Hyde wins 2023 Harken Youth International Match Racing Cup
by Kristine Horne/RNZYS 19 Feb 2023 05:15 PST
2023 Harken Youth International Match Racing Cup © RNZYS Media
After four days match racing in light and challenging conditions on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, Josh Hyde and his crew have won the 2023 Harken Youth International Match Racing Cup.
The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and its Mastercard Youth Training Programme were well represented on the podium, with Jack Frewin and Mason Mulcahy with their crews in second and third respectively.
Third time was a charm for just-turned nineteen year old Hyde who has competed in this event twice before; clearly he and his team of Jack Manning, Zach Fong, Cody Coughlan and Ryder Ellis were in “race mode” after last week also placing third at the Hardy Cup Sydney International Match Racing Regatta.
“That final race was really tight, we had lost the start and were following Jack the whole race, just slowly catching up” says Hyde of the winner-takes-all final race. “We only just managed to get a piece of him at the last top mark, and had a good set which we then just had to hold on to the finish line. It was awesome to race against Jack in his first big match racing event”.
The Petit Final between Mason Mulcahy and Braedyn Denney was a clear win for Mulcahy who was on top form for the whole event.
Hyde continues, “It wasn’t an easy regatta to win. There was lots of close racing and we only just scraped through with a win on some of the races. It was also a different weather pattern from what we’d normally expect, off the back of the recent cyclone.”
The entire four-day regatta was plagued by light winds, with crews often kept ashore with delayed racing, and with long breaks between races waiting for the breeze to settle. None of the crews seemed to mind the dose of summer sunshine and social time ashore at the RNZYS Clubhouse.
Hyde has ambitions to join the RNZYS Performance Programme, and looks to apply to some international regattas later this year. In the meantime, back to University and work for the crew ahead of the NZ Youth Match Racing Nationals in Wellington.
Events like this are made possible only with thanks to the support of the RNZYS' long-term partners including Harken and a big team of volunteers.
Final Results:
1. RNZYS- Josh Hyde, Jack Manning, Zach Fong, Cody Coughlan, Ryder Ellis
2. RNZYS - Jack Frewin, Ollie Gilmour, Oliver Loyd, Sophia Higgott
3. RNZYS- Mason Mulcahy, Hugo McMullen, Luis Schneider, Harry McMullen, Sam Scott
4. TYPBC - Braedyn Denney, Crue Ellis, Luc Gladwell, Marin Armstrong-Wills
5. RPAYC - D’arcy Kemp, Daniel Kemp, Hugo Butterworth, Josh Paulson
6. RSYS - Xavier McLachlan, Massimo Henderson, Annabelle Connery, James Hayhoe, Alex Gibbs
7. RNZYS - Sophia Fyfe, Henry Angus, Maeve White, Roberta Li Bassi, Tim Cashmore
8. RSYS - Brooke Wilson, Katrina Casimaty, Issy Payne, Riley Evans, Hayden Smith
9. RNZYS- Rory Sims, Kelly Su, Tim McCulloch, Jack Shroder, Lydia Zhu
10. RNZYS- Robbie McCutcheon, Drake McGillivray, Matt Newhouse, Scott Leduc, Zac Blomeley
11. GBC - Lachlan Marker, Marcus Wallace, Morgan Lay, Kaleb Bennett, Oliver Davidson