modulus spars has been well and truly embraced by most popular dinghy and skiff classes. The latest to join the charge is the International Contender class.

Our masts have won multiple championships as we continue to supply the leading Contender sailors with our products. One of these is the 7 times World Champion Andrea Bonezzi also well known for building spectacular timber hulls.

The HM Club Contender masts are available in one or two piece options and with internal diameter of just 40mm, are the smallest masts on market.

Sailing on flat waters of a small inland lake, Bora Gulari has just smashed the current Moth speed record by over 2 knots.

Bora recorded a top speed of 30.31kn, with a ten second average of 26.34kn. He used a stock standard Mach2 with CST NANO 4 mast and High Modulus boom.

This is the first time anybody has been able to sail a Moth past the 30kn barrier, and who better to do it than the current world champion.

After 5 days of fierce racing, America’s Bora Gulari convincingly won the 2009 CST Composites Moth Worlds. The event was sailed on “The Gorge” at Cascade Locks, USA. Bora’s excellent boat handling skills combined with smart tactics and great boat speed were the key factors in his win. With 8 firsts from 15 races sailed, Bora’s extensive training program paid dividends.

Fellow CST team sailor and current 49er world champion Nathan Outteridge finished in 2nd position. Nathan took the early lead in the regatta, but couldn’t stop Bora’s charge towards the end of the series.

The pair used the latest range of CST Moth spars including high modulus masts and booms as well as the new range of Nano Spars used by Nathan.

“Having the major naming rights for the 2009 CST Moth Worlds has gone hand in hand with the performance of the CST sailing team positioning 1st and 2nd. This has confirmed the performance advantage of our products gained through continuous development with these top Moth guys. We look forward to supporting the class at future events in a number of different ways,” said CST’s Production Manager C

CST team sailor Nathan Outteridge has won the 2009 49er World Championship for the 2nd time and finished as a runner up in the 29er worlds as well.

Having sailed with his new 49er crew Iain Jensen for only a few months, Nathan’s win is even more special in this very competitive class. The pair sailed a very consistent regatta in a range of conditions, from light breezes to 20kn “Ora”, that the venue is famous for.

“I used CST tillers in the win. As always they were tough, light and stiff. The 3 important things when it comes to 49er tiller extensions,” said Nathan.

After the 49er event, Nathan paired up with his girlfriend Lauren Jeffries and finished 2nd in the 29er worlds competing against 185 other skiffs. Both championships were sailed on Italy’s Lake Garda, and hosted by the Riva Del Garda club.

Nathan’s focus now shifts to CST Composites Moth Worlds, where he will be one of the main contenders for the title. Best of luck Nathan.