Weekly Powerboat and Fishing Summary

POWERBOAT RACING

Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Virik Nilsen aboard Aegean showed the Offshore Superboat Championship fleet a clean pair of heels by winning The Newcastle Classic, round 1 of the 2010 series. Aegean lead Class 1 from start to finish ahead of stable mates Maritimo and The Good Guys. The rough conditions outside the harbour took its toll on the field with Impact Steel and Acme, both rough water specialists, falling by the wayside.

In the Supercat class The Good Guys with the North Queensland brothers Brendon and Chris Friar had a sensational start to the season, taking first in class and third overall for the day. Team Three (Craig Archer and Steve Nugent) are still in New Zealand and will return for the next round in Mackay on 27 June. Possibly two of the leading New Zealand teams may cross the ditch in an attempt to secure some of the Australian silverware this season. Check out Super Boat.com.au.

Teams were wary heading into the second round of the Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships at Griffith NSW and with good reason. Friday’s track conditions were so treacherous the AFJSA in association with the Griffith club agreed to add more water to the course to make it safer. The opening round of the Queensland State Championships will be held at Cabarita on May 1-2 and the next round of the Australian Championships will get underway at the same venue on July 10-11. Full report at V8 Superboats.com.au.

FISHING

The peak body representing all Australian recreational fishers, Recfish Australia, has been forced not to renew the CEO's contract and accept the resignation of the Chair of the Board following the rejection of a request for financial support from the Australian Government. MarineQLF.com.au.

PRODUCTS

Mercury has released an Auto-inflating Personal Floatation Device (PFD) with an absorbent switch which, when it comes in contact with water, automatically inflates the vest. The PFD is also cut to be comfortable and less restrictive than other PFDs on the market. In NSW new regulations mean that from 1 July 2010 everyone in a boat of less than 4.8 metres must wear a PFD. Victoria has already introduced this requirement.

Outback Marine Australia Pty Ltd is releasing a new range of Australian-made marine refrigeration units in a world release at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on 20-23 May. Outback Marine’s refrigeration systems are designed for under counter installation with two self-closing 70L drawers simplifying access to the contents. The fridges run on a 12V/24V DC Frigomatic system manufactured by Veco in Italy.

NEWS BRIEFS

The preliminary program for the national Marine Safety Conference to be held in Perth on 22-24 August 2010 is now online at NMSC.gov.au. The conference, themed ‘Safe Passage to a Marine Nation’, is the sixth to be hosted by the National Marine Safety Committee.

Sydney Water Police are conducting investigations into the death of a man after a group of people were pulled from the water in the harbour near Point Piper on Saturday night. A commercial charter vessel discovered three men and an eight year old child in the water approximately 300m north of Woollahra Point. It is believed the group was fishing from a five metre runabout off Point Piper when the boat started to take on water and sank. More details.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

May 2 -- Bridge to Bridge Powerboat Race, Hawkesbury River.

May 20 - 23 -- Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Gold Coast. Sanctuary Cove Boat Show.com.au.

May 20 – 23 -- 1770 Festival, Town of Seventeen-Seventy, Queensland. Celebrating the "Birth Place of Queensland", this festival has been an annual event for 17 years and commemorates the visit of the Endeavour and landing of Lt. James Cook and his crew in May 1770. 1770 Festival.com.au.

May 21 – 30 -- Port Douglas Carnivale, Tropical North Queensland. The seaside resort village of Port Douglas sets aside ten days each year to celebrate music, arts, sport, food culture and entertainment. Carnivale.com.au.

May 27 – June 21 -- Vivid Sydney, a festival of light, music and ideas, featuring the spectacular illumination of the Sydney Opera House sails. EventsNSW.com.au.

June 13 - 14 -- The Oceanic Whitsunday Boat & Leisure Show, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach. Whitsunday Boat Show.com.

June 26 – 27 -- Australian Offshore Superboat Championship - Round 2, Mackay. AOPC.com.au.

Photograph: Aegean at Newcastle courtesy of