WHO WILL FILL THE VOID?
The departure of decorated 13ft champions Heidi Bates and Orlando Sadlik to the 16s class has a near record fleet eager to fill the void and start some trophy hunting of their own. Bates and Sadlik collected multiple club, state, and national titles during a prolific three-year run before graduating to the 16s, along with other standout 13s sailors Charlie Snell, Ollie Ross, Ollie Barrett, Byron Lowe, Lachie Favaloro, Ollie Barrett, Theo Franklin, and Jemma Hopkins.
So, who will be the next king and/or queen of the 13s? Modern Concept Constructions (Tayla Lees/Ash Napper) are making the early running, racking up a second and first in the opening heats of the club championship to take the overall point score lead. The pair has switched from being competitors to teammates and almost immediately found their groove.
“Both Ash and I have been on the podium for a while competing against each in the 13s and we hope that combining together we can take the experience from the past couple of years and take out the club champs, states, and national titles,” ambitious skipper Lees said.
“The recent club champs result is proof it is working well. We did a lot of winter training which helped us become a team quite quickly, especially as keeping upright out of the cold water was a must.”
Not even the HSC, which starts next month, will stall MCC’s progress. Seventeen-year-old Lees will sit for her exams while using sailing as an outlet to escape. “I have been juggling sailing and school for a while but sailing has become my break from studying,” she said.
“I find that after a long day of study, sailing is the thing that allows me to unwind.”
Asked if there was a sense of opportunity now Bates and Sadlik have exited the class, Lees said: “They were always good and hard competition to sail against, but their shoes are not being left empty. Every season in the junior fleets, there is new talent who comes through and we can’t wait to compete against them.”
There’s a strong family lineage throughout the 19-boat 13s fleet, with well-known Manly surnames – Lees, Napper, Bates, and Dransfield – featuring prominently. Heidi Bates may have left the class but her sister Meg will carry the family flag, skippering Harken alongside Joe Corbel.
“It’s Meg’s second year in the 13s and she’s learning a lot and going really well,” Heidi reported. “It will be another good year. There are a lot of really good sailors in that fleet.”
Beau Dransfield will join Goro Tomishima on Imagine Signage in another formidable partnership, while new additions to the fleet include Odyssey (Emily Foster and Hamish Turner) and Bella Primrose and Bayley Taylor in a yet-to-be-named boat.
Words Adam Lucius
Photos Sail Media
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