Please select your home edition
Edition
Vetus-Maxwell 2021 v2 LEADERBOARD

18' Skiff International Regatta - Small rigs rule the day

by Rich Roberts on 3 Sep 2009
Micah Lane’s Macquarie Group (right) passes AppliancesOnline (center) and Trevor Barnabas on the run - 18ft Skiffs International Regatta Rich Roberts http://www.UnderTheSunPhotos.com

18' Skiff International Regatta report from day three.

Big rig or small rig? That was the decision some of the players had to make on Day 3 of the eighth annual 18' Skiff International Regatta hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club.


Others had no choice. They were better off.

That's how Howie Hamlin got the jump on father and son John (Woody) Winning and John Jr. (Herman) to move into first place after 6 of 10 races, three points ahead of the elder Winning and fellow Australian veteran Trevor Barnabas, who won Wednesday's second race as handily as Hamlin won the first.

'I guess the smaller rigs won out,' Barnabas said.

Hamlin, 56, is the lone American in contention against an armada of Aussies, most of whom arrived with extra, taller masts in case San Francisco Bay fell short of its perennial promise of big breeze. Hamlin had only his short rig measuring 9.5 meters compared to 10.38 meters (31 to 34 feet) for the big one.

'It adds about 20 square feet of sail area,' Winning said earlier in the Crissy Field boat park was competitors waited for the wind to build, 'but you also get a bigger spinnaker.'

So, with unofficial forecasts suggesting the wind wouldn't rise above 14 knots without reaching the usual 20 or 25 and then wisp away by 5 o'clock, both Winnings went for it.

'In Sydney we don't change [to small rigs] until it gets over 18 knots,' Woody Winning said.

Minutes before launching, Hamlin, who originally inspired the event on this otherwise perfect venue for the high-performance 18' Skiffs along the normally windy City Front, hosted an informal skippers meeting in the boat park to check the opinions of the fleet. It was agreed that everyone would use whichever mast they preferred. The subject is not addressed in the regatta's Sailing Instructions, but some principals feel it is unofficially agreed that everyone would use the short masts.

Hamlin, who didn't bring a tall rig, had used one only once in seven years of the event.
[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
'And that was a mistake,' he said before Wednesday's races. 'You could do it and it might work, but you also could get smacked down. But right now I'd say it was a good call [to use a tall mast].'

So what effect would it have?

'It means,' he said, soberly, 'that we'll race and the Winnings will win two races,'

Wrong. As Hamlin and Archie Massey sailed away to a 1-2 finish in the first race, Woody Winning's Yandoo finished third and Herman finished sixth.

In the second race, as the son continued to struggle to another sixth, the father fought for the lead with Barnabas until they rounded the second windward mark of the two-lap race in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge and Yandoo suddenly flipped---a climactic punctuation to the story of the day.

'The wind up there was a little fresher than we expected,' Winning said, chuckling. '[Crew member] David [Gibson] knocked me around the back of the boat.'

Winning said the breeze was only '16 of 17' knots, although rivals estimated Yandoo was blown over by gusts as high as 25. He took the setbacks in good humor, partly because his ninth place following the capsize will be his current throwout.

And . . .

'It'll be the small rig [Thursday] for the Bridge to Bridge Race,' Winning said.

The 7 1/2-mile Bridge to Bridge Race, also featuring kite boarders and windsurfers, will follow the 18s' 3 o'clock fleet race from the Golden Gate past the city to the Bay Bridge---which, incidentally, will be closed to vehicle traffic for five days starting Thursday to replace an old section.

Last year Hamlin became the first 18' Skiff to win the B to B, which pleased him about as much as Wednesday's turn of events.

'We're happy,' he said. 'Big rigs don't like bearing away in 25 knots [of wind].'

