18ft Skiffs- Club Championship - Race one

Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel and Gotta Love It 7 battle for second place behind Mojo Wine at the windward mark - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Mojo Wine chases Gotta Love It 7 on the tight spinnaker run to Chowder Bay - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Two of the top skiffs had major skipper changes. James Francis replaced Seve Jarvin on Gotta Love It 7 and Hugh Stodart replaced Michael Coxon on Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.

The change on the ‘7’red machine made little difference as Gotta Love It 7 (James Francis, Sam Newton, Scott Babbage) scored another brilliant victory – by 2m58s.

Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney, Mark Kennedy, Charles Dorron), sporting a brand new #2 rig, finished in second place, with Smeg (David Witt, Tom Clout, Reece Goldsmith) a further 1m30s back in third place.

Yandoo (John Winning) was fourth, followed by Compassmarkets.com (Keegan York) and Mojo Wine (Lee Knapton).

Mojo Wine leads at the windward mark - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Knapton and his Mojo Wine team led to the windward mark in Rose Bay where they headed a closely bunched fleet headed by Coopers-Rag & Famish, Smeg and Gotta Love It 7.

Team Seven grabbed a narrow lead from Mojo after the long spinnaker run from Rose Bay to Robertson Point and maintained a 15s margin on the following windward beat back to Clarke Island.

Coopers 62-Rag & Famish and Smeg were next followed by Yandoo, Compassmarkets.com.

Mojo Wine challenged ‘7’ strongly on the run to Chowder Bay but couldn’t bridge the gap, then ‘7’ powered away on the next work into Rose Bay.

Coopers 62-Rag & Famish Hotel was making up time and moved ahead of Mojo Wine, whose chances disappeared in a wild capsize on the bear-away.

Little changed over the final four legs of the course with Gotta Love 7’s crew sailing superbly to record their convincing victory.

John Winning's experienced Yandoo crew was an excellent fourth in the tough conditions - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

The Alf Beashel Memorial Trophy for the handicap section of the race went to John Winning’s Yandoo.

A wonderful result when the trophy honouring one of the greatest 18 Footer men of the past (Alf Beashel) is won by one of the present great 18 Footer men.

Chasing the leader down the first spinnaker run - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Compassmarkets.com sporting her new sails finished a creditable fifth place - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

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Gotta Love It 7 jumps through the waves on her way to victory - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

Smeg was consistent throughout the race to finish third - 2014-2015 Australian 18 Footers - Club Championship. © Australian 18 Footers League http://www.18footers.com.au

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