Australian 18ft Skiff League Club Championship 2013 - Clean Sweep
by Frank Quealey on 24 Mar 2013
Australian 18ft Skiff League Club Championship 2013 - Gotta Love It 7 heads for the finish 157 Frank Quealey /Australian 18 Footers League
http://www.18footers.com.au
Australian 18ft Skiff League Club Championship 2013. Gotta Love It 7 made a clean sweep of the 2012-2013 Season championships when she took out the final race and the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
There was quite a reshuffle on the boat, with regular skipper Seve Jarvin moving to bow today with regular forward hand crewman Peter Harris missing from the team, World Moth champion Josh McKnight joined the Gotta Love It 7 crew for the race as sheet hand.
The skiff’s regular sheet hand Scott Babbage, who was defeated in the World Moth Championship by McKnight, skippered Gotta Love It 7 to an all the way victory today.
Gotta Love It 7 grabbed the lead soon after the start in the 8-12-knot NE wind and took out the race by 2m57s from Appliancesonline.com.au (John Sweeny, Paul Montague, Tom Anderson).
Asko Appliances (Marcus Ashley-Jones, Ash Rooklyn, Geronimo Harrison) was a further 40s back in third place.
Gotta Love It 7 finished on 39 points in the championship, followed by Smeg (Nick Press, Dan Phillips, Dave Ewings) on 52.
Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) and Yandoo (John Winning) finished on 62 points each, Coopers-Rag and Famish Hotel (Jack Macartney) 68 and Mojo Wine (James Dorron) on 90.
Asko Appliances took out the Alice Burton Memorial Trophy handicap section and De’Longhi-Rabbitohs (Simon Nearn) won the Club’s Season Point Score series.
Babbage had Gotta Love It 7 1m ahead at the first windward mark, with today’s placegetters Appliancesonline.com.au and Asko Appliances heading the rest of the fleet.
It was a lead ‘7’ never looked likely to lose, but the race for the next six placings remained in doubt throughout.
Today’s race produced a first in the 120 years old class when three generations of one family comprised the entire crew of an 18 Footer.
Trevor Barnabas, a five times Giltinan champion, his son Trent, also a Giltinan champion, and Trent’s two sons Zac and Jake, sailed Thurlow Fisher Lawyers into ninth place.
Today’s race is the final race of the 2012-2013 Season.
The Australian 18 Footers League thanks all sponsors, ferry patrons and media for their support and advises that the 2013-2014 Season is due to commence on Sunday, 13 18ft Skiff League Club Championship
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