3-Buoys Challenge 2012 - the worlds richest 18ft Skiff event
by Frank Quealey 1 Jun 2012 14:17 HKT
18ft Skiff Alice Burton Memorial Trophy © Frank Quealey
The success of the inaugural 3-Buoys Challenge series in 2011 has encouraged the Australian
18 Footers League to stage an even bigger event on Sydney Harbour in 2012.
There will be more races, more prize money and a bigger video coverage to bring out the best of all competing 18ft Skiff teams.
LIVE Tracking will also be a feature of the 2012 series.
The 2011 Challenge was a 5-race event and paid prize money of $5,000. In the 2012 event, there will be 8 races with prize money totaling $10,000 – making it the world's richest 18ft Skiff event.
The 3-Buoys concept allows for progressive handicapping throughout each race as there will be four sets of rounding marks where there are staggered (white, blue and red) buoys intended to advantage those teams with larger pre-determined handicaps.
All races in the ‘Challenge' will be sailed over four-lap windward-return courses with ‘twin' bottom rounding marks. Handicaps are re-adjusted for the first three placegetters after each race.
Australian 18 Footers League President, and leading competitor, John Winning is a strong supporter of the event and the man behind the original 3-Buoys concept. "The aim of the system is to give all teams the opportunity to win each race".
"It also creates a much more interesting race for spectators as the positions tend to change regularly throughout each race and usually features the backmarker boats making a late challenge on the run to the finish".
To support Winning's comments, the 2011 five-race event produced five different race winners and the overall winner was decided only after a count back.
Most of last year's teams will be back again for 2012-2013, but there are also a couple of new teams still to be announced by the League. There will also be one or two critical crew changes amongst the top group from 2011-2012.
An added feature of the 2012 Challenge Series is the result of a new League rule which has brought its SRD (Sail Registration Date) forward from 16 December to 28 October.
This change will ensure all teams have to use their new sails for at least six of the eight races in the Challenge.