Australian Youth Championships - Tight battles on day 2

by Craig Heydon on 8 Jan 2012 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championships 2012 is underway at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. The on-water action has heated up on day two with tight battles throughout the fleets, a feature of Sunday’s racing.

As the temperature got up above 30 degrees and the breeze nudged 16 knots at times throughout the afternoon the six fleets were all able to complete three races on Brisbane’s Moreton Bay, with race wins spread around in most classes.

The exception to this was the Techno 293 class where New South Wales sailor Sam Treharne continued his strong run at this event with three wins from three starts.

Treharne’s three wins on Sunday, together with his two wins and a third from day one has given him a 10 point lead over Antoine King with Paris Stowell just a point further back in third.

New Zealander Andrew McKenzie continues to lead the way in the Laser Radial class following two fourths and a first, leaving him five points clear of West Australian Mark Spearman with fellow Kiwi Matthew Kempkers one point behind Spearman in third.

Spearman, who represented Australia at the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games, had a third, a second and a fourth and is one of just two Australian sailors in the Laser Radial top eight, with New Zealanders filling the other six spots.

'The wind got up today, gradually building, but it was still quite shifty and pretty tough,' said Spearman. 'In all three races we had some good battles amongst all of the top guys.

'With four races left I want to keep an eye on the other Australian for the spot in the Australian Youth Sailing Team and hopefully get up and beat the Kiwis,' he said.

Queenslander Madison Kennedy is the top ranked female sailor in the Laser Radial fleet in ninth overall.

Victorian Jack Felsenthal had another strong day in the Laser 4.7 fleet with two wins and a second allowing him to open a 14 point lead over second placed Charlie Wyatt after the opening six races.

Wyatt has a slender one point advantage over Tasmanian Jock Calvert in third with fourth and fifth just a point further back.

In the 420 fleet West Australians Carrie Smith and Ella Clark are second overall, just a point behind the Singaporean crew of Darren Choy and Nathan Tang with Lachlan Gilmour and Thomas Blaauw third.

Smith and Clark fought back from gear breakage in the first race to round out the day with a win and a second.

'Today was a better day for us,' said Smith. 'Saying that our spinnaker busted into a million pieces in the first race so we had to do most of it with just half a spinnaker.

'We managed to fight back and then had a much better second and third race,' she said. 'Going into the final two days we’re feeling good, the conditions were great today and in that last race the breeze was filled in and it was nice and easy to get up and plane.'

The points are tied at the top of the table in the 29er class with Tess Lloyd and Lewis Duncan, and Tom Siganto and Joel Turner both on 13 points after six races.

Lloyd and Duncan fought back well from a black flag in race one to finish the day with a first and a fourth while Siganto and Turner were consistent with two wins and a third.

Harry Price and Nathan Edwards are six points further back in third with Philippa and Eliza Solly the leading all female crew in fifth.

Paul Darmanin and Lucy Copeland are at the top of the leaderboard in the Hobie 16 class seven points ahead of Paddy Gilbert and Harrison West with Michelle Bursa and Chelsea Haynes third.

Darmanin and Copeland started the day with two wins, with a fifth in the third and final race.

'We started the day well with two wins but in the last race there was a bit of confusion with a change of mark and we went to second to fifth,' said Darmanin. 'We’ve still got the overall lead and are happy with it, we’re just going to keep it consistent which seems to be Australian Youth Championships website