The 2022 Eddie Cowell Regatta, conducted by Sunshine Coast Radio Sailing Club at Lake Kawana, has come and gone and the Sunshine Coast lived up to its name, providing a glorious three days of RC yacht racing weather. SW breezes in the mornings, which came around to the SE-ESE during the late morning and early afternoon, made for almost perfect sailing conditions for all 3 days.
There were 24 competitors this year with entries from Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland and as is usual with IOM regattas, the competition was at times intense and quite often brilliant. There were 46 races completed over the weekend with some sailors sailing back-to-back races as they vied for positions in ‘A’ fleet.
The racing was very ably run by PRO Lindsay Walker, supported by Anne Walker, Gwen Warne and Phil Pearce scoring. The boat crew run by Jim O’Shannessy, Neil Carroll and Phil Pearce were able to get the courses set or changed in record time.
The regatta this year had its first Female coordinator in Adele Pearce who was supported by an excellent race committee and tireless volunteers who worked throughout the 3 days to deliver a regatta, which was by all accounts well received, by competitors and spectators alike.
Congratulations must go to the eventual winner, Paul Jones 1st who was remarkably consistent with his results and proved to be a deserving Champion. This said, it should be pointed out that the other place-getters, Sean Wallis 2nd and Greg Torpy 3rd were in a position to win the regatta until late on Monday and should also be congratulated.
The Masters division had worthy winners with Derick Warne 1st, Mark Beneke 2nd,and Kim Mitchell 3rd.
Other Prizes were presented the most gentlemanly sailor & the sailor who sailed the most races, Andrew Wilson, the sailor who finished exactly mid-fleet, Ben Taylor, and not to forget the sailor who finished last but kept trying, Bruce Deane.
SCRSC must thank Anne Walker who scored, ably assisted by Phil Pearce and Gwen Warne. This requires concentration and commitment to provide results at the end of each days racing and live results uploaded to the ARYA throughout the regatta.
Finally a big thanks to all the members of Sunshine Coast Radio Sailing Club who gave up their time to help with the biggest IOM Regatta outside of the Nationals in Australia. A big thank you also to our Events Co-Ordinator Adele Pearce – a huge task & one she handled extremely well !
Sunshine Coast Radio Sailing Club continued to deliver a regatta that is the showcase for the Eddie Cowell IOM Perpetual Regatta and radio sailing in Queensland.
RESULTS FOR THE 3 DAY EVENT 20th – 22nd August 2022
Eddie Cowell Perpetual Resumes After Three Year Break
Aug 23, 2022
After a three year break the Eddie Cowell IOM Perpetual Regatta was contested once again over three days 20-22 August, and what a magnificent event it was.
The relatively small fleet (by previous standards) enjoyed the typical Australian winter conditions on the Sunshine Coast with temperatures in the low to mid 20’s and sunny conditions – nothing but glamourous!
With five of the entries heading off to Croatia for the IOM World Championship the racing was always going to be close and as expected the championship title went right down to the last race to determine the winner.
Day one and the fleet were welcomed with a light variable SSW breeze of around 3 – 8kts but with the forecast for the breeze to rotate to the ESE direction later in the day the wind steadied relatively early in the day. Local Glen Fitzgerald got off to a good start with a win in race one while Paul Jones matched it in the other side of the draw. After a poor seeding race, Sean Wallis put two wins on the score card in races two & three and that set the scene to what was going to be a tight battle between rivals Jones & Wallis.
As the breeze rotated through the south it increased to around 5 – 10 knots and while still fairly shifty the courses were set for some fantastic racing. Greg Torpy & Doug Allen came into the lead group with some good results placing pressure on the leaders and with Aaron Farrar, Brad Quiggin & Gary McCarthy also sticking their noses in there was a great mix.
At the end of day one we saw five individual race winners from the nine races sailed with Jones holding a relatively comfortable six point lead however, with two days remaining there was a lot of regatta to go. After a tough day there was nothing better than an ice cold beer courtesy of the host club.
Day two was almost a replica of day one with the breeze in the SSW but a little stronger. As the wind shifted through the south the breeze increased and saw a few spills and thrills as the fleet struggled at times downwind in the gusty conditions. 
Unfortunately this was short lived and as the breeze shifted further into the ESE direction it moderated slightly but still offered some great racing.
Today was the day for sailors to make their moves and Sean Wallis came through with 4, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 in the first five races of the day to close down the Jones lead. At the same time Torps, Dougie & Aaron were having their own battle but at the same time staying in touch with the lead pair and it was getting tight at the top. Other mini battles were occurring throughout the fleet as everyone was do all they could to ensure they were well positioned moving into the final day.
At the end of day two Wallis held a one point lead over Jones with Torpy & Allen remaining in striking range for what was set to be a fantastic final day of sailing.
Overnight rain cleared by race start on the final day and left with it extremely difficult light wind conditions which made it challenging for RO Lindsay Walker but he successfully got the fleet underway for a couple of races before the breeze dropped away and lunch was called. Shortly thereafter the breeze shifted back into the SE and racing resumed.
Paul Jones quickly regained the overnight lead with two wins in races 18 & 19 while Wallis started poorly with a 4th and 6th. Races 20 & 21 saw Jones slip adding a 5th & 6th on his score card with Wallis gaining a 2nd & 3rd it was back to a one point ball game as the day was nearing the end. At the same time Doug Allen was closing the gap on third place until a battery failure ended any chance he had for third overall and while missing race 22 left the gate open for Aaron Farrar to slip into fourth with a race to go.
Races 22 & 23 saw a fantastic battle between Wallis & Jones with Jones maintaining his ascendency in both races with the pair finishing 1-2 in the final two races for Jones to claim overall victory by three points. Greg Torpy sailed extremely well and was within a few points of the lead pair throughout the regatta with Doug Allen nipping at his heels.
The Sunshine Coast RSC did a fantastic job of bringing back the Eddie Cowell Regatta and were fantastic hosts providing a fantastic venue, great meals, and top racing. Thanks also goes to all the volunteers from the club who helped pull the event together and support the sailors. In addition, thanks also go to the RO Lindsay Walker and the lovely Anne Walker who managed the scoring.
For those who didn’t make it to the Sunshine Coast this year, you missed a fantastic weekend of top quality sailing and you are encouraged to make the journey for the 2023 event!
Report: Courtesy of Sean Wallis
Photos: Credit Nick Lindsley (Facebook) check out all the photos Nick took of the event on Facebook. Great stuff Nick