Ragamuffin crowned CYCA Top Jocks ‘Champion of Champions’

by Pam Scrivenor on 23 Mar 2009
Ragamuffin was crowned CYCA Top Jocks ‘Champion of Champions’ in perfect conditions on Sydney Harbour.

The Mount Gay Rum Top Jocks Regatta was sailed in ideal conditions, eight - ten knots of nor’easterly breeze in Rushcutters Bay on Saturday with all ten of the Youth Sailing Academy’s Elliott 6 boats being used to decide the ‘Champion of Champions’ of the Summer Series 2008-09.

Invitations were sent out to the winners and placegetters of the Summer Series 2008-09 with the invitations being snatched up quickly. The regatta was sailed on the YSA fleet of Elliott 6’s to ensure a level playing field and was designed to be a fun but competitive day of fleet racing. The Champion of the Regatta will be the team with the lowest score in a best-of 6 race series with each race counting towards the overall regatta Pointscore.

With many of the teams not having sailed the Elliott sized boats for some time, the Friday evening training session was a popular inclusion to the format. The gloves, knee pads and spray jackets that had not seen too much use in the Summer Program were getting an airing and tips from the YSA sailors as the Elliotts left the dock, were taken on board. Several teams had chosen to take on a YSA sailor as a team member hoping to get the inside knowledge during racing.

Racing began in Rushcutters Bay with 2 lap windward leeward races and as the teams familiarised themselves with the boats and the breeze increased, the Race Officer, John Hurley, put in an extra lap for good measure. After the first three races, the Ragamuffin team (Sean Kirkjian) and the Brilliant team (Howard Piggott) were locked together in the lead with 5 points each. The racing was becoming serious and individual recalls were a feature of most races.

In race 4, it was the Brilliant team who jumped the gun and had to return to the line, costing them valuable positions in the race. The Ragamuffin team went on to consolidate their lead with three bullets in the last three races with the Brilliant team placing second and the Eye Appeal team placing third.

At the Presentation barbecue, all the podium placed teams were presented with bottles of Mount Gay Eclipse rum and the Ragamuffin team were presented with the trophy of ‘Jocks’ and bottles of Mount Gay Extra Old Rum. Their names will be added to the ‘trophy’ and it will be reframed for presentation again at Summer Series Prizegiving. Garry Linacre, Vice Commodore and Chairman of the YSA Training and Development Committee said 'The committee had made a decision to restructure this event to the format that it took on today, making it an interclub event, bringing together the place getters of our Summer Series and I am pleased to see the enthusiasm with which the members took to the YSA Elliotts'.

Several YSA sailors also joined the teams today and Howard Piggott, Rear Commodore and main sheet on the Brilliant team said 'the Club should be proud of the YSA and its programs. We had first-hand experience today with our ‘secret weapon’ YSA sailor, Alex Paton doing a great job on our team'. Alex Ward and Sam Boyd also joined teams for the regatta bringing their YSA knowledge and Elliott experience to assist on the day.

Final Placings for the Mount Gay Rum Top Jocks Regatta:

1. Ragamuffin - Sean Kirkjian, Scott Francis, Kieran Cowan - 8 points
2. Team Brilliant - Howard Piggott, George Piggott, Christopher Palmer and Alex Paton - 13 points
3. Eye Appeal - Craig Pullar, Shahrzad Vahebzadeh, Andrew Lelliott, and Sam Boyd - 21 points
4. Shortwave - Matt Short, Christine Short, Mat Smejlis, Sarah Short - 31 points
5. Sinewave - Greg Mason, Doug Sturrock, Rob Wilmont - 32 points
6. Love Byte - Anthony Pickering, Jason Thomas, Alex Ward - 36 points
7. About Time - Max Poyser, Sam Dickson, David Eastwood - 40 points
8. Papillon - Phil Molony, Rob Makin, Ben Cornell - 46 points
9. Zephyr - Alex Brandon, Tom Petty, Angela Selke - 49 points
10. Assassin - Phil Cutts, Paul Hewston, Katherine Hayward - 56 points