2019 Australian Sailing Youth Championships at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania - Day 3
by Peter Campbell 13 Jan 03:48 PST
10-14 January 2019
29ers had a wide expanse of the River Derwent to themselves - Day 3, Australian Sailing Youth Championships 2019 © Beau Outteridge
Hobart's River Derwent turned on perfect sailing conditions for the penultimate day of racing in the Australian Youth Championships, warm and sunny with a constant 18-22 knot sea breeze.
The sailors responded with exhilarating displays of close competition, providing a spectacle of sailing from Sullivan's Cove down to Taroona, highlighted by the colourful mainsails of the Bic Techno sailboards and 29ers and the spinnakers of the 420s.
Down the river more than 60 Laser Radials and 4.7 swarmed across the river between the Garrow Light and Cartwrights Point.
At the end of the day in this great regatta, supported by the Australian Maritime COllege, the winners were big grinners, in most classes consolidating their grip on a potential victory from today's final two races.
Sydney sailors Archie Cropley and Max Paul (NSW) swept back to the top of the leader board in the 29er skiffs with a second place, followed by three bullets.
Tasmanian lads Oscar O'Donoghue and Rupert Hamilton (Tas) finished the day with an excellent 2-4-3 to be fifth overall.
Lachlan Brewer and Flynn Twomey (NSW) are back in second place after placings today of 11-1-6, now seven points in arrears.
Alice Buchanan and Dervla Duggan (Tas) are 12th overall and have a commanding margin in the girls' division.
Alice comes from a sailing family, but Dervla is a more recent recruit. "I used to actually be a dancer, an Irish dancer," Dervla said, explaining that she was asked at school to try some sailing.
"So we hopped into a Pacer at school sailing and now we're here," she told the ABC in an extensive interview aired on Sunday morning.
World Laser Radial champion Zac Littlewood (WA) won three out four races to make it six so far, giving him a firm grip on yet another title.
Tasmanian Will Sargent is eighth overall (33-9-9 today), Nick Smart 13th (29-18-19).
In the 420 dinghies, with Ryan Littlechild and Jack Ferguson (NSW) leads New Zealanders Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashan by just one point. The Australians today placed 3-4-2, the Kiwis 1-7-6.
In the Bic Techno Plus sailboards both Hamish Swain (Qld) and Grae Morris (NSW) each had two wins today and are two points apart.
Three points separate the top Nacra 15 catamaran crews after 10 races with Georgia Payne and Kai Colman (WA) leading Will Cooley and Bec Hancock (NSW).
Payne and Colman scored 6-1-1-2 today, Cooley and Hancock 1-9-2-1.
Find full results at ryct.org.au/sailing/australianyouthchampionships