Season 2011-12

Club Championship, Race 11

The Australian 18 Footers League’s 2011-2012 Season concluded today when the club staged Race 11 of the 18ft Skiff Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.

Although finishing only fourth today, Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas won the championship in Thurlow Fisher Lawyers with an overall score of 16 points, followed by Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin) on 35, Smeg (Nick Press) 50, Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) 55, Rag & Famish Hotel on 56 and Appliancesonline.com.au (Marcus Ashley-Jones, sub today for Micah Lane) on 63.

It was also the last race together for the Thurlow Fisher Lawyers team as Aaron and Trent are both retiring (hopefully only for one season) from the 18s.

The Yandoo team of John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson took out the Season Point Score trophy, which is based on the handicap performance of each boat for all club races staged throughout the season.

Today’s winner was Rag & Famishj Hotel (Jack Macartney, Peter Harris and Mark Kennedy), which took line honours by 19s from Gotta Love It 7, with Appliancesonline a further 2s back in third place.

While the wind today was light and variable (4-12 knots) from the South East, the race was one of the most exciting of the season due to the extremely close battle for the lead between Rag & Famish Hotel and Appliancesonline.com.au.

Rag & Famish won the race to the first windward mark and held a 30s break over Appliancesonline as spinnakers were set for the long run from Rose Bay to Robertson Point.

Gotta Love It 7 was a further 20s back, followed by Yandoo and De’longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn).

This group held a big break over the next group, which had predominantly sailed east of Shark Island to the windward mark.

At the bottom mark, little had changed in the leading group, but the battle behind was tight amongst the next five teams.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was sixth, ahead of Beko (Nick Daly), Smeg and Fisher & Paykel, which was skippered today by Australian Cherub champion Ali Chapman – sister of the regular skipper Andrew Chapman.

Rag & Famish Hotel continued to hols her 30s lead over the next three legs of the course but a change came over the race on the spinnaker run from Rose Bay to Taylor Bay when Appliancesonline elected to go west of Shark Island, while Rag & Famish went to the east.

The move was a winner as ‘The Rag’ and Appliancesonline came into the Taylor Bay mark together.

There was absolutely nothing between the pair while Gotta Love It 7 was hovering just behind them.

Gotta Love It 7 capsized on the windward leg back to Rose Bay leaving Appliancesonline and Rag & Famish (5s apart) to fight it out for victory.

Appliancesonline was just ahead as the pair turned the final mark.

Rag & Famish tacked immediately but Appliances didn’t follow. It was costly as The Rag led when they finally met midway up the final leg to the finish.

In the fading breeze Gotta Love It 7 also closed to grab second place just metres from the finish.

Ferry Patrons Trophy

The appliancesonline.com.au 18ft Skiff team of Michal Lane, Paul Montague and Tom Anderson gave a marvelous exhibition to tame the 20+ knot north east wind on Sydney Harbour today.

In a race which took a heavy toll on the fleet, appliancesonline.com.au completed the course without incident to defeat Smeg (Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings) by 39s and take out the Ferry Patrons Trophy.

Yandoo, with John Winning, Andrew Hay and Jim Beck on board, also managed to complete the course without a capsize to finish third, a further 1m38s behind Smeg.

At least nine of the fourteen starters capsized at some stage of the race.

First to hit the ‘tide’ was Gotta Love It 7, skippered today by Scott Babbage, which capsized shortly after the start, followed not long after by Smeg before the fleet had gone 1k up the first beat.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, skippered by Michael Coxon and crewed by replacements Dan Wilsdon and Geoff Beauchop, was showing her customary boat speed to head the pack to the first set of 3-buoys windward marks.

Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) and De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn) were next followed by appliancesonline and Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones).

Lumix, De’Longhi-Rabbitohs and appliancesonline gained an advantage as they went to the ‘red’ buoy while Thurlow Fisher was shuffled back to fourth as she went to the ‘blue’ marker.

The race lead changed twice on the downwind legs past the Shark Island wing mark and down to the bottom mark off Clarke Island.

De’Longhi-Rabbitohs took over from Lumix off Shark Island then Appliancesonline led De’Longhi-Rabbitohs and Lumix by 15s at Clarke Island.

Appliancesonline continued to lead at the next set of windward marks but Andrew Chapman’s Fisher & Paykel was now in second place after a strong windward performance.

The spinnaker run down the centre of the course provided plenty of thrills and spills.

