Harken Internat'l Youth Match Racing Championship

by Damian Devine & Sailsportz on 5 Dec 2007 The 15th annual Harken International Youth Match Racing Championships, one of the premier events for youth on the match racing calendar, gets underway tomorrow with competitors' filing in for registration, weigh-in and the event launch at the RPAYC before the match racing begins on Thursday 6th December on Pittwater, on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Hosted by The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, the 2007 Harken International Youth heralds the 10th consecutive year with Harken Australia as naming rights sponsor. Their ongoing commitment to the development of youth match racing is a credit to this leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sailboat hardware and accessories.

Carl Watson, Harken Australia’s Managing Director said, 'We are delighted to be celebrating our 10th year with the Harken International Youth Match Racing Championships and our ongoing association with the RPAYC.'

This year 12 teams from Australia and New Zealand will compete for the Rockin’ Robin Perpetual Trophy* including four teams from New Zealand, two from Western Australia and six from Sydney. The Harken will be sailed on the RPAYC’s purpose built fleet of six Force 24’s performance keelboats with a crew of four, all of who must be under 21 years of age.

The teams will sail a complete round robin with every team sailing once against each other. The teams will then progress through to a top eight knockout round followed by semi finals and a final. The two team’s remaining will sail a best of five final to decide the winner of this year’s event.

The 12 teams are:

1. Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZ)
2. Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZ)
3. Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club (NZ)
4. Sandspit Yacht Club (NZ)
5. Royal Perth Yacht Club (WA)
6. Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA)
7. Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (NSW)
8. Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (NSW)
9. Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)
10. Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW)
11. The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW)
12. The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW)

The host club, the RPAYC will provide two teams for the event one being skippered by 18 year-old Sam Sexton, this his 3rd HARKEN and the other by last year’s runner-up 19 year-old Tom Spithill, who will be hoping to go one better this year to become the 6th RPAYC sailor to win the title.

Tom, comes from a pedigree of family match racers with sister Katie currently ranked 3rd in the Women’s World match racing rankings and a previous winner of this event and brother James, a dual winner of this event and former World Champion of Match Racing.

Under the race rules, Tom still has two more years in this event to capture the title. With his team of Nina Curtis, Andrew Hudson and Andrew McKillop, all part of the RPAYC’s revered Youth Development Program, they will go in to the event as one of the favourites.

'It’s great to meet up with the other teams from Australia and overseas, we are really looking forward to the competition' said Tom.

A stellar line-up of umpires have been assembled for the 2007 HARKEN, providing International quality umpiring, with enormous talent & professionalism. Several of the umpires were recently involved with the Louis Vuitton and America's Cup events.

The umpire team is: David Tallis IU / IJ (AC Umpire), Richard Slater IU / IJ AUS, Andrew Baglin NU AUS, Garry Manuel NU AUS, Shane Borrell IU / IJ NZL (LV Umpire), Roger Wood IU NZL (AC Umpire), and Bill Pringle NU AUS. Principal Race Officer is Ted Anderson who was a Race Committee member for the 2000 Olympic match racing and is the current Volunteer of the Year for the Club.

The 2007 Harken International event is certified Grade 3 for ISAF match race rankings. Racing will be conducted on the magnificent waterways of Pittwater, on a course to the north of Scotland Island, on Sydney's Northern Beaches from the 6th – 9th December 2007.

The naming rights sponsor of the event is HARKEN AUSTRALIA, a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sailboat hardware and accessories.
Follow all the action of the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championships by following the HARKEN link at www.rpayc.com.au.

* The ‘Rockin’-Robin Trophy’
Robyn Wiltshire presented the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club with a perpetual trophy named the ‘Rockin’-Robin Trophy’. Robyn presented the trophy in memory of her husband Grant and son Robert, Andrew Young & Jeff Smith, all Club members who tragically lost their lives at sea aboard the yacht ‘Rockin’ Robin’ whilst on passage to Fiji in 1990. Many Club members provided financial assistance and volunteered their time to help with the Search & Rescue, after the group was spotted next to their partially submerged yacht approximately 200 nautical miles off the Australian Coast. Even after an extensive Search & Rescue lasting more than one month, the sailors or the vessel were never sighted again.