February 16, 2014
NSW Championship – Race 4 Club Championship – Race 8 President’s Trophy
18ft Skiffs
NSW Championship, Race 4
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Sydney Harbour
Gotta Love It 7’s Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage gave another outstanding display in difficult conditions to easily take out Race 4 of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) won the start and crossed 7 on the first two tacks but once Gotta Love It 7 grabbed the lead the crew continually drew away from the fleet to win by 4m.
Nick Press, Dan Phillips and Dave Ewings also gave a great display to take second place in Smeg, with Andrew Chapman Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge a further 22s back in Mojo Wine.
Coopers 62-Rag & Famish finished fourth, ahead of Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) and Sydney City Marine (David Witt).
Gotta Love It 7 heads the point total on 3, followed by Smeg on 8, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers 9, Sydney City Marine and Coopers 62-Rag & Famish on 12 and Mojo Wine on 16.
The race was sailed over the South course with all teams using their smaller #2 rigs.
Gotta Love It 7’s crew showed the skill that makes them so hard to beat as they grabbed a 30s lead on the shory windward leg from the start in Athol Bay to the windward mark off Clarke Island.
Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Smeg and Coopers-Rag were together with Fisher & Paykel (Grant Rollerson), Mojo Wine, Sydney City Marine and Yandoo (John Winning) close behind.
The long spinnaker run to Obelisk Bay YA Buoy divided the thoughts of the fleet with some teams setting their extras immediately while others chose a 2-sail reach half way along the run before setting a spinnaker.
7 increased her lead to 1m over Smeg and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers then virtually put the race out of reach for her opposition as the margin was 1m45s after the next windward leg into Rose Bay.
Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Smeg were only 4s apart at this point with Yandoo now up to fourth ahead of Coopers-Rag & Famish and Mojo Wine.
The wind dropped away to almost nothing over the next two legs of the course and Team Seven were brilliant as she took the lead out to 3½m at Clarke Island.
Smeg also established her position in second place, with a break of another 1½m to Coopers 62-Rag & Famish.
The light wind persisted on the next spinnaker run to Obelisk then freshened for the beat back into Rose Bay.
Smeg reduced 7s lead to 2½m at Rose Bay, while Andrew Chapman, standing in for regular skipper Chris Nicholson, had Mojo Wine up to third.
These placings didn’t change over the final two legs of the course although Gotta Love It had increased her margin to 4m at the finish.
Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage left immediately after the race to fly to Singapore where they will sail Pindar in the Extreme Sailing series regatta.
Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com.
View the latest race each week – every race filmed from start to finish plus a 3 minute round up
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Race 5 of the NSW Championship will be sailed next Sunday.
The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm.
Frank Quealey
February 9, 2014
Australian Championship – Race 5 Club Championship – Race 7
18ft Skiffs
Australian Championship, Race 5
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Sydney Harbour
Gotta Love It 7 became the 2013-2014 Australian 18ft Skiff champion after another brilliant win in the final race of the championship on Sydney Harbour today.
Seve Jarvin, Scott Babbage and Ed Smythe (replacing the regular for’ard hand Sam Newton, who was married yesterday) again proved their dominance with the #2 rig on the North-East course to win by 53s.
Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy, Peter Harris) also sailed superbly as the team pushed the 7 crew all the way.
The gap back to third was 2m48s but the race for that position produced the highlight of the day as three boats crossed the finishing line just 9s apart.
Fisher & Paykel (Grant Rollerson) and Mojo Wine (Chris Nicholson) fought hard and looked to have that position between them until Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones, Jeronimo Harrison, James Dorron) flashed in on the port gybe to take third by 2s from Fisher & Paykel.
Five teams went into today’s final race with just four points separating them.
Mojo Wine and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) were equal leaders one point ahead of Gotta Love It 7, but 7’s win gave the team a final pointscore of nine points, one ahead of Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, with Mojo Wine finishing third on 12 points.
It was a great finish to a closely-fought championship and makes the upcoming 2014 JJ Giltinan Championship, supported by Sydney City Marine, a must see event.
