New South Wales
Championship
Race 1 - 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. |
| November 7, 2010. |
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| Steve Jarvin and his Gotta Love It 7 team of Scott Babbage and Peter Harris are off to a great start in the 2010-11 NSW 18ft Skiff Championship when they won Race 1 of the five race series on Sydney Harbour today. Jarvin had two different crew members to the team which helped him win the 2010 Giltinan Championship, but there was no lack of ability on board as they raced to an all-the-way win. |
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The Gotta Love It 7 team in Race 1 of the New South Wales Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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Babbage (who will be sailing on Gotta Love It 7 all season) and Harris (filling in for Sam Newton for three weeks) are former team mates from the Rag & Famish Hotel crew of the past few years and were in the 2008-09 NSW champion, Rag & Famish Hotel, with John Harris.
Following Gotta Love It 7 home today was Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, crewed by Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas
finishing 28 seconds behind the winner. Third place was filled by Red Claw (Matthew Searle, Archie Massey and Mike McKenzie), which
finished a further 1 minute 11 seconds back, followed by Yandoo (John Winning), Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) and
De‘Longhi (Simon Nearn). |
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Gotta Love It 7 and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers in Race 1 of the New South Wales Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| The race was sailed in a 15 knot northeast breeze and all teams elected to carry their bigger number 1 rigs. Panasonic (Jonathan Whitty) was over the line at the start and lost more than 30 seconds going back to re-start, while Appliancesonline (Jeremy Wilmot) missed the start by about one minute when the crew had to capsize the skiff to repair a rig problem. |
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De‘Longhi in Race 1 of the New South Wales Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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| From the outset, Gotta Love It 7 had boat speed as well as height to windward and quickly set the pace to the windward mark at Beashel Buoy. Red Claw was equal to the task and actually crossed Gotta Love It 7 narrowly off Clifton Gardens, with Thurlow Fisher Lawyers in third place, followed by Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Rag & Famish Hotel. |
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Rag & Famish Hotel in Race 1 of the New South Wales Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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Gotta Love It 7 then regained the lead at the windward mark from Red Claw, while the next three places remained unchanged. Yandoo had recovered from their slow start and was in sixth place.
Under spinnaker, Gotta Love It 7 increased her lead with Thurlow Fisher Lawyers moving into second place, ahead of
Red Claw and Asko at the wing mark. By the time they got to the bottom mark off Clarke Island, Gotta Love It 7 held a 45 second lead over Thurlow Fisher and from that point, the race was as good as over; so long as they stayed afloat. |
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Red Claw in Race 1 of the New South Wales Championship on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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Over the next lap of the course the lead extended to more than one minute and was as much as 1 minute and 30 seconds at the final windward mark, before the two spinnaker legs to the finish.
Most of the spectator interest centred on the battle for third to seventh places. Little separated Red Claw, Yandoo, Rag & Famish Hotel, De‘Longhi and Asko Appliances with the placings changing several times before the finish.
Some of the newcomer teams are already starting to show improvement and will become much more competitive as the season progresses. |
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Sharks in Race 1 of the New South Wales 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 |
