Mothy’s Men win Mount Gay Top Jocks Regatta

by Di Pearson on 4 Apr 2005 Father and son team, Steve and Seve Jarvin, joined by Euan McNichol, comfortably won the annual Mount Gay Top Jocks Regatta, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and sailed on Sydney Harbour yesterday.

Of the 10 top-class entries, the winners by eight points, sailing ‘Mothy’s Men’, were outstanding, winning three of the six race series sailed in the CYCA’s one-design Elliott 6s.

The talent at the event was outstanding; Olympians included Matt Hayes, Steve Jarvin, David Giles, Michael Blackburn and the names kept rolling in, world champions, America’s Cuppers and more. Spies, Hardy, Crafoord, Shuwalow, Hollis and York were some of the high-profile players.

The six-race regatta sailed on short two and three lap windward/leeward courses, was applauded by all, many competitors commenting they would like to see events of this format raced at least three times during the year.

Each of the three members of the team had to steer the boat twice, rotating at their discretion, testing all three crew on their all-round boat skills. It also required strategic planning on at which stage to use the ‘gun’ helmsman on each crew.

Sailed in 10-20 knot shifting unpredictable winds that gusted and veered from north-east to north-west, in which the hot nor-wester eventually won at the Rushcutters Bay end of the Harbour, the first few races were a little ‘rusty’ for a number of entries.

Race1 resulted in a general recall as competitors jockeyed for the best start. With six races to get through, there was no mucking around by the start crew, led by Richard Grubb. Up went the ‘I’ flag.

‘The other White Meat’ team of Bruce Hollis/Sean Leonard/Tony Dillon, Team Clarity, sailed by North Sails Bryan Northcote, Sydney by Sails Matt Hayes and David Hardy (son of Sir James) and Team Bavaria, crewed by Matt Day/Adam Barnes/Dave Davies were all OCS’d.

The Prime Time team of Andrew York/Peter Lowndes/David Giles (all excellent small boat sailors) won that race, in which a number of penalty whistles were blown by judge Neville Wittey.

Team Shocking (Scott Lawson/Dayne Sharp/Mark Heeley) won Race 2 from the Mothy's Men and Team Yendys (Marcus Jones/Brett Perry/Troy Trindall) and again, lots of penalties and some dicey spinnaker work.

Then there was a halt to proceedings when Nev Wittey reported to the regatta organiser, Jenny Bonnitcha, that the windward marks had vanished. Wittey reported that a boat from the Waterways Authority had allegedly cut away and removed the marks.

Wittey and his offsider, Andrew Bageley, spoke with a representative on board the Waterways vessel who allegedly told the two, ‘we are using them as evidence and to create as much inconvenience as possible,’ as they took the buoys away. It transpired that the marks were allegedly laid to close to the western shipping channel.

A quick dash to the CYCA, the buoys were replaced and as the races progressed, the crew work came together, but in Race 4, ‘The other White Meat’ team t-boned Team Shocking and that was the end of the show as the latter boat was towed home.

Ever the gentleman, sailing coach, Bruce Hollis, immediately withdrew from the race and the regatta, and handed his team’s boat over to Dayne Sharp and withdrew from the series. ‘It was only fair,’ he said afterwards as he apologised to the Sharp crew.

At the end of the day, the Jarvin juggernaut sailed a consistent series that included three wins in the tally. It was always going to be hard to beat Seve Jarvin and Euan McNichol, a former CYCA Youth coach. The two have paired up for many an assault and sail an 18ft skiff together.

Second placed ‘Estate Master’, with Sydney 38 owner of the same name, Martin Hill, Michael Blackburn and Hobie champion Tim Shuwalow also had a consistently good series. Remarkably, after their t-boning, third place went to the Dayne Sharp team.

Martin Hill commented after the event, ‘I’ve never been on a little boat like that before (the Elliott). I can’t take it in that we did so well. This was a great event and well run. I love the idea of changing steerers.

Of his aches and pains after the event, Hill said, ‘I need to go back to the gym. It’s been 15-20 years since I last sailed a small boat, but I found it very balanced.’

All the ‘elder’ team members came ashore hurting. Sydney Yachts’ team leader, Simon Reffold stating, ‘I feel every bit of my 40 years – luckily I took young people with me,’ in reference to Martin ‘Tacka’ Thompson and Nick Garland, who came ashore looking fit and fresh.

From Team Harken, Carl Crafoord complained, ‘it hurts to sit down and it hurts to stand up – I’m aching. The racing was fast and furious, but it’s a fantastic event.’ His team comprised Workforce Marine’s Stu Broom and Michael Spies, who steered the team to their only win of the day – Race 5.

Spies was disappointed in their Race 6 result (in which he also steered), ‘the tiller extension fell off and that killed it for us,’ the competitive Spies said.

Crafoord, though, did concede he would love to see more of this type of racing. ‘It is exhilarating, hard, fun and challenging. We had a great time.’

Team Clarity’s Matt Hayes, out for his first serious sail since representing Australia at the 2000 Olympics said, ‘it’s been a while. I stopped sailing to concentrate on my business. I think I need to get out there more and the Top Jocks regatta has whetted my appetite – it was hard work but a lot of fun.’

The last words go to the winners. The elder Jarvin, ‘Mothy’ speaking at the prizegiving at which liberal amounts of Mount Gay rum was in evidence said, ‘it was great to win and great to sail with my son. He yelled at me a lot, so I’m glad I got us a second place, who knows how loud it would have got if I’d had a couple of duds.’

‘I thought I was a good sailor, but Seve is so much better. I’ll have to go to Pacific Sailing School for some lessons and come back better next year,’ ‘Mothy’, a former Olympian and regular crew for Dennis Conner in the Etchells quipped.

I asked Seve, who is emerging as one of Australia’s best up-and-coming sailors, if he had every sailor known to man to pick for his crew, would he still pick his father. ‘Yes, definitely,’ came the quick reply.

Seve has won a number of events in various classes, including an 18ft skiff championship with Euan McNichol and will be a force to reckon with on the senior match racing circuit in years to come.

Disappointingly, defending champion and current holder of both the Mumm 30 and Farr 40 World Championship trophies, Richard Perini and crew, were unable to compete.

All praised Bonnitcha, the CYCA’s Youth Academy coach, and her team on her professionalism and a great regatta.

Thanks go to Michael Spies and Gus Holt for getting me on the Harbour in style and to Sir James Hardy - our captain for the day.

Top three results:

1. Mothy’s Men (Steve Jarvin/Seve Jarvin/Euan McNichol) 12 points

2. Estate Master (Martin Hill/Michael Blackburn/Tim Shuwalow) 20

3. Team Shocking (Dayne Sharp/Scott Lawson/Mark Heeley) 21.6

4. Sydney Yachts (Simon Reffold/Martin Thompson/Nick Garland)

5. Prime Time (Andrew York/Peter Lowndes/David Giles)

6. Team Harken (Carl Crafoord/Michael Spies/Stuart Broom)

7. Team Yendys (Marcus Jones/Brett Perry/Troy Trindall)

8. Team Clarity (Bryan Northcote/Matt Hayes/David Hardy)

9. Team Bavaria (Matt Day/Adam Barnes/Dave Davies)

The other White Meat (Bruce Hollis/Sean Leonard/Tony Dillon) withdrew after collision

Full results will be available at: www.cyca.com.au