Warren Jones Regatta - Neptune Racing continues its form

by Neptune Racing on 1 Feb 2014 At the Warren Jones International Youth Regatta, after a very poor start to the regatta, Neptune Racing has continued its form through the final day of racing ultimately placing second overall.

The day started slowly, with an interesting weather pattern causing a glass out on the river. Eventually, the sea breeze started to filter down Freshwater Bay, allowing teams to take to the river for the first matches of the day.

We were matched up against Will Tiller and his Full Metal Jacket Team in the quarter-finals, which we knew was going to be a tough fight qualifying through to the semi-finals. In what was some incredibly close racing, we managed to win over Tiller 2-1, with the final race being decided by a matter of just a few metres. The team was stoked to have qualified for the semi-finals, and knowing that we had knocked off a classy competitor made it easier to believe we could progress even further.

Chris Steele from Auckland, Matt Jerwood from South of Perth Yacht Club and brother of Neptune skipper David Gilmour were the other teams to qualify through for the semi’s. David chose Matt, leaving Neptune Racing up against Chris Steele with 36 Below Racing Team. The wind has started to build by this stage, powering the boats up substantially. Because we were still on the larger sail setup, crew handling was crucial in winning a race. This was where our team work began to come into action, and we were able to out sail 36 Below Racing around the course with tidier crew work. We eventually triumphed 2-1, putting us through to the final against David Gilmour, but more importantly into a family showdown.

After a quick break on shore to say a few words to all those attending the Warren Jones Luncheon, we were back on the race course and underway. The first race got underway, and we were able to inflict a penalty on David (which they have to offset at some point on the course), giving us an added buffer if we could manage to stay close. We weren't able to sail a well enough race, making a number of poor decisions, allowing them to build a lead and complete their penalty whilst still holding the lead. The racing was made even more exciting as the power yachts started appearing carrying all those from the luncheon out to watch the finals.

Races two and three saw similar outcomes, in which David made all the right decisions, making it difficult for us to respond and find our groove.

This gave Team Gilmour a well deserved regatta win, sailing a flawless finals series. We were happy to have made it so far into the series, especially considering we started in negative points and a near sunken boat. We have to thank Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club for not only hosting the event, but also supporting us with all our endeavours; as well as Swan River Sailing and the Warren Jones Foundation who put together a superb event every year. On top of that, Keith Swinton did a great job coaching us this year, and definitely helped us make the improvements that qualified us for the final.

Chris, Sam and Adam now head away to Sydney to contest the Hardy Cup, another internationally renowned youth match racing regatta held out of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. We’ll bring you more updates as they come over the next few days!