Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M75

Australian Open Match Racing Championship at Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania

by Peter Campbell 22 Sep 2019 03:12 PDT 21-22 September 2019
Close contest to the leeward mark in todays semi-finals - Australian Open Match Racing Championship © Krissy Logan and Nick Hutton

Jordan Reece, head coach of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Youth Sailing Academy, today showed that he, personally, has the match racing skills that he has been imparting to Academy students.

Returning to the helm for the first time in six years, Reece won the Australian Open Match Racing Championship on Hobart's River Derwent, albeit beating Sydney rival David Chapman on a countback at the end of weekend of frustrating, but close match racing between teams representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.

Early this afternoon Reece and Chapman each had won six matches in the round-robin and each had won his semi-finals, but the final never saw the much-anticipated contest between these two noted young match racing experts and tacticians, both past winners of the prestigious Hardy Cup on Sydney Harbour.

Frustrated by wind shifts, the race committee finally naming Reece as the Australian champion on a countback.

Conditions had, in fact, been frustrating throughout the long weekend. Light winds, followed by mountain-based gusts reaching 40 knots, limited racing on Friday to 15 matches; on day two lack of breeze on the river saw just five matches completed.

Today, a moderate morning breeze finally enabled RYCT race officers to complete the round robin soon after midday and, as race officer Nick Hutton optimistically commented "with an ounce of luck the finals will be completed before the 15:00 hours deadline." No so! "With a couple of breakdowns and lots of wind shifts, 15:00 arrived before we had completed even one race in either the final or the petit final," he later recalled.

Earlier, the semi-finals went all the way with Jordan Reece narrowly defeating his fellow CYCA skipper Finn Tapper 2-1 in hard-fought series. "Likewise, on the other side of the draw it was a Federer - Nadal style clash between James Hodgson (CYCA) and David Chapman, representing both the RYCT and RSYS, with Chapman having a few too many aces in the end, winning 2-1, " Hutton commented at the end of the day.

''On to the final! But at that stage another 90 degrees shift came off the mountain with a bit of rain," Hutton said. "This was followed by what proved to be a short-lived move to the south, completing the 180 degrees transition from the prevailing northerly of about 18-20 knots.

"And then 15:00 arrived, after which the Race Committee were obliged to pull up stumps, declaring Jordan Reece and his crew (Murray Jones and Harry Price) from the CYCA the winners, followed by David Chapman (crew Finn Alexander and Finn Dagge) from the RYCT/RSYS on countback, having been tied after the semis," Hutton explained.

Third place overall went James Hodgson (CYCA), fourth to Finn Tapper (CYCA) and fifth to Sam King (RYCT).

The immediate future for the two Australian match racing finalists?
Jordon Reece is heading back to the CYCA to prepare for the Australian youth match racing championship which the club is hosting on Sydney Harbour in a couple of weeks, commenting: "We had some great racing but overall it was a frustrating weekend."

David Chapman flies to the USA tomorrow to race in the Farr 40 worlds at Long Beach, California, as tactician for Sydney yachtsman Chris Waye, commenting before he left Hobart: "Thank you all fellow yachties who came out to watch this great match racing event on the Derwent....I was proud to be able represent both the RYCT and the RSYS."

Related Articles

GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes. Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D4
High stakes for semi-finalists as the final four teams in each division are locked in The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final match-ups in both the Open and Women's class, locking in the final four teams in each division for Friday's semi-finals. Posted on 3 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D3
Surprise exits in Marstrand as Quarter-Finalists decided The qualifying round-robin stages at GKSS Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand finished today with the surprise departure of defending champion USA's Chris Poole/ Riptide Racing and Switzerland's Eric Monnin/ Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team from the Open Class. Posted on 2 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D2
A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task A challenging southerly breeze and short three-lap course put teams to task on the second day of racing at the GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand, Sweden. Posted on 1 Jul
RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championships 2025
Nine teams duelled for supremacy in glamour conditions at the WPNSA The 2025 RYA Harken Youth Match Racing Championships saw nine teams duelling for supremacy in glamour conditions at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy. Posted on 1 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D1
Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day Sunday's storm winds cleared to deliver ideal conditions for the opening race day of the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, official championship stages of the World Match Racing Tour and Women's World Match Racing Tour. Posted on 1 Jul
Aspen renews sponsorship for Women's Match Race
As title sponsor of the 2025 Bermuda Women's Match Racing Regatta The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and World Match Racing Tour has announced the return of leading speciality insurer and re-insurer ASPEN as title sponsor of the 2025 Bermuda Women's Match Racing Regatta to be held from 21-26 October. Posted on 20 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA overall
A tense light-air final on the Severn River USA's women's match racing team Team Baam skippered by Allie Blecher from California won the 2025 Santa Maria Cup today, defeating Vela Racing team skippered by Nicole Breault 3-0 in a tense light-air final on the Severn River. Posted on 8 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 3
Nicole Breault and Allie Blecher to meet in the final USA's Nicole Breault / Vela Racing and Allie Blecher / Team Baam have both advanced to the final of the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, the second stage of the 2025 Women's World Match Racing Tour championship. Posted on 7 Jun
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 2
Final four skippers emerge from a competitive qualifying double-round robin stage A thrilling second day of racing at the 2025 Santa Maria Cup saw the final four skippers emerge from a competitive qualifying double-round robin stage. Posted on 6 Jun
V-DRY-XSea Sure 2025Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design