Youth Nationals 2013 – Close races highlight penultimate day

by Craig Heydon on 9 Jan 2013 The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship 2013 showcased pulsating and razor-sharp finishes on the penultimate day of competition in River Derwent with three races completed for the Bic Techno 293 fleet and two more classes before strong winds swept through and forced the races to be abandoned yet again.

Close racing has highlighted the penultimate day of the 2013 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship in Hobart, Tasmania.

Crews again faced strong, gusty, winds on the River Derwent, with three races completed for the Bic Techno 293 fleet, and two for all others, before racing was abandoned as the breeze continued to build.

Local sailor Jock Calvert has opened up a four point lead at the front of the Bic Techno 293 fleet, ahead of fellow Tasmanian Hugh Jones with New South Wales sailor Antoine King third.

Calvert won the opening race of the day before a pair of seconds, allowing him to pull ahead of Jones and King on the leader board.

'It was a tough day,' said Calvert. 'The wind was really shifty which made it really hard to windsurf because it’s nice to go in big, long, straight lines and they’re slow to tack so that made it tricky but it was good fun.

'We had some really close racing as no one could get too far in front,' he said. 'I won the first race even though I nearly mucked it up and then had two seconds, I’m pretty happy with that as it leaves me first overall.'

Annalise Gilbert continues to lead the girl’s fleet and is fourth overall, following two thirds and her first win of the regatta on Wednesday. Gilbert is one point behind King heading into the final day of racing.

West Australian sailors William Boulden and Nicholas Gale continue to lead the 420 fleet following a first and a third. The results mean that the pair remains three points clear of Xavier Winston-Smith and Joshua Dawson who finished with a third and a second.

Lachlan Gilmour and Thomas Blaauw shot up the leader board on Wednesday as they were able to discard their black flag from the opening race at the completion of race five. The West Australian crew was fifth in the opening race before winning race two, moving them into third overall, four points behind second.

Carrie Smith and Ella Clark continue to lead the girl’s fleet and are fourth overall following a fourth and a seventh in the blustery conditions.

Queenslanders Charlie Wyatt and Lewis Brake have taken the lead in the 29er fleet following five races but it’s extremely tight at the top. The pair finished with a third and a first to give themselves a two point lead over Henry and Grant Makin who had the best day on the water with a first and a second.

Overnight leaders Harry Price and Angus Williams are now third, just a point behind the Makins, after a second and a fifth on the River Derwent.

Tess Lloyd and Eliza Solly are the leading female crew in fifth overall, following a pair of fourths. Nina Long and Nathan Edwards continue to lead the mixed fleet in seventh.

In the Laser Radial class defending Australian champion Mark Spearman has opened up a three point lead over Thomas Vincent at the end race six. Spearman had a third and a first, with Vincent finishing with a pair of seconds.

Christopher Andersen is third overall, four points behind Vincent heading into the final day. Louise Evans is the leading female sailor in seventh, ahead of Anna Philip who is 16th overall.

Conor Nicholas leads the Laser 4.7 class, just one point ahead of Japanese sailor Daichi Takayama and Richard Maher.

Tasmanian Anna Vaughn is the leading female in ninth, ahead of Melissa Hitchen-Haw.

Racing concludes on Thursday afternoon with positions on the Australian Sailing Youth Team to be decided.