Winning Group 73rd JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship - Day 1
by Frank Quealey 3 Mar 23:35 PST
4-12 March 2023
Race Sponsor: Birkenhead Point Marina
The recently crowned Australian champion Finport Finance team of Keagan York, Angus Williams and Phil Marshall totally dominated Race 1 of the Winning Group JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship with an outstanding display of light weather sailing on Sydney Harbour today.
Finport Finance grabbed a 20s at the first weather mark in Rose Bay, after a frustrating leg from the start off Clark Island, and quickly raced away from the rest of the fleet to lead by several minutes throughout the entire race.
At the finish, Finport Finance crossed the line a 2m15s winner from Smeg (Michael Coxon, James Dorron and Tom Anderson), with Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Dave O'Connor, Trent Barnabas and Tom Quigley) a further 4m31s back in third place.
Lazarus (Marcus Ashley-Jones) finished strongly over the latter half of the course to finish in fourth place, ahead of Yandoo (John Winning), Andoo (John Winning Jr), Big Pete (Sean Langman), Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price), Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis) and Balmain Slake (Henry Larkings).
The race was sailed in a variable 8-10 knot Easterly breeze which tested the fleet on the first windwards beat to Rose Bay.
Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn), Balmain Slake, Andoo and Yandoo were amongst the leaders early, along with Noakes Youth (Tom Cunich), Finport Finance, Smeg and Lazarus as the fleet made its slow journey near Shark Island.
With the usual variable breeze in Rose Bay, Finport Finance grabbed a 20s lead from Shaw and Partners as spinnakers were set for the run to the wing mark off Clark Island, followed by Yandoo, Balmain Slake, Smeg, Burrawang-Young Henrys and Noakes Youth.
As Finport Finance raced away from the rest of the fleet on the leg to the wing mark, the Smeg team outsailed their rivals to move into a clear second place ahead of Shaw and Partners.
The three teams easily held those placings for the remainder of the race, several minutes ahead of the pack.
Conditions changed as most of the fleet reached the wing mark and racing became a little chaotic as positions changed rapidly and many positions were turned upside-down as the fleet headed for the bottom mark off Kurraba Point.
Over the final two laps of the course, the leading three positions remained unchanged and most interest centred on the tight battle for the next five placings.
Lazarus was back in sixth place at the second weather mark in Rose Bay but a strong spinnaker run back to the bottom mark off Kurraba Point put the team into fourth place, ahead of Yandoo, Andoo and Rag & Famish Hotel.
Conditions are expected to be entirely different for tomorrow's Race 2, which should provide supporters with a great spectacle and a wonderful platform to launch a hard-fought regatta.
The race dates for the Winning Group 73rd JJ Giltinan World 18 footer Championship are:
- Saturday - March 4 - Race 1
- Sunday - March 5 - Race 2
- Tuesday - March 7 - Races 3 and 4
- Wednesday - March 8 - Races 5 and 6
- Thursday - March 9 - Race 7
- Saturday - March 11 - Race 8
- Sunday - March 12 - Race 9
An Australian 18 Footers League spectator ferry will follow the racing on each of the seven days, leaving from Double Bay Public Wharf, alongside the clubhouse, at 2pm.
