Race 3 - Winning Appliances
JJ Giltinan
18ft Skiff Championship. |
| By Frank Quealey, the Australian 18 Footers League. |
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Photos by the Australian
18 Footers League
Edited by Peter Andrews. |
| Tuesday, March 8, 2011. |
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| Race 3 of the Winning Appliances JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today produced a brilliant spectacle of racing action, as well as opening up the series to produce the third different winner in the series so far. In the 18 to 20 knot north east wind and the tide running out against the wind, the racing produced great 18 foot action from the world’s best skiff teams with speed aplenty, especially as the skiffs raced downwind. |
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United Kingdom’s Andy Budgen and his Hyde Sails team of
Dan Wilsdon and Matt Wark, had to come from behind to take victory in
Race 3 of the Winning Appliances - JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
on Sydney Harbour, Tuesday March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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| United Kingdom’s Andy Budgen and his Hyde Sails team of Dan Wilsdon and Matt Wark, had to come from behind to take their victory by 19 seconds from Matthew Searle’s consistent Red Claw Wines with Archie Massey and Mike McKenzie. Michael Coxon’s Thurlow Fisher Lawyers with Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas was a further 20 seconds back to take third place. |
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Spinnaker action on Sydney Harbour, during Race 3 of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Tuesday March
8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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Defending champion Seve Jarvin and Gotta Love It 7 team Sam Newton and Scott Babbage had a day they would prefer to forget. The pre-championship favourites capsised twice, yet still managed to finish fifth and share the championship with Thurlow Fisher Lawyers on 8 points.
US champion Howie Hamlin and his CST Composites team Fritz Lanzinger and Paul Allen finished fourth today, and hold third place overall on 13 points. And former Giltinan champion John Winning on Yandoo with Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson, were sixth today and are placed fourth on 16 points.
Rounding out the top six overall are today’s winner and second placegetter, Hyde Sails and Red Claw Wines on 17 points. |
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The early leaders on their first spinnaker run, during Race 3 of the Winning
Appliances - JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Tuesday
March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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Two early casualties in today’s race were David Witt’s Queenslander; who was over the line at the start and declared On Course Side of the line (OCS); and Grant Rollerson’s SLAM who broke gear shortly after the start. Then with only a few minutes into the race, Gotta Love It 7 capsised on their first tack.
Red Claw Wines and Yandoo were always close to the lead on the beat to the Beashel Buoy windward mark, with Marcus Ashley-Jones’ Asko Appliances, Nick Press’ Smeg, Hyde Sails, CST Composites and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers in their wake.
Red Claw Wines led at the mark from Yandoo, Smeg, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Gotta Love It 7, who had made a quite remarkable recovery to end up back with the leading group of competitors. |
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Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, during Race 3 of the Winning
Appliances - JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney
Harbour, Tuesday March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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The spinnaker run to the wing mark off Shark Island, followed by the run back up to the mark off Clarke Island produced some brilliant action for spectators with the skiffs flying across the harbour at great speed.
Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings on Smeg grabbed the lead before the wing mark, and turned for the second windward beat. At this stage of the race, they held a handy lead over the group consisting Red Claw Wines, Hyde Sails, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Gotta Love It 7.
Queenslander, unaware of her OCS situation, led the next group which included James Francis’ Pure Blonde, New Zealander Alex Vallings with CT Sailbattens, Asko Appliances, Jack Macartney’s Rag & Famish Hotel, Jonathan Whitty’s Panasonic, Evan Walker’s Kenwood-Rabbitohs and Western Australia’s Black Swan skippered by David Gilmour. |
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Red Claw Wines, during Race 3 of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour, Tuesday
March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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The leaders continued to stage an interesting battle upwind, with positions changing regularly. Smeg rounded the Beashel Buoy with a 35 second lead over Hyde Sails, Gotta Love It 7, Red Claw Wines, CST Composites and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, and a victory was looking likely. But then, disaster struck as the Smeg team made their final gybe to the bottom mark and capsised, shattering any all hope of a win in this race.
Hyde Sails quickly grabbed the lead, but they were under strong pressure from a chasing Gotta Love It 7, displaying some brilliant sailing after an amazing recovery from their earlier swim. |
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Panasonic makes a pretty picture, during Race 3
of the Winning Appliances - JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
on Sydney Harbour, Tuesday March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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As the pair raced downwind to the wing mark on the final spinnaker run, Gotta Love It 7 capsised again near Neilsen Park, leaving Hyde Sails to continue on to win from Red Claw Wines.
Altogether, it was a great day’s racing and spectators went home hoping for more good breeze tomorrow, and wondering if there would be a fourth winner from four races. |
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Yandoo, during Race 3 of the Winning Appliances
- JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour,
Tuesday March 8, 2011.
Photo © Australian 18 Footers League.
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Replays of the live tracking of each race from the 2011 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship will be available from: http://www.tractrac.com/index.php?page=eventpage&id=138.
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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