18ft Skiffs Giltinan Championship - Gotta Love It 7 defend title

by Frank Quealey on 26 Feb 2012 Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship seventh race was held on Sydney Harbour today, Sunday 26 February 2012. 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.

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 and 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 number 1 rigs.

Gotta Love It 7 took the honours again, this time by 2 minutes and 14 seconds from Thurlow Fisher, with Mojo Wine a further 14 seconds 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 10 seconds 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 10 seconds 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.