It was Seve Jarvin’s fifth Australian 18ft Skiff Championship victory.
Today’s race was sailed in a moderate North East wind which didn’t reach the strength predicted earlier in the day.
After an even start it wasn’t long before Gotta Love It 7 had taken the lead narrowly from Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel.
Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane), De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn), Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Mojo Wine, Fisher & Paykel, Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) and Sydney City Marine (David Witt) were leading the next group.
Gotta Love It 7’s lead was 15s from Coopers 62-Rag & Famish at the Beashel (windward) Buoy, followed by Appliancesonline, Fisher & Paykel, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Mojo Wine, Asko Appliances and De’Longhi-Rabbitohs.
The downwind speed of the red machine is unmatched with the #2 rig and 7’s lead at the bottom mark off Clarke Island was out to 1m5s.
Thurlow Fisher’s chances of winning the title also vanished when she capsized as the crew were endeavouring to effect a penalty turn.
The second windward beat saw Coopers 62-Rag & Famish get to within a couple of boat lengths of Gotta Love It 7 and was only 12s behind the leader at the Beashel Buoy.
The 7 team gybed early and once again extended the lead over Coopers-Rag to 35s at the Clarke Island mark.
The final lap of the course saw the positions remained unchanged between the two leaders, while the group behind them were providing all the action.
Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com.
View the latest race each week – every race filmed from start to finish plus a 3 minute round up
Register for the archive of the last 2 seasons (older races being updated)
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Race 4 of the NSW Championship will be sailed next Sunday.
The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm.
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League
February 2, 2014
Australian Championship – Race 4 Club Championship – Race 6 Commodore Cup
18ft Skiffs
Australian Championship, Race 4
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Sydney Harbour
The Gotta Love It 7 crew of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage gave another brilliant exhibition in the 16-18-knot East wind to dominate Race 4 of the Australian 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
The defending champion team grabbed the lead soon after the start and were relentless as they powered away from the fleet throughout the race.
Mojo Wine (Chris Nicholson, Mike McKensey, Ricky Bridge) was 1m28s behind ‘7’, with Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Dave O’Connor, Trent Barnabas) another 36s back in third place.
Jack Macartney’s Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel finished fourth, ahead of Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Fisher & Paykel (Grant Rollerson).
Today’s result has thrown the championship wide open, after each team has discarded the worst performance to date.
Mojo Wine and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers are equal on seven points, followed by Gotta Love It 7 on eight, Asko Appliances 10, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel 11 and Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) on 14.
The Australian champion is now likely to come from the winner of next Sunday’s race.
At the first windward mark today, the margin was just 10s for Gotta Love It 7 over Grant Rollerson’s Fisher & Paykel, Lumix and Sydney City Marine (David Witt).
7s downwind leg was awesome as the team extended the lead to 1m15s over Mojo Wine, Lumix and a group including Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel, Sydney City Marine and Fisher & Paykel.
The following windward beat saw the lead go to 1m30s but Gotta Love It 7 once again proved too good downwind as the margin was pushed out to 2m.
With the race well in hand, the Team Seven crew seemed content to sail conservatively over the finallap.
While 7s lead was unchallenged, the battle behind the red machine was extremely close.
Mojo Wine and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers held a terrific battle for second place and overall lead in the championship.
Lumix, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel and Fisher & Paykel were also locked in a race long battle, while Asko Appliances recovered from a start recall to join the group late in the race.
Sydney City Marine’s chances were destroyed with a badly torn spinnaker on the middle run.
Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com.
https://new.livestream.com/lsa/events/2675886/videos/41237631
View the latest race each week – every race filmed from start to finish plus a 3 minute round up
Register for the archive of the last 2 seasons (older races being updated)
Enter pick the podium and win TVs, sunnies, yachting gear and much more
Race 5 (the final race) of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday.
The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm.
