18ft Skiff NSW Championship on Sydney Harbour - Race 5
by Frank Quealey 19 Dec 2021 08:39 UTC
19 December 2021
Rookie Rag & Famish Hotel 18ft Skiff racing team of Harry Price, Gus Williams and Harry Hall achieved an amazing result in the extremely strong westerly winds that battered the race course when it took out Race 5 of the NSW Championship against an experienced 20-boat fleet on Sydney Harbour today.
The young team was one of a few which survived (without a capsize) when a 25-30 squall hit the fleet as it was sailing downwind on the long leg from Kurraba Point on the northern side of the harbour to the Rose Bay bottom mark in the south.
The official result gave the race to Rag & Famish Hotel victory by 1m43s from the current JJ Giltinan world champion Michael Coxon and his Smeg team of Matt Stenta and Zac Barnabas.
Noakesailing (Josh Porebski, Ed Powys and Leanard Takahashi) was a further 1m12s back in third place, followed by Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn), Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis) and Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Steve Thomas).
At one point midway through the race on the nearly deserted harbour, when the massive squall hit the leaders as they raced from Kurraba Point to Rose Bay, it looked more like high-speed chaos than a state championship race of talented skiff sailors.
John Winning's Yandoo had led the race at Kurraba Point but Michael Coxon's Smeg was only metres behind Yandoo as the pair began a short, but highly exciting spinnaker dash at the peak of the gust, which unfortunately for both ended in a capsize only metres apart in the middle of the harbour.
Each crew could then do little but watch as the then third-placed Rag & Famish Hotel sped past them to ultimately go on and win the race.
Finport Finance won the start and was the early race leader as the fleet raced downwind, but it was the series leader Yandoo which led from Smeg, Burrawang-Young Henrys, Rag & Famish Hotel, Shaw and Partners Financial Services, Noakesailing, Finport Finance, Lazarus Capital Partners (Marcus Ashley-Jones) and Tech2 (Jack Macartney).
With three races in the championship still to be sailed in the new year, and each team's worst performances in the championship to be discarded, the progress point scores to date have Yandoo in the lead with a total of 8 points, followed by Tech2 on 9, Noakesailing on 10, Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis) 20, Shaw and Partners Financial Services 21 and Rag & Famish Hotel on 24 points.
Strong performances in today's tough conditions has Finport Finance (Keagan York) next on 25 points followed by Burrawang-Young Henrys on 37.
Rag & Famish Hotel's championship victory also gave the team victory in the Australian 18 Footers League's Clubhouse Trophy race, held in conjunction with Race 5.
Racing at the Australian 18 Footers League will go into recess over the Christmas-New Year holiday period and will return on January 16 with Race 6 of the NSW Championship.
Spectators can follow the race on board the club's spectator ferry, however due to the Covid policy numbers are limited. Booking online through 18footers.com is essential.
For those unable to make it out onto the water, the club's live broadcast team will be on Sydney Harbour to capture all the action. Live streaming is available at 18footers.com by clicking on the '18 Footers TV' link.
Results after Race 5:
Pos | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
1 | Yandoo (John Winning Snr / Fang Warren / Mike Kennedy) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 |
2 | Tech2 (Luke Parkinson / Charlie Wyatt / Lewis Brake) | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 9 |
3 | Noakesailing (Sean Langman / Ed Powys / Josh Porebski) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 10 |
4 | Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis / Nathan Edwards / Kurt Fatouros) | 4 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 6 | 20 |
5 | Shaw & Partners Financial Services (Steve Thomas / Lidsay Stead / Locky Pryor) | 6 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 21 |
6 | Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price / Josh McKnight / Harry Hall) | 19 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 24 |
7 | Finport Finance (Keagan York / Bryce Edwards / Phill Marshall) | 11 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 25 |
8 | Burrawang‑Young Henrys (Simon Nearn / Rory Cox / Brandon Buyink) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 27 |
9 | Smeg (Michael Coxan / Ricky Bridge / Zac Barnabus) | 3 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 33 |
10 | The Kitchen Maker/ Ceasarstone (Lachlan Steel / Jerome Watts / Matt Doyle) | 10 | 21 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 43 |
11 | Balmain Slake (Henry Larkings / Max Paul / Flynn Twomey) | 7 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 43 |
12 | 18 Footers Bar and Restaurant (Pedro Vozone / Cam Walker / Paddy Bannon) | 12 | 9 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 44 |
13 | Noakes Youth (Tom Cunich / Charlie Zeeman / Fynn Sprott) | 19 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 8 | 50 |
14 | Noakes Blue (Yvette Heritage / Tom Clout / James Turner) | 9 | 22 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 55 |
15 | Appliances Online (Alex Marinelli / Darcy McCraken / Tyler Creevey) | 19 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 20 | 55 |
16 | Birkenhead Point Marina (Tim Westwood / Felix Daverio / Alex Chittenden) | 22 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 20 | 62 |
17 | Lazarus Capital Partners (Marcus Ashley Jones / Jeronimo Harrison / Cam Gundy) | 19 | 21 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 66 |
18 | Andoo (Seve Jarvin / Matt Stenta / Sam Newton) | 22 | 21 | 22 | 3 | 22 | 68 |
19 | Lazarus Development (Hugo Stoner / Hugo Leeming / Alex Watson) | 19 | 13 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 70 |
20 | The Oak Double Bay / 4 Pines (Aron Everett / John Cooley / Charlie Gundy) | 19 | 21 | 9 | 21 | 22 | 70 |
21 | Ilve (Nick Daly / Joel Turner / John Walton) | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 85 |