Zapcats Fly at Watergate
Zapcat teams from all over the country braved the big surf conditions at Watergate Bay in June for the first 2 rounds of the 2009 King of the Surf competition. Racers were faced with the some of the best surf the venue has seen in recent weeks leading to some dramatic thrills and spills om the racing powerboats.
Conditions starting on Saturday with 3.5ft building to 5ft plus rolling swells during Saturday afternoon and throughout Sunday. Expectations and apprehensions were high as the racing got underway with many of the teams feeling the force of the waves as they read the waves wrong and went for a swim.
In the Division 1 Final Rana Park Zapcat 25 Pilot Neil Fraser and Co-pilot Jeremy Nazarin got off to a flying start taking the lead in the second lap a lead they maintained until the last 200yds when Blue Sheets Racing 1 Davis and Martin just pipped them into the Gold medal position. The Bronze Medal position was also a tightly fought contest between team mates Randall & Payne Zapcat 49, Justin Whithorn and Chris Baldwin and Marin Subsea/Delta Jets Zapcats 09 Ash Chappell and Chris Rex with Randall & Payne just easing the lead from them.
Sunday was met with more of the same glorious conditions that the feisty Zapcats excel in and with two teams opting out for the days racing 23 Zapcats lined up for the thrills and spills ahead.
Cornish team Doyster Blue Sheets Racing Zapcat 73 got off to a strong start in Division 2 and took four wins out of their 5 heats in the day, unfortunately getting caught out by a wave in the fifth and flipping their Zapcat. In addition Team Championship Team Relentless 2; Dangerous Brothers Zapcat 74 and Nine Lives Zapcat 35 were battling strong to take top 2 positions in most of their heats.
Division 2 saw a seven boat final with Doyster Blue Sheets racing take the first lead from the beach, before the lap was complete Nine lives who had gone into the race in pole position hit a wave and pilot Charlie Brickle went for a swim. The restart saw Doyster Blue Sheets start strong again with Go Commando Zapcat 42 in strong second, when two laps down The Dangerous Brothers Zapcat 74 flipped as swells at the Back markers picked up. A third restart and a 2 lap race with Doyster Blue Sheets again getting a fantastic start with Go Commando and Contact Wait Out hot on their heels, positions remained through out the final, and Cornish Nial Hoddinott and James Keeping celebrated the Gold Medal, with Go Commando finishing in Silver and Contact Wait out in third.