Australian 18 Footers League’s Major A. Frizelle Trophy

by Frank Quealey on 19 Oct 2014

Gotta Love It 7 powers to the finish line - 18ft Skiffs Major A. Frizelle Trophy 2014 Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

18ft Skiffs Major A. Frizelle Trophy Sunday, 19 October 2014, Sydney Harbour - The brilliant conditions of last week’s opening race of the season were duplicated today when the Australian 18 Footers League’s Major A. Frizelle Trophy race was sailed in a 20–knot North East wind on Sydney Harbour.

Current JJ Giltinan champion Gotta Love It 7 team of Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage showed why they are the world’s best team when they dominated the fleet to score a 3m4s victory.

Coopers 62-Rag and Famish Hotel with sponsor Peter Calligeros on the sheet - 18ft Skiffs Major A. Frizelle Trophy 2014 © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Backmarker Thurlow Fisher Lawyers crew (Michael Coxon, Dave O’Connor and Dave Ewings) also showed their skill to finish second, with Coopers 62-Rag and Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy, Peter Calligeros) a further 21s back in third place.

Yandoo (Nick Press) was fourth, followed by Mojo Wine Lee Knapton) and Appliancesonline.com.au (Micah Lane).

Concentration shows on the faces of the De'Longhi crew - 18ft Skiffs Major A. Frizelle Trophy 2014 © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

De’Longhi (Simon Nearn) looked certain to finish fourth but a capsize just 50 metres from the finish sent the skiff back into 10th place.

Smeg (David Witt) also suffered a heavy loss of placings when spinnaker halyard problems forced the team back from second position to finish ninth.

Gotta Love It 7 was in the lead from the start and led the fleet down the first spinnaker run from Smeg and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.

David Witt and his Smeg team were superb on the run between Shark and Clarke islands and grabbed a narrow lead over ‘7’at the bottom mark.

Back on the wind, Gotta Love It 7 again grabbed the lead from Smeg and gradually eased away continually over the following two laps of the course.

Smeg and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers staged their own personal match race and there was little between the two teams before Smeg lost the halyard.

The next group also produced some close racing and spectacular action.

Coopers 62-Rag and Famish Hotel, De’Longhi, Yandoo, Lumix (Kevin Nixon) Appliancesonline and Mojo Wine were the most prominent of this group.