Lumix lost sheet hand Greg Dixon overboard, which required the spectator ferry to come to his assistance before transporting him back to the boat which had gone 100 metres further down the course.

Two other casualties were Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and De’Longhi-Rabbitohs, which both capsized near the bottom mark.

Another strong windward leg by Fisher & Paykel and the advantage of a ‘red’ rounding ahead of appliancesonline’s ‘blue’ mark, had Fisher & Paykel as leader when spinnakers were set for the final spinnaker run home.

Both teams were battling the conditions and trying to stay ahead of the fast finishing Smeg when Fisher & Paykel capsized off Point Piper just 500m from the finish line.

Appliances online’s crew took no chances across Double Bay as they lowered their ‘pirate’ spinnaker to cross the line under main and jib for a great win.

Giltinan Championship, Race 7

Congratulations to the Gotta Love It 7 team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage for their brilliant performance in successfully defending their title in the Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

Gotta Love It 7 dominated the regatta with six wins from the seven races to finish with an overall score of six points

Second overall was Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas) on 22 points, followed by Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane, Paul Montague and Tom Anderson) on 23.

Mojo Wine (Archie Massey) was fourth on 26, then Smeg (Nick Press) 30 and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) on 34.

Today’s race was sailed in a 15-knot North East breeze with most crews electing to go with their big #1 rigs.

Gotta Love It 7 took the honours again, this time by 2m14s from Thurlow Fisher, with Mojo Wine a further 14s back in third place.

Appliancesonline, Smeg and Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones) completed the top six placings

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers won the start at the pin end of the line and led for most of the windward beat to the Beashel Buoy.

The crew work on Thurlow Fisher was faultless but the skiff couldn’t match the speed and height Gotta Love It 7 was producing and trailed 7 by 10s as spinnakers were set for the run to the wing mark off Shark Island.

Appliancesonline was third, followed by Mojo Wine, Pure Blonde (Tom Clout), Kenwood-Rabbitohs (Brett Van Munster), Maersk Line (Graham Catley), Asko and De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn).

The first four placings were unchanged at the bottom mark but Yandoo (John Winning) had moved up to be fifth ahead of Pure Blonde, Asko and C-Tech (Alex Vallings).

As 7 powered to a 1½m lead at the second windward mark the battle for second in the race and overall in the championship was on in ernest between Thurlow Fisher and Appliancesonline.

Only 10s separated the pair over the next two legs of the course before Thurlow won the battle.

Gotta Love It 7 was 2½m in front as she set sail for the finish and cruised home an easy winner again.

Giltinan Championship, Race 6

Defending champion Gotta Love It 7 wrapped up the 2012 Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship with another brilliant win in Race 6 of the regatta on Sydney Harbour today.

Seve Jarvin, Scott Babbage and Ian Jenson, who was standing in for regular for’ard hand Sam Newton, trailed Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Euan McNicol, standing in for injured Trent Barnabas) for most of the first windward beat before finally leading by just 8s at the Beashel Buoy.

7 trailed Thurlow Fisher again at the bottom mark but once in front the 7 crew gradually edged away before going on to a 43s win over Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.

Lumix (Jonathan Whitty, Greg Dixon and James Hozack) were a further 44s back in third place ahead of C-Tech (Alex Vallings), Yandoo (John Winning) and appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane).

With just one more race to be sailed, Gotta Love It 7 has a net score of five points and with a worst place second to discard can’t be beaten.

Competition behind 7 is extremely tight with five boats separated by just six points and little between the teams on the race track.

Appliancesonline has 19 points, followed by Thurlow Fisher on 20, Mojo Wine (Archie Massey) 23, and Smeg (Nick Press) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) tied on 25.

The 20-knot nor’easter today provided spectators with another exciting display of speed sailing as the fleet raced down wind.

One casualty was Mojo Wine which capsized while attempting a gybe off Rose Bay.

Strangely, while the fleet sped along Shark Island on the first lap, the breeze at the southern end of the island was fickle and a number of positions changed rapidly.

One of the big casualties was De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn) which had been well placed early but was relegated several placings at the wing mark.

Rag & Famish Hotel capsized early in the race and came back strongly on the second lap (could have possibly finished third) before ending her challenge with a broken centerboard.

At the bottom mark the first time, New Zealand’s C-Tech had gone into third place behind 7 and Thurlow Fisher, with Yandoo, Yamada (David McDiarmid), Lumix, appliancesonline, CST Composites (Howie Hamlin, USA), Kenwood-Rabbitohs (Brett Van Munster) and Smeg all close behind.

