Kaotic tops New South Wales State Championship
by J/Boats 5 Dec 2017 16:23 PST
Close competition on the top mark hoists - New South Wales State Championship © J/Boats
This year's 2017 New South Wales State Championship was hosted by the Royal Prince Edward YC and sponsored by Doyle MacDiarmid Sails. The racing took place on the scenic Felix Bay, just off Point Piper on the southern shoreline of Sydney Harbour.
Keeping the fleet in check and also on their toes to keep up with their feverish pace of running races were the RPEYC PRO duo of Terry Matthews and Adrian Broadbent and the race committee team. Two cold, wet days and tricky weather conditions with shifty breezes was not the easiest for racing, but their herculean efforts were greatly appreciated by the thirteen crews that participated. In Australia, they long ago pioneered 'handicapping' to their race results, a bit like golf handicaps where performance is rated and top boats are "scratch teams" while those in the mid-fleet get a higher handicap applied to their scores. As a result, the weekend warriors get their chance to collect some silverware over teams that have pros aboard. Winning the "Open" division was none other than a long-time stalwart of the Sydney J/24 class, the duo of Sean Kirkjian and Arthur Crothers on the infamous, Kaotic. Taking second was David West's. Ace. And, rounding out the podium in the bronze position was the truly infamous, Convict's Revenge, skippered by Stephen Girdis.
As one might expect, none of the top "open" boats are ever a factor in the handicap division, in most cases. Yet, there have been some where boats have won both, but rarely. This years handicap division winners were Janette Syme's, Wildfire, she also took the crown as Top Woman Skipper. Second was the trio of Brendan Lee and the Tromps on Waterborne Again. Then, taking third was Clinton Hood's Vertigo. This year, the 'Women on Water Trophy' (WOW, for short) was awarded to Amanda Williams for her efforts skippering, Jagged Edge in club races, twilights and regattas, showing determination and relentless enthusiasm during her learning curve.