Of Tragedy and Valor
Celina Rumbelow

Sailing ahead   . . . Celina' s winning ways

• Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999) 

•  Fri 3 Feb 1995 

For local sailor Celina Rumbelow, winning championships has become a regular occurrence — a strange thing though is the order in which she is winning them. Sailing in the Arafura Cadet division. Celina first won the National Championships in 1994, competing against six other boats. That win set Celina on her way, the bubbly 16-year-old was then known as a tough competitor, giving the other AC sailors at the Victor Harbor Yacht Club someone to chase.

This January she stamped her authority on the title, winning it for the second time in a row. She said this year's event was much more competitive, with a total of 17 boats competing for the coveted shield. But Celina still had not achieved all of her goals. At the time of her back to back National title win she had not been successful at State level, and even more surprising, she hadn't won a Club Championship either. Last weekend's State titles, at Victor Harbor, provided her with the next sought after trophy, State Champion. Celina sailed six races over two days in varying conditions, competing against eight other boats. Firsts in four of the races, as well as two second placings, won her the title with a fair amount of breathing space. 

But father, Don, said each of the individual races were very well contested. — "In one race there was only two to two-and-a-half minutes between first and last," he said. "The standard of the racing was pretty good, very close and the competition very tight. "The conditions provided just about everything from fairly windy conditions on Saturday morning, to lighter breezes on Sunday." 

Celina said her goal at the start of the year was to win back-to-back National titles, but she wasn't sure if she could do it. "I'm now aiming at winning a Club Championship, something I've never done before. "I'm working back-to-front so hopefully I'll finish it off with a club win." Sailing report.