18ft Skiff NSW Championship - Day 2
by Frank Quealey 8 Dec 00:25 PST
8 December 2024
Race Trophies; Sid Barnett Memorial, Alice Burton Memorial
Following the forced abandonment of Races 1 and 2 of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship, due to an intense storm which hit as the fleet prepared to race, the series began on Sydney Harbour today when Races 3 and 4 were conducted by the Australian 18 Footers League, and resulted in wins for Rag & Famish Hotel and Finport Finance, who now share the lead.
Race 3 resulted in a 23s victory to the 'replacement' crew of James Dorron (skipper, standing in for the injured Harry Price), Harry Hall standing in for Max Paul, plus the team's regular bowman Finn Rodowicz, the only regular crewman in today's racing.
Finport Finance (Matt Stenta, Angus Williams and Phil Marshall) finished in second place after edging out Yandoo (John Winning, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake) by 1sec right on the finish line. Matt Stenta was also a replacement skipper (for Keagan York) on the day.
Balmain (Henry Larkings) finished in fourth place ahead of Smeg (Nathan McNamara) and Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell).
In the latter Race 4, the results from the earlier race were reversed when Finport Finance defeated Rag & Famish Hotel by 23s to give Matt Stenta his first race win as a skipper in the 18s, although he has already won a Giltinan world Championship with Andoo as a sheet hand.
The Smeg team of Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruikshank and Jack Taylor continue to show the consistency they have shown all season and deserved to finish in third place, 2m5s behind Rag & Famish Hotel.
Yandoo finished in fourth place ahead of Balmain, Vaikobi, and Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn).
At the end of the day's racing in the NSW Championship, Rag & Famish Hotel and Finport Finance share the points lead on three points, followed by Yandoo on seven, Smeg on eight, Balmain on nine and Vaikobi on 12.
Both races were conducted over a windward-leeward course between Athol Bay and a mark laid off Clark Island/Double Bay in a SE breeze of no more than 15knots.
The battle for the lead in Race 3 was tight as the fleet headed to the weather mark where Rag & Famish Hotel (on the inside) and Yandoo rounded alongside each other, 5s ahead os Smeg, Finport Finance, Marine Outlet (Cam Gundy), Balmain, The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel), Vaikobi, Burrawang-Young Henrys and Sixt (Ryan Ewings).
Once spinnakers were set and the fleet headed back to the bottom mark, the race quickly changed as The Rag raced away to a 30s lead over Yandoo, then 45s at the following weather mark and ultimately to a 59s winning margin.
In the latter Race 4, Tom Cunich's Lazarus team quickly moved into a narrow lead over the tightly-bunched fleet and sailed particularly well to hold off strong challenges from Rag & Famish Hotel and Finport Finance to lead by 3s from The Rag at the weather mark.
Rag & Famish Hotel grabbed a 10s lead over Finport Finance after the spinnaker run back to Athol Bay, but Finport Finance fought back to hold a 15s margin before the pair staged a tight battle to the finish where Finport scored a 23s win.
Both races were also a part of the League's Season Point Score series, which is based on each team's handicap performance over the entire season.
The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel, Jerome Watts, Tim Narbourgh) took Race 3 on handicap from Burrawang-Young Henrys and Marine Outlet, while Finport Finance grabbed a 'double' in Race 4 by adding the handicap to the team's across-the-line victory.
Progress points in the Season Point Score has Rag & Famish Hotel in the lead with a total of 31 points, followed by Burrawang-Young Henrys on 43, Balmain 44, Finport Finance 47, then Smeg and The Kitchen Maker on 48 points.
Races 5 and 6 will be sailed next Sunday (15 December) with the final two races of the championship being sailed on Sunday 22 December.
The Australian 18 Footers League's spectator ferry will follow all the racing and the SailMedia livestream team will capture all the action.