Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan
18ft Skiff Championship - Invitation Race. |
| By Frank Quealey, the Australian 18 Footers League. |
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Photos by the Australian
18 Footers League
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
| Friday, March 4, 2011. |
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| Western Australia’s SLAM, skippered by Grant Rollerson with crew Anthony (Jack) Young and Peter Nicholson gave a superb allround performance to easily take out the Invitation Race of the Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney today. SLAM took the lead soon after the start in a northeast 10-knot breeze over the Australian 18 Footers League’s four lap windward-return course. |
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SLAM wins invitation race of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Friday March
4, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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The SLAM team led for practically the entire race and once they shook off an early challenge from American champions Howie Hamlin, Fritz Lanzinger and Paul Allen on CST Composites, they were in complete control before scoring a 1 minute and 15 second win over CST Composites.
Australian champions Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas on Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, finished a further 34 seconds back in third place. |
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Spinnaker harbour action, during the Invitation Race of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Friday March
4, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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Former Giltinan champion John Harris, skippered Red Claw Wines into fourth place; ahead of UK’s Jarrod Simpson on Peters & May and local New South Wales team on Smeg, skippered by Nick Press.
Both SLAM and Asko Appliances, skippered by Marcus Ashley-Jones, led the fleet on the right hand side of the course. On the northern shore of the harbour, David Witt on Queenslander 1 was amongst the leaders. However, the southern shore proved the better with SLAM and CST Composites vying for the lead as they approached the windward mark.
CST Composites crossed SLAM, but SLAM came back to round the mark inside CST. Asko Appliances followed, then Red Claw Wines, Peters & May, De’Longhi (Simon Nearn) and Panasonic (Jonathan Whitty). |
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CST on spinnaker run, during the Invitation Race of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Friday March
4, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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The leading pair staged a good spinnaker battle downwind, back to the bottom twin rounding buoys, but SLAM proved to have the superior speed. Thurlow Fisher Lawyers stayed close to the southern shore on the spinnaker run and had moved up into third place ahead of Asko Appliances. The the action got more interesting with a large bunch of skiffs all flying down onto the bottom marks from a wide variety of angles. Great sailing skills were demonstrated by all teams at this point in the race, all avoiding collision.
SLAM increased her lead over the following windward leg with CST Composites still holding second place; ahead of Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Peters & May, Asko Appliances, Red Claw, Yandoo (John Winning) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney).
At the bottom mark the second time, SLAM’s lead had stretched out to 50 seconds over CST Composites, with Red Claw Wines, Peters & May and Andy Budgen’s Hyde Sails all bunched up together. While SLAM held a big lead over the remainder of the course and CST Composites was always comfortable in second place, the race for the next four placings was gripping. |
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Close racing with ferry, during the Invitation Race of the
Winning Appliances - JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
on Sydney Harbour, Friday March 4, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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Defending champion Seve Jarvin and championship favourite Gotta Love It 7 team of Sam Newton and Scott Babbage did not compete in the race, as Jarvin was suffering a stomach complaint.
Race 1 of the championship will be sailed tomorrow and the second on Sunday.
More information and photographs can be found at www.flying18s.com and www.18footers.com.au. Video coverage can be seen also on www.18footers.com.au.
Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League. |
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| Outimage and the
Australian 18 Footers Leaguea © 2011 |
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