January 26, 2014
Australian Championship – Race 3 NSW Championship – Race 3 Club Championship – Race 5 Lord Mayor’s Trophy
18ft Skiffs
Australian Championship, Race 3
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Sydney Harbour
The Mojo Wine 18ft Skiff team returned to form after a disappointing race last Sunday to take out Race 3 of the Australian Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
Chris Nicholson, Mike McKensey and Ricky Bridge finished 1m2s ahead of Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Dave O’Connor and Trent Barnabas), with Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy and Peter Harris) just 6s further back in third place.
Early leader in today’s race, Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones) finished fourth, ahead of Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) and Fishewr & Paykel (Grant Rollerson).
With two more races still to be sailed in the championship, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers leads on 7 points, followed by Asko Appliances on 12, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel 14, Lumix 16, Mojo Wine 17 and Appliancesonline.com.au on 22.
Today’s race was sailed, as part of the Australia Day Regatta, over a three-laps windward-return course in a 6-8 knot SE breeze.
In such conditions you would expect few problems yet two of the highly fancied skiffs were out at the start.
Defending champion Seve Jarvin’s Gotta Love It 7 was forced out in the lead up to the start with a broken boom.
Smeg (Nick Press) was another casualty after being hit by two other competitors at the start.
Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com.
https://new.livestream.com/lsa/events/2675886/videos/40552427
View the latest race each week – every race filmed from start to finish plus a 3 minute round up
Register for the archive of the last 2 seasons (older races being updated)
Enter pick the podium and win TVs, sunnies, yachting gear and much more
Race 4 of the Australian Championship will be sailed next Sunday.
The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm.
December 15, 2013
NSW Championship – Race 2 Club Championship – Race 2 Syd. Barnett Jr. Memorial Trophy
18ft Skiffs
NSW Championship, Race 2
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Sydney Harbour
A decision made by the Gotta Love It 7 team shortly after the start was a critical factor in the skiff’s easy victory in Race 2 of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
The Gotta Love It 7 crew of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage sailed brilliantly in very testing conditions to win by 1m43s and establish a clear lead in the championship.
Dave Witt, Tom Clout and Keagan York finished second in Sydney City Marine, with Dan Phillips, Gary Phillips and Dave Ewings third in Smeg, a further 26s behind Sydney City Marine.
Gotta Love It 7 heads the pointscore on 2 points, followed by Sydney City Marine on 6, Smeg 6, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) 8, Fisher & Paykel (Grant Rollerson) 11 and Lumix (Jonathan Whitty) on 14.
Today’s race was sailed in a fluky 7-knot ENE breeze over a four-lap windward-return course.
After an even start, although Mojo Wine (Chris Nicholson) returned to restart when the skiff hadn’t been recalled, the ‘7’ crew made their successful move.
While most of the fleet sailed a middle course or went left, Jarvin and his team elected to go to the RHS of the course where they picked up the best breeze and quickly opened up a 30s break over Smeg at the windward mark.
Sydney City Marine was another 30s back with the rest of the fleet floundering in extremely light air off the buoy.
Once in front the polished crew on Gotta Love It 7 quickly extended the lead to 1m20s at the bottom mark, then to 3m20s at the following windward buoy.
Smeg’s margin over Sydney City Marine was now down to just 10s and the interest was obviously on that battle.
With the wind changing direction many times, the positions behind 7 were also changing regularly.
By the third windward mark, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers got to within 1m30s of 7, followed by Fisher & Paykel, Sydney City Marine, Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) and Smeg.
With second place seemingly at her mercy down the final spinnaker run to the finish, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers took a ‘swim’ and the crew had to watch the fleet sail by before she could recover for a disappointing sixth place.
Video coverage of the race can be seen on www.18footerstv.com.
- View the latest race of the week – every race filmed from start to finish plus a 3 minute round up
- Register for the archive of the last 2 seasons (older races being updated)
- Enter pick the podium and win TVs, sunnies, yachting gear and much more
Today’s race was the club’s final race before the break over Christmas and the New Year.
Racing will resume with Race 1 of the Australian Championship on Sunday 12 January.
The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Wharf at 2.15pm.
Frank Quealey
