| Race 1 Club Championship
- Sydney Harbour. |
| By Frank Quealey, the Australian 18 Footers League. |
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Photos by the Australian
18 Footers League
Page edited By Peter Andrews. |
| October 31, 2010. |
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| Skill and experience won the day for John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson when they sailed their skiff Yandoo to victory in Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour today. They crossed the finish line 3 minutes and 53 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals led by Nick Press on Smeg, with James Francis’ Pure Blonde a further 52 seconds back in third place. |
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| With less than 50 metres left to sail and realising they could not cross the line under spinnaker, the crew attempted to lower the extra when a problem struck. The tack of the spinnaker then became wedged in the end of the spinnaker pole and couldn’t be freed. |
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John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson sailing their skiff Yandoo to victory in Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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In the strong 20 to 25 north east winds, a crew of lesser experience wouldn’t have been able to manouvre their way through the finish line, but Winning and his crew were up to the task and although ungainly, passed through the line with just centimeters to spare at the buoy end.
"It was jammed solid," Winning said later. "In the end the only way we could release it was to capsize the boat and cut it free." |
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Evan Walker’s Sharks and Jonathan Whitty’s Panasonic during Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| The race was full of incidents and only eight of the seventeen starters able to complete the course. In a strong breeze, the race started normally enough and a good battle developed at the head of the fleet on the windward leg to the Beashel Buoy. |
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Seve Jarvin’s Gotta Love It 7 and Andy Budgen’s Project Racing-Sponsor Needed, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin), Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) and Project Racing-Sponsor Needed (Andy Budgen) only 3 seconds apart, with Yandoo in close pursuit. As the fleet approached the buoy, Thurlow Fisher was forced out when the starboard wind broke, then Project Racing grabbed a 5 second lead from Gotta Love It 7, followed by Yandoo, Sharks (Evan Walker), Panasonic (Jonathan Whitty), Pure Blonde, Smeg and De’Longhi (Simon Nearn). |
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James Francis’ Pure Blonde, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship
on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| After a very close battle under spinnakers, Gotta Love It 7 took a narrow lead over Project Racing at the wing mark, but the battle became over-heated when the two collided on the following spinnaker run to the bottom mark. The incident left Yandoo with a big lead over Smeg and a recovered Gotta Love It 7, followed by Sharks and Pure Blonde. |
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The Smeg crew on their borrowed Gill boat, during Race 1 of the
Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| Winning and his crew had their newly built skiff powering in the conditions and their lead was more than two minutes at the next windward mark. Gotta Love It 7 fought her way back to second, ahead of Smeg and Sharks which were together, but then another disaster was about to hit the Gotta Love It 7 team. With a full spinnaker set at top speed, the skiff’s centerboard broke as they ploughed over a wave and their race was over. |
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The Gotta Love It 7 team after their centreboard broke at
top speed while flying over a wave with their spinnaker
set, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League
Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| Yandoo’s victory was never in doubt until the final seconds, but special mention must be given to two of the rookie crews competing in only their fourth race. Luke Parkinson’ Coldwell Banker New Homes finished seventh and Andrew Chapman’s Fisher & Paykel eighth. To finish the race in such conditions was a testament to their skills at such an early stage of their 18ft Skiff careers. |
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Andrew Chapman’s Fisher & Paykel, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club
Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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More information about
the 18 footers and photographs can be found at www.flying18s.com and
at www.18footers.com.au.
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League
www.flying18s.com. |
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| Outimage and the
Australian 18 Footers League © 2010 |
