Whitty surprises, Aust Women’s Match Racing Champs

by Peter Campbell on 28 Sep 2006 Sydney schoolgirl Lucinda Whitty surprised her vastly more experienced opposition with five excellent wins in today’s second round-robin of the 2006 Australian Women’s Match Racing Championship on Sydney Harbour.

Sixteen-year-old Lucinda, representing the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Youth Sailing Academy, has finished in fourth place after two qualifying round-robins.

She and her crew move into tomorrow’s second round of match racing with five other women, most of them with extensive international sailing experience.

Conducted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, the Championship’s second round-robin was sailed in a 15-18 knot south-easterly breeze in the morning which eased during the afternoon and swung more to the east. However, all flights in the round-robin were completed.

Lucinda Whitty started her match racing career in last year’s Australian Women’s Match Racing Championship, but this is her first regatta with her present crew of Tiffany Fulde (19) on mainsheet, Kathleen Stroinovsky (16) as for’ard hand and Sarah Bilsel (16) on bow. All four are members of the Youth Sailing Academy women’s summer squad.

Following three wins in the first round-robin, Lucinda showed greater confident and excellent tactics at the starts today to notch up five victories, including inflicting the only defeat so far of Australia’s top international ranked woman match racing sailor Katie Spithill, from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.

Spithill has dominated the series so far, finishing the two round-robins with 13 wins in 14 flights.

Another big improver was Olympian Nicky Bethwaite, representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. Bethwaite and her crew of Karyn Gojnich and two young Squadron Youth Program members Katie Brown and Kate Reddy, moved up to second overall with six wins today.

In overall stands, Bethwaite has displaced three-times Australian champion Nicky Souter (Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club), who also had five wins today.

The CYCA’s number one team skippered by Sam Boyd has also qualified for the second round with two wins today while sixth place in the second round went to Victorian Claire Hunting from Sandringham Yacht Club. Hunting ousted the CYCA’s Simone Deane by beating her in their encounter today.

Placings after two round-robins:

1. Katie Spithill (RPAYC) 13 wins
2. Nicky Bethwaite (RSYS) 10 wins
3. Nicky Souter (RPAYC) 10 wins
4. Lucinda Whitty (CYCA) 8 wins
5. Samantha Boyd (CYCA) 6 wins
6. Claire Hunting (Sandringham YC, Vic) 4 wins
7. Simone Deane (CYCA) 4 wins
8. Meghan Andrew (CYCA/RQYS) 1 win