Young Guns upset form guide at Kellett Shield

by Ross MacDonald on 23 May 2017 Finn Tapper, Cam Gundy, Lauren Gallaway, Emma Harrison and Eric Sparkes helmed Club Marine to victory in the 2017 Kellett Shield fleet racing regatta this past weekend hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on what was a tricky day on Sydney Harbour.

The Kellett Shield is the first regatta on the Youth Sailing Academy calendar with crews of four or five sailors on each Elliott 7 for a six-race program. Unfortunately another light and variable Sydney winter plagued the majority of the day with the Race Committee, led by Steve Merrington, managing to complete the three-race minimum to constitute a series. The format for the regatta sees each crew member of each team having to helm at least one race on the day.

The forecast for the day saw a light Westerly breeze eventually fill in after a two hour delay held the fleet ashore. This year eight teams from the CYCA, RSYS & Scots College took part.


With only three races completed, the points were extremely close at the end of the series, with a single point separating first to fourth place. Advanced Squad veterans, Harry Price, Angus Williams, Tara Blanc Ramos and Harry West, who will be representing Australia at the Youth Match Racing World Championship at the end of July, opened with a crushing first race win but newcomer to the Advanced Squad for 2017, Finn Tapper, led his team to two consecutive race wins which shot them up the leader board to win the regatta by one point.

Price and his team finished in second overall, with past YSA Graduates Kat Stroinovsky, Lucinda Whittey, Ray Martin, Tiff Fulde and Lara Quigley also tied on eight points to squeeze into third place.

Returning to the Advanced Squad for 2017 after a few years away, Cam Gundy, crew and final skipper on the Club Marine winning Elliott, the 2017 event marked the third time his name will be etched onto the Kellett Shield.

The Kellett Shield is an excellent opportunity for the new sailors to experience regatta conditions in every position on the Elliott. We saw many regular skippers in unfamiliar territory on the bow but they finished the day with a greater understanding of how communication and teamwork can make a boat go fast. With on-water umpiring by YSA Head Coach Jordan Reece and Jay Griffin, each team also grew a better understanding of the Racing Rules of Sailing by the end of the day.

David Kellett, who in 1994 donated the Kellett Shield to the YSA to help promote and build youth sailing. His son Brad, who was a member of the YSA at its inception in 1993, presents the shield on behalf of the Kellett family each year at the end of regatta barbecue and presentation.

The 2017 YSA season continues over the coming months with Advanced Squad back into training next weekend before the first match-racing event for the season, the Shelving Systems Match Racing Regatta that kicks off on Saturday 24 June.