Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

113th Botany Bay Championships - Typhoon takes the honours

by Adam Lucius 14 Feb 2023 00:41 PST
Brett Davis-Nathan Wilmot-Malcolm Page - 113th Botany Bay Championships © SailMedia

Half of Nathan Wilmot wants the 16ft skiff season to go on forever - the other half is craving a well- deserved breather.

The Typhoon skipper added another piece of silverware to the collection on Saturday, combining with Mal Page and Brett Davis to take out the 113th running of the Botany Bay Championship. It means the Manly boat has picked up an Australian 16ft championship, the Belmont Bay Championship and now the Botany Bay title in the space of a month. Rivals are joking team owner Craig "Ed" Nicholls may soon be able to give away the air conditioning business and live off the prizemoney Typhoon is picking up along the way.

It's been a long season but a rewarding one for Typhoon, which again had regular nemesis and eventual runner-up Noakes (Lee Knapton) close in the rear-view mirror throughout Saturday's race at St George.

"I'm exhausted but it'd be nice if we can keep the winning run going for a few more weeks," Wilmot said. "They were some of the toughest conditions I've encountered on a skiff (during the Botany Bay Championships) and credit to Brett and Mal for getting us through. "It was a 20-plus knot nor easter and coming down that big, long run off all the way through to Yarra Bay back into St George with an outgoing tide, it was terrifying. "It's probably one of the hardest runs I've ever done and somehow we survived what should have been a proper cartwheel. "We were conservative when we had to be and took advantage when we hit the flat water."

The winning margin was nearly three minutes but that didn't tell the whole picture of a tough 90-minute race. Wilmot said: "We led from start to finish but Noakes came right back at us and were right on our stern for the last work before we sailed away from them again.

Related Articles

Swap Day - the highlight of the Manly calendar
65 registered juniors went for a spin at Manly 16ft Skiff Club For all the trophies, titles and honours Manly 16ft Skiff Club accumulates each year, the collective smiles on the faces of Swap Day participants probably best sums up what the place is about. Posted on 20 Apr
Season of dominance for Harken 13ft Skiff Team
A superb year for skipper Heidi Bates and crewmate Orlando Sadlik While there was plenty of drama and tension in the 16s, the 13s' title race was a little more routine after a season of dominance from the Harken 13ft Skiff Team. Posted on 10 Apr
Modern Concept Constructions win Club Championship
Adopting the KISS at Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club Leaders Modern Concept Constructions adopted the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) theory to take the sting out of the contest early en route to a maiden club championship victory on Saturday. Posted on 10 Apr
Down to the Wire
Rarely has there been a tighter contest at the Manly Skiff Club Cancel any appointments you have for April 5 and make sure you're at the Manly Skiff Club - or watching Sail Media's livestream - for the final club championship heats of the season. Posted on 26 Mar
Manly 16s Old Buffers Day
Their bodies might have been screaming for mercy, but there was nowhere else they'd rather be Their bodies might have been screaming for mercy, but there was nowhere else a group of Manly Skiff Club greats would rather have been as they turned back the clock at the annual Old Buffers Day. Posted on 15 Mar
Harry Price wins the Botany Bay Championship 2025
Moonen Yachts takes victory in the famous 16ft Skiff race at St George Harry Price had only 24 hours to prepare for a race that's been 115 years in the making before joining an illustrious list of skippers to win the Botany Bay Championship. Posted on 19 Feb
Sponsorship is two-way street at Manly Skiff Club
There is no take without the give The sailors in the 16s and 13s fleets bring sponsors along for the ride, providing constant feedback on results, producing media content/exposure and creating an all-inclusive environment. Posted on 4 Feb
2024 NSW 13ft Skiff State Championship
A quartet of podium finishes landed Heidi Bates & Orlando Sadlik a maiden title A quartet of podium finishes landed Harken (Heidi Bates/Orlando Sadlik) a maiden NSW 13ft Skiff State Title. Posted on 2 Dec 2024
A dramatic finish to NSW 16ft Skiff Championship
It's hard to recall a more eventful weekend Has there ever been a more dramatic finish to a NSW 16ft Skiff Championship in its 118-year history? Posted on 2 Dec 2024
Manly's pathway to progress
A youth sailing success story in Australia The Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club is a success story against a background of dwindling support for youth sailing in Australia. Posted on 26 Nov 2024
Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignAllen Dynamic 40 FooterDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_SY BOTTOM