JD

NickName

JD  

FullName

John Doolan  

SailNumber

AUS-817  

Age Division

Grand Master (45 - 59)  

Gender

Male  

Description

I started sailing on the original Windsurfer One Design back in the early 1980's and very quickly started racing at Gosford Sailing Club. As the sport evolved I quickly progressed to "Funboards", sailing Ten Cate Spacers & a Ten Cate Champ, F2 Stratos's and then the F2 Lightning and my pride and joy a Lechner A390. I started short boards with the legendary Bombora Tri Fin, and moved onto a range of Ten Cate, Tiga and F2 slalom boards.

 

With the help of ESS Boardstore, Graham Johnston (Terrigal Sailboard Hire) & and Barlow Winches (the Ten Cate and F2 importer at the time) my Funboard racing progressed and allowed me to race at the top level until the early 1990's. My greatest achievements being the 1987 Australian schoolboy champion and the outright 1988 Australian Construction Class champion.

 

I took a break from windsurfing for almost 10 years, returning in 2000 after a serious injury following a bike accident and realised how much I missed it. After the demise of Raceboards I took to Formula racing for a few seasons but it wasn't my thing, but Raceboard competition was almost non existent. I moved to the USA for work in 2004 and had a further 4 years west from windsurfing.

 

Upon returning from the US in late 2007 I started sailing again, mostly my 1993 F2 Lightning and home made slalom boards. The NSW Raceboard Series had again kicked off and I returned to course racing as my priority. After being out of the racing scene for so long I'd obviously lost my edge,  My F2 Lightning wasn't quite as quick as the Phantom 377's, my starts were atrocious and my fitness was even worse (to think I used to be able to out pump the best of the top guys). However things started to improve pretty quickly and so did my results, but I needed regular club racing to hone my skills and my fitness, so I posted on the Seebreez forums looking for people to race with, Lyndon Bauer and Peter Smits replied and we've been racing at Gosford on Raceboards, Windsurfer One Designs, Division II, and now foils. I'm now fighting it out with the top guys again and loving it all over again.

I'm currently riding the following

Raceboard :Starboard Phantom 377 with Loft 9.5 Raceboard Blade & BIC Techno One Design 8.5M

Division II : Lechner A390 with Loft 9.5 Raceboard Blade & BIC Techno One Design 8.5M

Foil : Fanatic FormulaTi and Drops FL13 boards, Slingshot H2 and Warp Speed foils. With BIC Techno One Design 8.5m, 7.8m & 6.8m

2020I I've recently added a Patrik Foil Comp 91 AirinSide Foil board and a Boss Custom 4.0 Racefoil (with 1000 and 900 front wings) Along with a Severne Hyperglide 10.0m.

Slalom : F2 Sunset Race & F2 Sputnick 275 with BIC Techno One Design 7.8m & 6.8m