While Gotta Love It 7 has dominated, the race behind her has been tight and will hold most of the interest in tomorrow’s last race.

Giltinan Championship, Race 5

Gotta Love It 7’s domination of the Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship continued on Sydney Harbour today when Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage brought the red hulled flyer home an easy winner of Race 5 in the regatta.

The champion team trailed appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane, Paul Montgomery and Tom Anderson) by 5s. at the first windward mark, but a quick gybe soon after spinnakers were set for the run to the wing mark off Shark Island saw Gotta Love It 7 take the lead and from that point were never headed.

7 gave no other team a chance from that moment and finally crossed the finish line 3m16s ahead of appliancesonline.com.au.

New Zealand’s C-Tech (Alex Vallings, Nick Catley, Joshua McCormack) was a further 20s back in third place, ahead of Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney), Smeg (Nick Press) and Mojo Wine (Archie Massey).

With each team’s worst performance to date discarded, the progress pointscore is Gotta Love It 7 on four points, Appliancesonline.com.au on 13, Mojo Wine 15, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) 18, Smeg 18 and Rag & Famish Hotel on 19.

While 7’s win is likely, the race for second place should be the real highlight of the final two races on the weekend.

In a 12-15-knot North East breeze today, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones), Gotta Love It 7 and Rag & Famish Hotel won the start at the pin end of the line.

Under strong pressure from the 7 team, appliancesonline held on to lead at the windward ,ark but once Gotta Love It 7 took the lead the margin continually increased throughout the race.

By the second windward mark, the margin was out to 1m24s, then 2m12s after the following spinnaker run and finally 3m16s at the finish.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Rag & Famish were third and fourth at the top mark the first time with each improving their position by one placing as appliancesonline dropped back to fourth after the first spinnaker run.

While Gotta Love It 7 was dominating the race, all interest centred on the battle behind.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and The Rag were re-joined by appliancesonline with C-Tech, Mojo Wine and Smeg also joining the battle.

With second placing seemingly sealed, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers hit a wave and the spinnaker dragged her into a capsize while saw the skiff drop back to finish eighth.

Appliancesonline took full advantage of the situation and finished second to also take second placing overall in the championship standings

Giltinan Championship, Race 4

Defending champions Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage tightened their grip on the 2012 Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship crown in Gotta Love It 7 when they absolutely destroyed the fleet in an awesome performance on Sydney Harbour today.

The team scored their third win from the four races sailed so far in the regatta and did it in such a manner that the winning margin was an incredible 5m2s in the 8-12-knot SE breeze.

Archie Massey, Dan Wilsdon and Mike McKensey finished second in Mojo Wine, a further 2m14s ahead of the third placed Smeg (Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings).

Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane) was fourth, ahead of Yandoo (John Winning) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney).

Race 3 winner Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) failed to reproduce her previous boat speed and finished seventh more than 8½ minutes from the winner.

A number of protest hearings before the race gave ‘average points’ to Kenwood-Rabbitohs (Brett Van Munster) in Race 1, Yandoo in Race 2 and CST Composites (Howie Hamlin) and Pure Blonde (Tom Clout) in Race 3.

The leading teams after four races are Gotta Love It 7 on 5 points, followed by Mojo Wine on 17, Appliancesonline.com.au on 18, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers 19, Smeg 21 and Rag & Famish Hotel 21.

In today’s race, the fleet split into two groups on the beat to the first windward mark in Rose Bay as some elected to go to the west of Shark Island while the rest went to the east side.

Gotta Love It 7 led the group which went to the west and the move was a winner as she led Mojo Wine by 25s.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was a further 10s back in third place ahead of a group including Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones), Smeg, Appliancesonline, CST, Pure Blonde, Yandoo, De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn) and C-Tech (Alex Vallings).

Although positions remained unchanged at the front of the fleet after the long spinnaker run from Rose Bay to Robertson Point, 7’s lead had increased a little, but the big change came on the following windward beat back to Clarke Island.

Gotta Love It 7’s margin had blown out to 1m50s over Mojo Wine, Appliancesonline, Smeg, Asko, Yandoo and Thurlow Fisher.

On the tight run to Chowder Bay, 7’s lead increased a little, however the loop from Chowder Bay (north) to Rose Bay (south) to Taylors Bay (north) and back to Rose Bay Gotta Love It 7 stretched the margin to more than four minures.

