Successful Australian match defence for Souter

by Di Pearson on 25 Sep 2005 Nicky Souter has successfully defended her 2004 title defeating Katie Spithill’s crew in the final to win the 2005 Line 7 Australian Women’s Match Racing Championship on Sydney Harbour this afternoon.

Spithill went down to Souter 1-3 in the best of five Final. Both crews are from the Australian ‘home’ of match racing, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club on Pittwater.

In a coup for the Club and coach, Traks Gordon, a third member, Nina Curtis, finished fourth, defeated 2-3 in the Petit-Final by a Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron crew skippered by double Olympian, Nicky Bethwaite.

Souter, whose crew included only one member from her winning team last year, Angela Farrell, was also crewed by Anne Durham and Fiona Elliott. Elliott, 27, whom Souter calls ‘the mother of our team’ is brand new to match racing.

‘We threw her in the deep end and she did a really good job – the whole crew did – we are very happy, said Souter who turned 21 in May.

Spithill, the 23 year-old sister of new ISAF World Match Racing Champion, James, was crewed by Aimee Famularo, Sarah Roberts-Thomson and Emma Bullough. They gave Souter a run for her money and put in a solid performance.

Good consistent crew work on both boats made life easier for each skipper. Their matches were exciting to watch in the light 5-10 knot airs, where the left side of the Rushcutters Bay course seemed to provide better pressure in the afternoon. Souter and Spithill’s pre-start tactics were aggressive and neither gave the other any quarter, although Souter seemed to have the better boat speed.

‘The top four boats were all really good. We were beaten twice - Nicky Bethwaite beat us in one and Niina (Curtis) in the other. Our closest race was against Katie though. We swapped the lead at least three times in one race – it was racing at its best,’ Souter said.

She also praised coach, Gordon. ‘He’s a super coach - the best. He’s had us up and training for the last six months at 7.30am each morning - and then it’s into the gym.’

For her winning effort, Souter will represent at the Nations Cup, an International IC24 Regatta set to take place in the British Virgin Islands on the weekend of November 12-13 and sailed in modified J24’s.

Her next regatta though, is the Royal Bermuda’s ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship in October, to which she recently received an invitation. From there, Souter plans sailing a Yngling. Is she planning an Olympic campaign? ‘I don’t know yet – let’s wait and see how we go first,’ she said.

Nine teams, some with the standard three crew, the lighter ones carrying four, travelled from Perth, Adelaide and Victoria, to take on six teams from NSW.

The event was conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, under the watchful eyes of organiser, Jenni Bonnitcha and Chief Umpire, Nev Wittey, who was assisted by umpires from NSW and Victoria. A number of CYCA Directors also took time out to enjoy the event.
Teams:
Adelaide Sailing Club (SA)
Natalie Dewing/Catherine Shanks/Victoria Shanks/Shevaun Bruland

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)
Samantha Boyd/Tiffany Fulde/Rebecca Dunn

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)
Jeanne-Claude Strong/Lucinda Whitty/Elyce Finney/Katie Webb

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW)
Katie Spithill/Aimee Famularo/Sarah Roberts-Thomson/Emma Bullough

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW)
Nicky Souter/Angela Farrell/Anne Durham/Fiona Elliott

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW)
Nina Curtis/Kylie McKillop/Amy Lee/Rayshele Martin

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (NSW)
Nicky Bethwaite/Karyn Gojnich/Julie Grimshaw

South of Perth Yacht Club (WA)
Adele Frean/Anne-Marie Johnston/Jen Cunningham/Nikki Amann

Sandringham Yacht Club (VIC)
Megan Ridgway/Angela Ritchie/Amanda Scrivenor/Melissa Chisolm