A spectacular display of sailing will be on show this weekend as Busselton hosts an international series race.
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Ten teams sailing Aston Harald Sports M32 catamarans from Australia, New Zealand and Sweden will compete in a bid to qualify for a spot on the World Match Racing Tour.
Event organiser Skip Lissiman OAM, who is an accomplished sailor and crewed for Australia II during the America’s Cup, said the M32 catamarans were very physical.
“Once you get on-board and you start racing your heart just goes through the roof because they are incredibly demanding on the body and you need really sharp reflexes,” he said.
“If you did not have sharp reflexes you could tip the boat over or run into another boat. They are punishing if you make a mistake they can capsize.
“It tends to be a younger man’s game and they are certainly very spectacular to watch, they spend a lot of time flying around on one hull at incredible speeds.”
According to Lissiman, the 32-feet carbon fibre boats are incredibly light and stiff for their size, they weigh 500 kilograms and travel up to speeds of 30 knots.
“They certainly come into their own when the winds are up, once the winds get up to 16 knots of wind they would put a reef in the mainsail and carry that reef with an asymmetric front sail through to about 22 knots of wind.
“At 25 knots of wind they put in a second reef in the mainsail and would not go with the asymmetric sail.”
Lissiman said newer technology had made boats a lot faster and lighter. He said materials like carbon fibre and sail fabrics had changed significantly over the years which now made boats go incredibly quick.
“At the end of the day it is still a sport which is powered by wind and crewed by people so in some ways the yacht itself is a means to an end,” he said.
“It still takes the brains and the brute of the crew to harness the wind to try and get your boat around the course quicker than the other boats.
“It is a great sport for challenging the mind and the body to achieve your goals and it is a lifetime sport. I saw recently that John Bertrand at the tender age of 70 has just won a world championship.
“It is a cradle to grave type sport with children as young as six getting into the sport and is something that carries through well into your retirement.”
The M32 Series event takes place ahead of Race Week which will see more than 60 yachts battle it out over five days in Geographe Bay from Monday.
A number of events will be held over the week at Port Geographe Marina which the public are welcome to attend including a nautical themed party on Tuesday and a ladies high tea on Thursday.
