NSW 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour - Race 2

The Andoo team of John Winning Jr., Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton extended its lead in the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship with another top class exhibition in the North East wind conditions which prevailed for Race 2 of the series on Sydney Harbour today.

After trailing the early race leader Yandoo (John Winning, Fang Warren and Josh Porebski) for the first lap of the course, the Andoo team grabbed the lead midway up the second windward leg of the course and were never headed again before finishing 1m48s ahead of Yandoo.

Third place went to Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Jim Colley, Max Paul and Tom Quigley), which finished a further 1m15s behind Yandoo.

Lazarus (Marcus Ashley-Jones) came back strongly after a slow start to finish in fourth place, ahead of Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis), Smeg (Michael Coxon), Birkenhead Point Marina (Kirk Mitchell) and Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price).

The first spinnaker run - NSW 18ft skiff Championship - photo © Frank Quealey

Andoo heads the points table on 2 points, followed by Smeg and Yandoo both on 8 points, Fisher & Paykel on 9, Rag & Famish Hotel 13, and Birkenhead Point Marina on 14.

Shaw & Partners won the start and led early but lost the lead when the team elected to go to the RHS of the course while most of the fleet went to the left (along the northern shore).

Fisher & Paykel took over and led to Chowder Bay before Yandoo became the third leader, ahead of Andoo and Fisher & Paykel.

Yandoo was just 7s ahead of Andoo at the top mark and the pair put on a great battle on the spinnaker run to the wind mark off the southern end of Shark Island and the following run between Shark and Clark islands to the bottom mark at the end of the first lap.

Yandoo leads Andoo on the run from the top mark on lap one - NSW 18ft skiff Championship - photo © Frank Quealey

Shaw & Partners was in third place at the start of the spinnaker run but fell back to fourth (behind Smeg) at the wing mark and fifth (behind Smeg and Rag & Famish Hotel) at the bottom mark.

The second windward leg produced three separate contests near the head of the fleet.

Andoo and Yandoo, which saw John Winning Jr., in Andoo, get the better of his father John Winning, Yandoo, raced with little between them for most of the leg before the Andoo team got the upper hand.

Smeg hits the wake of a passing power boat - NSW 18ft skiff Championship - photo © Frank Quealey

The race for third place at that stage was just as close with little separating Smeg and Rag & Famish Hotel. The race for fifth was even closer between Shaw & Partners, Fisher & Paykel and Lazarus.

Andoo extended her lead to 25s at the top mark on lap two, then to 45s on the following spinnaker run back to Clark Island and today's win has sent out an ominous warning to her opposition.

Former world champion skipper John Harris, filling in as a replacement for regular skipper Simon Nearn, led the Burrawang-Young Henrys team of Warren Sare and Brandon Buyink to victory in the Alice Burton Memorial Trophy, which was held in conjunction with the NSW Championship.

Yandoo leads the Season Pointscores with a total of 46 points, followed by Smeg on 52 poins and The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Alex Marinelli) and Birkenhead Point Marina equal third on 58 points.

The battle for sixth place - NSW 18ft skiff Championship - photo © Frank Quealey

Race 3 of the NSW Championship, and the Sid Barnett Jr. Memorial Trophy, will be sailed next Sunday (December 11).

Spectators can follow the action on board the club's spectator ferry, as they have done for the past 87 years, which leaves Double Bay Wharf alongside the clubhouse at 2pm.

Booking online through the club's website www.18footers.com is essential, 18footers.com/18-footer-racing/spectator-ferry

For anyone who can't make it out onto the water, the League's live broadcast team will be out on Sydney Harbour to capture all the action. Live streaming is available at www.18footers.com by clicking on the '18 Footers TV' link.

NSW 18ft Skiff Championship Results after Race 2: