Australian 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. |
| Sunday January 9, 2011. |
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| The Smeg team of Trevor Barnabas, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings gave an outstanding display in difficult conditions to take out Race 1 of the Australian 18 foot Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today. The multi championship winning Barnabas stood in for Smeg’s regular skipper Nick Press, who is currently contesting the 12 foot Skiffs Interdominion Championship. |
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The Smeg team of Trevor Barnabas, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings
won Race 1 of the Australian 18 foot Skiff Championship on Sydney
Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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Smeg took the lead shortly before the end of the first lap and was never headed thereafter, to defeat SLAM (Grant Rollerson, Anthony Young, Peter Nicholson) by 50 seconds. Third place went to the newly sponsored Kenwood Rabbitohs (Evan Walker, Jeremy Roberts, Ted Hackney), which finished a further 2 miutes and 12 seconds back.
The race began sensationally when defending champion and pre race favourite, Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin), collided with the stern of the starter boat and was an immediate retiree. |
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Defending champion and pre race favourite, Seve Jarvin's Gotta
Love It 7, collided with the stern of the starter boat and was an immediate retiree,
during Race 1 of the Australian 18 foot Skiff Championship on Sydney
Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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With the breeze tending east-northeast, there was not a lot of work involved to the windward Beashel Buoy on the North East course. Western Australia’s SLAM was the early leader, closely followed by Smeg,Kenwood Rabbitohs, Yandoo (John Winning), Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Micah Lane) and Red Claw (Matthew Searle). SLAM led by 15 seconds, as spinnakers were set for the run to the wing mark at the south end of Shark Island.
With so much east wind direction in the breeze, all teams were forced to lower their spinnakers for the run along Shark Island to the Totem Pole.
Positions remained unchanged until Barnabas and his team elected to gybe mid way down the third leg. The move proved to be a winner for Smeg, which went around the following mark inside SLAM. |
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The SLAM team of Grant Rollerson, Anthony Young, Peter Nicholson
finished second, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 foot Skiff Championship
on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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An incident between Smeg and SLAM saw the SLAM team forced to perform a 360 degree penalty turn. This allowed Smeg to extend her lead to one minute at the next windward mark and from that point on, the result was never in doubt.
The light easterly breeze reduced the work on the windward legs and the downwind runs also became a one track course. With little chance for changes the placing remained pretty much the same to the finish. |
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The Kenwood Rabbitohs team of Evan Walker, Jeremy Roberts, Ted Hackney
finished third, during Race 1 of the Australian 18 foot Skiff Championship
on Sydney Harbour.
Photo © The Australian
18 Footers League.
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Race 2 of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday, January 16, 2011.
More information and photographs can be found at www.flying18s.com and www.18footers.com.au.
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League
www.flying18s.com. |
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| Outimage and the
Australian 18 Footers League © 2011 |
