Hodgson heads sole QLD team in Australian Youth Match Racing Champs

by Tracey Johnstone on 17 Oct 2016 All the talk is done. It’s time for James Hodgson get on the water and take on the best Australian teams in the Sharp Australian Youth Match Racing Championships.

Hodgson, 17, is skippering the sole Queensland entry in the nine team, under-23 event which has entries from Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and Perth.

The Coolum sailor will have as his crew fellow Mooloolaba Yacht Club member, 14-year-old Frazer Brew, sailing in the middle.

With his regular crew of Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club’s Ben Vercoe and Fergus Gillanders not available this week, Hodgson will also have as crew Southport Yacht Club’s Tom Siganto on the main and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Nick Thyne on the bow.

Last year Hodgson started competing at major national match racing events placing second in the NSW titles, third in the Australian youth championship, fifth in the Harken youth, second in the Queensland titles and ninth in the Musto youth.

So far this year he has won the Australian Schools Match Racing Championship and Queensland match racing titles.

Brew joined the MYC’s Youth Sailing Squad this winter, taking time out of his 29er and Laser class campaigns to be a part of Hodgson’s team for the school nationals and for this week’s event in Sydney.

“I am a bit daunted by what lies ahead. I haven’t done much match racing before this. I will be learning a lot,” Brew said.

Siganto, 19, admits he has limited experience in match racing, but what he is missing in experience in that discipline he certainly makes up for it with his other sailing knowledge.

He represented Australia at the ISAF Youth World Championships in 2012 with crew Joel Turner, placing sixth in the 29er class. He then finished fifth in the open worlds in 2013. In 2015 he headed to Wales as crew for Kyle O’Connor for the 29er World Championship, which they won.

Siganto then moved into the Olympic 49er class with skipper and Mooloolaba Youth Sailing Squad coach Joel Tuner. But two knee reconstructions have forced him off the skiff. Siganto says his surgeon has cleared him for yacht racing where he is not moving around too much, which will put less pressure on his leg.

The fourth man, Thyne, was previously a member of the Royal New Zealand Youth Squad program before moving to the CYCA’s Youth Sailing Academy Advanced Squad two years ago. Thyne has competed in the CYCA teams at the Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship, Captain John Piper Regatta and won the club’s Kellett Shield.

Hodgson appears mentally prepared for what lays ahead for him, but he has the challenge of bringing his new crew together, quickly.

They spent this afternoon training on Sydney Harbour, which is the first time all four have sailed together.

Hodgson also has some stiff competition ahead with tenth ranked Harry Price and 25th ranked Will Dargaville in the mix of invited teams. “The competition looks strong, as expected,” Hodgson said.

As this is an international ranking event for the skippers, a good result this week for Hodgson will help him towards being invited to compete in more events at the national and international level.

Racing in the four-day event starts tomorrow.