Complete results (after 6 of 10 races; one discard)

1. Harken, Howard Hamlin/Paul Allen/Matt Noble, Long Beach, Calif., (5)-1-3-2-1-3, 10 points.
2. Yandoo, John Winning/David Gibson/Andrew Day, Australia, 1-3-5-1-3-(9), 13.
3. 24hrRoadService, Trevor Barnabas/Aaron Links/Daniel Phillips, Australia, 3-(6)-2-3-4-1, 13.
4. Appliancesonline, Herman Winning/Tim Austin/David Ewings, Australia, 4-2-1-(6)-6-6, 19.
5. Macquarie Group, Micah Lane/Jack Macartney/Peter Harris, Australia, 6-7-8-4-5-2, 24.
6. Asko/Gill, Archie Massey/Simon Noarne/Dan Wilsdon, Australia, 2-5-10-7-2-(11), 26.
7. Slam, Grant Rollerson/Fang Warren/Ris Cleary, Australia, (8)-4-4-5-(DNF)-5, 26.
8. Skiff Foundation Blue, David Rasmussen/John Gray/Dan Morris, San Francisco, (10)-9-7-10-9-8, 43.
9. Panasonic Viera, John Whitty/Dan Higlett/Harry Bethwaite, Australia, (DNF)-10-DNF-8-10-4, 46.
10. Spot Satellite/Toyota Messenger, Dan Brandt/Cooper Dressler/Danny Cayard, San Francisco, 7-8-6-(DNF)-11-DNF, 46.
11. Harken Blue, Joey Pasquali/Rory Giffen/Kevin Richards, Santa Cruz, Calif., 9-(DNF)-DNF-9-7-7, 46.
12. Skiff Foundation Red, Ty Reed/Dan Malpas/J.V. Gilmour, Albany, Calif., (DNF)-DNF-9-DNF-8-10, 55.
13. Skiff Foundation White, Chad Freitas/Mark Breen/J.V. Gilmour, Albany, Calif., 11-11-(DNF)-11-DNF-DNF, 61.

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
Switch One DesignSydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to ExhibitVaikobi 2024 December

Related Articles

The Ocean's Logbook amplifies global voices
A digital survey that looks beyond cold statistics to capture real stories A powerful new campaign designed to capture the world's emotional connection to the ocean is being launched today ahead of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France in June.
Posted on 27 May
SP80 kiteboat reaches a top speed of over 58 knots
100 km/h barrier is smashed in Leucate The SP80 kiteboat has reached a top speed of over 58 knots, or 108 km/h. This new personal best makes SP80 the second fastest sailboat ever recorded, behind Vestas Sailrocket II and its 68.01-knot top speed.
Posted on 27 May
Italian SailGP Team acquired by investors
The consortium includes Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway SailGP has today announced that the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, has officially been acquired by a consortium of accomplished investors and sports industry leaders, including Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway.
Posted on 27 May
Armstrong Foils: On tour - Home of Armstrong II
Join America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders on the tour of NZ's Far North Join three times America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders Olivia Jenkins, Naumi Eychenne, Bowien van der Linden, Cash Berzolla, and Reo Stevens, on the Home of Armstrong Tour II, as they explore NZ's Far North.
Posted on 27 May
America's Cup entries open on Sunday
A Cup in turmoil - has Grant Dalton dodged a bullet with the new Cup organisation? America's Cup gets underway in Rome with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. Emirates Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton apprears to have dodged a bullet with the formation of of new AC organising body.
Posted on 26 May
Italian PM welcomes America's Cup in Rome
Prime Minister Meloni set out a bold vision for the regeneration planned around AC38 The magnificent setting of the Casino del Bel Respiro, commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1644, in the grounds of Villa Pamphilj, was the outstanding and historic setting for the formal presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup.
Posted on 26 May
Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta preview
Sørvind to debut at this edition, in Sardinia The Mediterranean superyacht racing season will kick off on 27th May with the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, organised annually by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda since 2008 and supported by title sponsor Giorgio Armani since 2022.
Posted on 26 May
Winning Sails for Every Sailor & Every Program
Beer cans or the big leagues, North Sails perform From one design sails to custom inventories, trust the experts at North Sails to elevate your performance.
Posted on 25 May
72nd Melbourne to Apollo Bay Race overall
MRV stifles Ambition to take line honours and overall win Margaret Rintoul V (MRV), skippered by Damien King from the Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC), has sailed a fast and furious race to win the 72nd Melbourne to Apollo Bay Race (M2AB).
Posted on 25 May
The link between two great Australian sports
A unique connection between brute strength and beauty James Joseph Giltinan was one of Australia's great entrepreneurs of the early 1900s, and the man most responsible for creating a unique link between one of the most confrontational football codes in the world and the beauty of sailing.
Posted on 25 May