JJ Giltinan Trophy - Yamaha leads Kiwi trio into top eight in Race 3

by Richard Gladwell Sail-World.com NZL on 16 Feb 2016 Two Kiwi boats got off to a flying start in Race 3 of the JJ Giltinan Trophy. Both started at the pin end, but quickly came up against Chowder Point, and were forced to tack.

The rookie crew on AON (Will Tiller) started right on the starting pin, managed to flip onto port, taking advantage of a 30-degree wind-shift to the left, and was able to clear the starboard tack fleet.

AON almost managed to lay the top mark, in what could have been a one-tack beat.

Yamaha (David McDiarmid), the NZ national champion was not so fortunate, being forced to double tack to avoid the oncoming traffic, before she too could break through onto the favoured port tack.

As it was, AON had to sail five boat lengths on starboard to reach the first mark, and Yamaha had to sail just two lengths before rounding.

It the first mark it was Kiwis in first and second - a rare sight on Sydney Harbour - causing many fans to do a double-take.

'We got a really good start', Dave McDiarmid told Sail-World. We looked like we were going to cross the fleet, but did a bad tack, on our first tack. Then we got caught by a starboard tack boat and had to dig back again. But we got the left-hand shift off the start line, and were still able to cross most of the fleet.'

'AON did it perfectly and crossed the whole fleet, and they were gone for the first lap.'

'There were five good boats all going the same speed, but one boat would get the shift and move ahead, and the lead changed. We were sailing between second and fifth - which is what most of the front group were doing. It was five good boats racing in the same piece of water.

Before the start, it was definitely #2 rig. We had expected it to be blowing harder than it was after one of the early launch boats got hit by a massive gust as they left the ramp and went down the mine right in front of the yacht club!'

'That scared everyone a little. When we first arrived in the race area, it was windy, but died off as the race progressed.'

Defending champion, Gotta Love It 7, put a reef in her mainsail just after launching in reaction to the conditions, while McDiarmid believes it didn't hurt her performance - she finished second - it would have been the wrong move for them.

'It was a really puffy SE breeze - easily over 20kts. A massive puff would come through and then it would drop back to 15kts.'

On points appliancesonline.com.au are leading overall, after skipper David Witt, a big breeze colossus, scored their second win for the regatta. The 1999 winner said before the regatta if they had four big breeze days - then they would be in with a good chance. So far they have had their wish on two of the three race days, and are on target for a series win, at this stage.

A range of just eight points separates the top five boats, with Yamaha in fifth overall. Her fourth today is her best place yet, and she is improving her places every race.

'We are definitely happy where we are at present,' says McDiarmid. 'Those places are all keepers. It is expected to go light later in the regatta, and when if that happens the top boats will be all over the place.

'Anything in the top six or seven is very good. If we are going to challenge for the podium at the end of the regatta, we are going to have to put some top two places on the scoreboard. But we are still alive, with what we are doing.

'We are sailing conservatively, not doing big flyers but staying in contact and just engaging boat on boat, to get the places.'

The racing in the JJ Giltinan Trophy this year is much closer than last when Gotta Love It 7 was completely dominant in all conditions.

In 2016, a group of six boats are making the running, and with the possible exception of appliancesonline.com.au are sharing the places. The question with David Witt will be whether the heavy air specialist can stay consistent if the light weather eventuates.

Of their opposition, McDiarmid notes that most of the boats around them are new boats, and have also put in a lot of time on the water.

'There are six boats that could still win it. This is awesome racing. The lead is constantly swapping .'

There were two surprise packets in Race 3. First the rookie New Zealand crew in AON, led by Will Tiller, who got the jump at the start and led for most of the first lap, until they had to drop a spinnaker to avoid a Manly Ferry. Those behind them used their deficit, picked the better angle and the Kiwis paid a big price, dropping several places to the chasing pack.

The other was Compass Global Markets who marched through the fleet on one beat, through a combination of outstanding boat speed and picking a left-hand shift which paid a handsome dividend.

'They came out of nowhere and were as fast as anyone we raced today!'

On the water commentators reported that Compass GM pulled 90seconds out of the lead boats on just that beat.

At the finish, there were three New Zealand boats in the top eight, with Yamaha in fourth, AON climbing back to sixth and Knight Frank turning in a handy eighth place.

Despite her best finish to date, McDiarmid says Yamaha had their share of issues around the course. 'For some reason, all our hoists and drops didn't go to plan. On one, we had a lot of centreboard up, and for some reason the halyard got a full wrap around the centreboard, and the tangle was buried under a spinnaker bag. It took a while to figure out what was going on there and why the halyard wouldn't go up. Another drop and another line on the boat did a full half-hitch around the patching on the tack of the kite - but that was relatively minor.'

Not so fortunate was C-Tech (Alex Vallings) who completed a hat-trick of run-ins with De Longhi (AUS). The third and latest collision ripped the rudder gantry off the back of C-Tech. But for that incident, the Kiwi four-manner would have been in the front group in the big breeze and long beats.

McDiarmid says that C-Tech was on starboard at the incident and should be exonerated as the right of way boat by the Protest Committee at a Hearing on Wednesday morning. Redress is also likely for the Kiwi boat.

In the first race, De Longhi protested C-Tech for a shunt infringement, but the Protest Committee found against the Australian. In Race 2 there was a further incident between the two after C-Tech failed to give right of way. C-Tech started a penalty turn, but only a completed a 270-degree turn instead of the required full circle. No protest was lodged, immediately after the race and De Longhi would appear to be out of time to protest on that count.

'However it is an Australian protest committee,' McDiarmid noted.