Tough contest for Club Marine NSW Youth Match title

by Lisa Ratcliff, CYCA on 2 Sep 2004 This weekend's Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship will bring together nine teams consisting of Australia's best match racers for two days of intense racing on Sydney Harbour.

The host club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is putting forward three teams to defend its title including last year's winning skipper Seve Jarvin with his new crewmembers Tom Clout and Sam Newton.

Robert Bell, the sheet hand for Seve Jarvin during the team's string of successes last year and the Australian Schools Teams Racing champion this year, has combined with James Francis and Ed Christian to form another strong CYCA team.

Evan Walker, who won the Australian 29er Youth Championship last year, has formed a team with Tom Barker and Mark Langford who have sailed with the CYCA's Youth Academy for the last few years.

The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron is putting up a solid combination of Mark Dorling, who recently returned from winning the Cowes Week Youth Match Racing Regatta, and skipper Stuart Pollard who finished third in 2003 Governor's Cup.

The Pittwater team from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club will feature Murray Gordon, Tom Spithill and Hamish Roughly. Tom and Murray formed part of the winning Governor's Cup team in USA in July this year and have sailed together for many years, making them a tough team to beat.

A second RPAYC will be led by Craig Souter, who was the third member of Murray's winning crew at the Governor's Cup this year and is a well-known 420 and Flying 11 sailor.

The Hunter Academy has put forward Nick Wells, Clint Marshall and Alex Vandervoort who are new to match racing but have past dinghy experience.

The Wangi Wangi team from Lake Macquarie will be skippered by Nathan Outteridge with his 420 crewman Ian Jensen and 470 crewman Ayden Menzies. Nathan and Ayden won the NSW Youth Match Racing Championship in 2001 and 2002 and the ISAF Youth Match Racing Championships in the 420 class in 2001 and 2002 and Nathan and Ian won it this year.

Racing will commence at 10.00am both Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5, in the vicinity of Rushcutters Bay followed by a prize presentation late Sunday afternoon at the CYCA.

The winners and second placed team will go on to represent NSW in the Australian Youth Match Racing Championship to be held in Victoria from 18-22 September.

Club Marine, Australia's largest insurer of pleasure craft, is a long-term sponsor of the Youth Sailing Academy and taking up the naming rights of this state regatta further demonstrates its commitment to youth sailing.