Race 1 Results:
| Pos | Boat Name | Finish | Elapsed | Handicap | Corrected | Corrected Pos |
|---|
| 1 | Finport Finance
(Keagan York / Angus Williams / Phil Marshall) | 16:21:54 | 01:24:54 | 1 | 01:23:54 | 1 |
| 2 | Smeg
(Michael Coxon / James Dorron / Tom Anderson) | 16:24:09 | 01:27:09 | 2 | 01:25:09 | 2 |
| 3 | Shaw & Partners Financial Services
(Dave OConnor / Trent Barnabas / Tom Quigley) | 16:28:40 | 01:31:40 | 5 | 01:26:40 | 3 |
| 4 | Lazarus Capital Partners
(Marcus Ashley Jones / Rob Bell / Jeronimo Harrison ) | 16:30:58 | 01:33:58 | 3 | 01:30:58 | 5 |
| 5 | Yandoo
(John Winning Snr / Fang Warren / Josh Porebski) | 16:32:22 | 01:35:22 | 3 | 01:32:22 | 9 |
| 6 | Andoo
(John Winning Jnr / Seve Jarvin / Sam Newton) | 16:32:55 | 01:35:55 | 0 | 01:35:55 | 16 |
| 7 | Noakesailing
(Sean Langman / Ed Powys / Rhys Mara) | 16:33:44 | 01:36:44 | 1 | 01:35:44 | 14 |
| 8 | Rag & Famish Hotel
(Harry Price / Josh McKnight / Harry Hall) | 16:34:06 | 01:37:06 | 0 | 01:37:06 | 18 |
| 9 | Fisher & Paykel
(Jordan Girdis / Jacob Broome / Josh Feldmann) | 16:35:07 | 01:38:07 | 7 | 01:31:07 | 6 |
| 10 | Balmain Slake
(Henry Larkings / Miles Davey / Flynn Twomey) | 16:35:25 | 01:38:25 | 7 | 01:31:25 | 7 |
| 11 | Burrawang‑Young Henrys
(Simon Nearn / Dan Phillips / Cam McDonald) | 16:35:28 | 01:38:28 | 6 | 01:32:28 | 10 |
| 12 | Noakes Blue
(Nathan McNamara / Peter McLeod / Jack Taylor) | 16:35:32 | 01:38:32 | 10 | 01:28:32 | 4 |
| 13 | The Oak Double Bay / 4 Pines
(Alex Marinelli / Matt Doyle / Darcy McCracken) | 16:37:12 | 01:40:12 | 6 | 01:34:12 | 12 |
| 14 | Birkenhead Point Marina
(Kirk Mitchell / Andrew Stephenson / Daniel Barnett) | 16:38:45 | 01:41:45 | 7 | 01:34:45 | 13 |
| 15 | 18 Footers Bar and Restaurant
(Pedro Vozone / Cam Walker / Paddy Bannon) | 16:39:11 | 01:42:11 | 10 | 01:32:11 | 8 |
| 16 | Black Knight
(Heinrich Van Bayern / Thomas Martin / Andy Martin) | 16:39:16 | 01:42:16 | 5 | 01:37:16 | 19 |
| 17 | C‑Tech QLD
(Josh Sloman / George Morton / Angus Barker) | 16:39:37 | 01:42:37 | 10 | 01:32:37 | 11 |
| 18 | Big Foot Bags and Covers
(Dave Hayter / Ben Roxburgh / Elliott Mahar) | 16:39:40 | 01:42:40 | 4 | 01:38:40 | 21 |
| 19 | Marine Outlet
(Cam Gundy / John Walton / Markus Sampson) | 16:39:51 | 01:42:51 | 6 | 01:36:51 | 17 |
| 20 | Lazarus Development
(Hugo Stoner / Hugo Leeming / Hamish Vass) | 16:42:52 | 01:45:52 | 10 | 01:35:52 | 15 |
| 21 | The Kitchen Maker/ Ceasarstone
(Lachlan Steel / Jerome Watts / Finn Rodowicz) | 16:44:04 | 01:47:04 | 9 | 01:38:04 | 20 |
| 22 | Noakes Youth
(Tom Cunich / Fynn Sprott / Aiden Mansley) | 16:45:25 | 01:48:25 | 7 | 01:41:25 | 23 |
| 23 | Hoefle Haus
(Holger Hoefle / Cam De Nardis / Eike Dietrich) | 16:47:29 | 01:50:29 | 10 | 01:40:29 | 22 |
| DNF | Japan Team
(Nobu Ono / Takuyou Arita / Brandon Buyink) | | | | | |
