2018 Australian Match Racing National Championship at CYCA - Day 1

Day 1 - 2018 Australian Match Racing National Championship at CYCA © Hamish Hardy (CYCA Media Team)

Australia's highest-ranked match racing team, DownUnder Racing, helmed by Harry Price took a clean sweep on day one of the 2018 Australian Match Racing National Championship, hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

DownUnder Racing, which regularly competes on the World Match Racing Tour, made light work of most of their competitors, which included a close win over Price's elder sister Olivia, who sits in second place overall after Round Robin 1.

After a 1.5-hour delay in the morning due to lack of wind, CYCA Race Management got racing underway at 1130hrs in the vicinity of Rushcutters Bay, the Championship making a triumphant return to the waters of Port Jackson, having last been hosted back in 2013, again by the CYCA. Eight teams from Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand are taking part in this weekend's Championship which includes a double round robin, semi-finals and Finals series.

For their first official 'dust up' against one another, former World #1 Harry Price took the all-important bragging rights at the dinner table tonight over his elder sister, London 2012 Olympic Silver Medallist in match racing, Olivia Price in their match today. Olivia's only other loss came to James Hodgson in the opening match of the day. Both teams traded the lead several times after Hodgson led off the line.

Price managed to roll on the first downwind but a close upwind saw Hodgson regain his lead. On the final run, both boats through in numerous gybes at each other, with the Queenslanders holding on to an important win for their day. DownUnder Racing also had a close match with Hodgson, trailing for the first three legs of the race. Unfortunately for Hodgson, a pre-start penalty cost him the lead and the win, with DownUnder Racing going on to take all seven wins in their matches today.

"It's always great to come back and compete in events at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia", Price commented after racing. "We haven't done a lot of monohull match racing in a while, so it was good to get back into it with the boys and we have made a solid start to our campaign this weekend", Price continued.

With the host yacht club's teams out in front, the chasing pack includes New Zealand's Jordan Stevenson in third place on four points, then a cluster of teams on three points, as they all fight towards the semi-finals on Sunday. Currently James Hodgson, representing Mooloolaba Yacht Club this week but who is part of the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy's training program sits in the final semi-final position of fourth place after today's round robin.

Last week's Australian Women's Match Racing National Championship winning crew, Clare Costanzo takes the helm this week and trails in fifth, also tied on 3-4 with Noosa's Klade Hauschildt, who is taking the helm for the first time in over four years in a match race competition.

Celia Willison, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and who was runner up at last week's Women's Nationals had a tough start to the competition, winning two matches, before Willison was then docked half a point after a collision in the pre-start against Klade Hauschildt in Flight 6, resulting in damage to Hauschildt's Elliott 7m bow.

Racing will continue tomorrow in the vicinity of Rushcutters Bay for Round Robin 2 at 1000hrs. Follow the racing live via cyca.com.au/live-results.