As the breeze faded over the concluding stages 7 revelled in the conditions and increased her margin further to the 5m2s win.

The main centre of spectator attention was focused on the positional changes from third to eighth throughout the race.

Giltinan Championship, Race 3

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers won Race 3 of the Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today, but the other winners were those lucky spectators on the harbor who witnessed two great crews tame the elements in a wonderful sailing display.

Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas on Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage on Gotta Love It 7 were superb in the 25-knot (gusting to 27 knots) Southerly wind which tested the skills of every competitor in the regatta.

After more than one hour of sailing in such conditions, Thurlow Fisher crossed the finish line just 8s ahead of Gotta Love It 7.

Smeg (Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings) were never too far from the lead and finished a further 1m26s back in third place.

The strong wind took a heavy toll on the fleet with only 16 boats completing the course. Some even failed to make the start.

Incidents during the race are also likely to lead to several protests being lodged so all progress pointscores are provisional at this stage.

There are at least five protests, which will all be heard tomorrow morning.

Gotta Love It 7 has four points, followed by Thurlow Fisher Lawyers on 12, Smeg on 14, Mojo Wine (Archie Massey) on 15, Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) on 15 and Smeg on 16.

At the first windward mark Gotta Love It 7 led by 10s from Thurlow Fisher, with Rag & Famish Hotel third and US champion Howie Hamlin (CST Composites) in fourth place.

The spinnaker run to Obelisk was sensational with the skiffs ‘flying’ down the harbor ahead of the strong southerly wind.

7 extended their lead over Thurlow Fisher to 30s while The Rag and CST held their positions ahead of Smeg, NZ’s C-Tech (Alex Vallings), Yandoo (John Winning), Mojo Wine and Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane).

The two leaders edged further ahead of the fleet over the next two legs of the course and gave a thrilling exhibition on the two sail reach to the bottom mark.

At one point, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was practically airborne as she chased the flying red ‘7’.

7’s lead was down to just 10s as the pair headed for Clarke Island, but a shock came over the lead when Gotta Love It 7 unaccountably capsized on a wind to leave Thurlow with the lead.

Despite another great challenge from the 7 crew, Thurlows team were great under pressure and provided spectators with an exciting finish.

One incident under protest involved the leading US and New Zealand teams of CST Composites and C-Tech, which collided on the second spinnaker run to Obelisk.

Giltinan Championship, Race 2

Defending champion Gotta Love It 7 team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage totally dominated Race 2 of the 2012 Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship to score an easy all-the-way win over Thurlow Fisher Lawyers on Sydney Harbour today.

After leading by nearly two minutes at the final windward mark, Gotta Love It 7 cruised home to defeat Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas) by 1m19s.

Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane, Paul Montague and Tom Anderson) was a further 2m3s back in third place.

Top international boat today was C-Tech (Alex Vallings) which came home fourth, ahead of Mojo Wine (Archie Massey) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney).

Gotta Love It 7 heads the points table on 2 points, followed by Mojo Wine and Appliancesonline.com.au on 7, Rag & Famish Hotel on 9, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers on 11 and Smeg (Nick Press) on 15.

All teams carried their big rigs in the 10-15 knot North East breeze.

Gotta Love It 7 was soon in front and it wasn’t too long before the champion crew had their skiff powering away from the rest of the fleet.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Rag & Famish Hotel trailed ‘7’ at the Beashel Buoy with De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn) and C-Tech leading a tightly bunched fleet behind the leading group.

Rag & Famish had some gear problems on the spinnaker run past the wing mark at Shark Island to the bottom mark at Clarke Island and dropped back to seventh on the second work to the Beashel Buoy.

Gotta Love It 7 had already extended her lead to more than one minute while Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was holding a comfortable second position.

Most spectator interest centred on the battle for third place and once again it was tight with Mojo, C-Tech, Appliancesonline, Kenwood-Rabbitohs (Brett Van Munster) and Rag & Famish Hotel most in contention.

Two great battles developed over the final lap of the course.

Appliancesonline and C-Tech raced head-to-head for third and fourth placings while Mojo Wine and Rag & Famish Hotel did the same for fifth and sixth.

John Winning’s horror start to the regatta in Yandoo continued today when the Yandoo team were forced to retire after a collision with another competitor.

Today’s incident is subject to protest and follows a pre race centerboard problem which saw Yandoo miss her start by three minutes yesterday.

Ironically, both incident occurred less than 100 metres apart.

Giltinan Championship, Race 1