F11 All Girl Crews take out the boys at UH Champs

by David Price on 3 Nov 2008
Saturday 1st November - Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Sailing Club, Sydney Harbour.

This year's McGrath Real Estate Flying Eleven 2008 Upper Harbour Championships have been won by all girl Manly 16's crew 1363 Crunchie Olivia Price and Maddie Clancy after a very tough fought battle with the lead changing almost as many times as the undulating 'true river sailing' conditions on the course set from Clarkes Point to Goat Island in the SSE 10-20kts fluctuating breeze and strong runout tide.

All crews experienced elation one tack only to be bucketed on in the next tack as the fleet of Flying Elevens not only battled each other towards the top mark at Goat Island, also finding the fast running tide a real challenge coupled with on again - off again gusts sometimes a bit of a lucky dip favouring only the few at any given moment. The spectator craft had their hands full keeping up with the ever changing positions of each boat.

By the first mark, the local crews demonstrated their superior knowledge of the waters by rounding ahead of the visitors, with 1293 Relentless Claire Lunsmann and Melinda Smith LC12'SSC ahead of team mates 1341 Top Gear Thomas Jensen and Adam Mariani LC12'SSC, with Manly 16's current club champ 1353 Flying Hellfish Josh McKnight and Ira Dubery, 1364 [no name] Angela Bates and Simon Boardman from Cronulla SC, and 1363 Crunchie M16'SSC all in hot pursuit.

The next two laps of the course had 1293 Relentless claiming the top mark each time around with 1363 Crunchie tucked in behind, the remaining lead boats 1358 Decoy Declan Rohr and Alex Paton of Hunters Hill SC, 1353 Flying Hellfish, 1355 [no name] Tim Forbes-Smith and Will Dargaville of Avalon SC, and 1368 Cotton On Scott Cotton and Max Vos ASC oscillating in turn to chase the front two boats to the finish line.

By the final downwind leg back to Clarkes Point, the Manly girls of 1363 Crunchie had assumed the lead over the local Lane Cove girls of 1293 Relentless, both clear ahead of the pack. From the bottom mark to the finish line, 1363 Crunchiw maintained their lead covering tack for tack 1293 Relentless to take line honours for the 2008 McGrath Real Estate F11 Upper Harbour Championships.

The preliminary Dash-For-Cash event from the Lane Cove club house to the starting line of the UHC was its usual fickle tussle across the waters known as 'humbug' down the Lane Cove River to the Parramatta River at Clarkes Point. The first start produced a general recall resulting with the second start under the black flag. It was 'liquorish allsorts' the entire way down the river, with the early lead boats being overtaken at the last two tacks to the finish by 1358 Decoy Delan Rohr and Alex Paton HHSC in first place, followed by 1293 Relentless Claire Lunsmann and Melinda Smith LC12'SSC second and 1364 [no name] Angela Bates and Simon Boardman from CSC the third cash winners.

Results: Upper Harbour Championships - Scratch
1363 CRUNCHIE Olivia Price & Maddie Clancy M16’SSC
1293 RELENTLESS Claire Lunsmann and Melinda Smith LC12’SSC
1355 – Tim Forbes-Smith and Will Dargaville ASC

Handicap
1. 1355 – Tim Forbes-Smith and Will Dargaville
2. 1368 COTTON ON Scott Cotton and Max Vos ASC
3. 1353 FLYING HELLFISH Josh McKnight and Ira Dubery M16’SSC

Results: Dash-For-Cash
1358 DECOY Declan Rohr and Alex Paton LC12’SSC
1293 RELENTLESS Clair Lunsmann and Melinda Smith LC12’SSC
1364 – Angela Bates and Simon Boardman CSC