Australian Schools Team Racing Championship day 3

by Peter Campbell on 12 Jul 2013 Schools from Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania hold the first five places on the leader board going into tomorrow’s final rounds and finals of the Harcourts Australian schools team racing championship on Hobart’s River Derwent.

After the completion of the 204th race today, sailing in Yachting Tasmania’s one-design dinghies, Scotch College from Perth, WA, and St Joseph’s College from Port Lincoln, SA, have each scored 14 wins.

Third placed Friends School team from Hobart has notched up 11 wins while another local school, St Virgils/Guilford Young College, is fourth overall with 10 wins. Another WA team, Shenton College, is fifth overall, also with 10 wins.

The first two matches of the final lead-up rounds today will see significant clashes involving the top four schools: Scotch College versus St Josephs and Friends versus St Virgils/GYC.

The young sailors today faced a wide range of sailing conditions on the Derwent – 'zero to 25 knots,' according to international race officer Nick Hutton.

'The eight top teams to go into the finals is still wide open but the best teams are certainly starting to identify themselves with impressive results…St Josephs from Port Lincoln and Perth’s Scotch College are sailing consistently well, as are the locals, Friends Blue team and St VIrgils/GYC,' he said after yesterday’s races.

Of the other Tasmanian schools, Hutchins is 10th overall with nine wins, Friends Red is 15th with eight wins and Fahan has had seven wins to be 17th overall among the 24 teams.

Race officers of Sandy Bay Sailing Club and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania plan to run.

The top ten teams after 144 races are:

1. Scotch College (WA) 14 wins
2. St Josephs (SA) 14 wins
3. Friends Blue (Tas) 11 wins
4. St Virgils/Guilford Young College (Tas) 10 wins
5. Shenton College (WA) 10 wins
6. Brisbane Grammar (QLD) 10 wins
7. Iona College (QLD) 10 wins
8. Mater Maria (NSW) 10 wins
9. St Michaels (Vic) 10 wins
10. Haileybury (Vic) nine wins

Other Tasmanian school placings after 204 races: 11, Hutchins (Tas) nine wins; 15, Friends Red 8 wins; 17, Fahan seven wins