A good start, a good finish and a frustrating in-between.
A good start, a good finish and a frustrating in-between.
That’s the season summation from Modern Concept Constructions skipper Gerard Smith after he and crew-mates Chris Williams and Jackson Cranfield signed off for the year with a double podium finish in last Saturday’s short course point score races at Manly.
Smith guided MCC to second place behind Sutech Building Consultants (Michael Koerner) in the day’s first race before going one better and taking out race two by two minutes from Imagine Signage (Zoe Dransfield) and Red Pumps (Tyler Dransfield) in a 12-14 knot nor easter.
“The Sutech boys were just a little bit too quick in that first one and in the second one we managed to get in front on the third leg and just extended from there and came away with quite a good win,” Smith explained.
“We probably won’t be out there next week so that’ll be it for the year.
“We started with a win (back in September) and have finished with a win, so that’s not a bad way to go out.”
MCC’s lack of time together has been evident throughout the season, with strong performances punctuated with some average results.
An 11th placing at the Australian 16ft Championships – coming off the back of a top 10 finish at the state titles – was proof of what they were capable of when all the stars aligned. Smith said: “We haven’t really been sailing every week, just when we’re all available, and the boat’s spent more time on the trailer than on the water.
“Everyone’s got work and family commitments so we just jump on the boat and go out and race when we can.
“It’s our first season together so we’ve done okay. We were there or thereabouts in the nationals and got a couple of thirds but broke a boom, and we’ve been top five in most club races.
“‘I’ve got no idea what the plans are for next season. We’ll see what happens in the off-season.” MCC’s memorable last day at Manly included a third and a first on handicap.
Next Saturday sees the last heat of the 2023/24 club championship, with Imagine Signage (Nathan Wilmot) holding an unassailable lead after six podium finishes in seven races.
