2026 Tri Search 12ft Skiff Interdominion Championship - Day 3
by Di Pearson, 12ft Skiff Media 6 Jan 01:26 PST
3-10 January 2026
Day 3 and two races were sailed at the triSearch 12ft Skiff Interdominion Championship on Sydney Harbour, where crucial decisions in shifty variable winds made some, breakages and swims cost others, in a long day on the water after General Recall in the first race and the second race abandoned before being re-sailed.
Halfway through the series and staying solid throughout are Nick Press/Andrew Hay (Sail Inc., NSW), who added a win and a third to their 1-3-1 results for a six-point lead over nearest rivals Brett Hobson/Peter Nicholson (Geotherm, NSW) and a further two points to Brad Phillips/Oscar Wilson (Terms & Conditions, NSW).
Sail Inc. and Terms & Conditions were, in the words of Nick Press, "glued together in both races today." The latter ended the day with two second places after sailing closely together and swapping the lead several times with Sail Inc., with Geotherm also coming into the picture and ending the day with 3-4 results.
Press said, "They (Terms & Conditions) are really good in these conditions. We had to fight the whole way round the course with them in both races. They were glued to us and Geotherm was there too. It was lucky we got a bit of a gap at the top mark the last time and it left them fighting for second place."
The second race, abandoned down the run, leaving competitors wondering why, was then re-started and found Sail Inc. in the same situation, with the addition of C-Tech into the picture.
New Zealand's C-Tech (Alex Vallings/Fraser Brown) won that race from Terms & Conditions, Sail Inc. and Geotherm, with another Kiwi entry, As Good As It Gets (Glenn Armstrong/Roger Barnes) in the picture and eventually finishing fifth.
"We were neck and neck with Terms & Conditions," said Vallings, who was also leading the second race the first time when it was abandoned. "It was frustrating at the time, but we put it behind us," he said.
"We had a clean start the second time around and headed towards Bradleys Head and had to do an extra tack to make it, but that got us back into it. It was really shifty at the top mark with a lot of traffic, but we got there in the end," said Vallings who finished runner-up at the Interdominion last year and has won in the past.
Sydney Sailmakers (Josh Tasker/Brendan Jenkins, NSW), which had been doing so well, had a shocker today - four capsizes in all, which cost them dearly.
Tasker commented, "We couldn't get out of our own way today. We weren't happy, we just made silly mistakes.
"We finished OK, but it's not where we want to be," he said of their 6-12 results that have dropped them 18 points behind the leaders after their great 3-4-2 results in the first three races. The pair is praying the full series of 10 races is sailed, which means they can drop their worst two scores.
Off the ramp at Double Bay and The Darkside's rig snapped, costing her Kiwi crew of Tim Bartlett/Matt Hix the first race of the day, but they made it out in time for the second race.
A General Recall started the day, but the boats got away on the second start. Positions swapped through the race, held in a light and shifty east/south-easterly. Then came the second race, which was abandoned, leaving competitors wondering why. Officials then re-set the windward/leeward course and the second time around the race was completed.
Arrogant Frog's stay broke, but brothers Peter and Steven Hill pressed on and finished the race, only able to set a kite on one side - bravo to them. Asko and Shu-Styx Fabrications retired.
Layday tomorrow is a welcome relief after many had swims, others dealt with wineglasses in spinnakers, or picking the shifts wrong, breakages and a long day on the water for everyone.
A further two races are planned for Thursday from 2pm. The 63rd Interdominion finishes on Saturday 10 January and is being hosted by the Australian 18 Footers League at Double Bay.
First held on Sydney Harbour in 1957, the Interdominion is an annual competition between Australia and New Zealand for the Silasec Trophy. triSearch is the naming rights sponsor for the 63rd Interdominion and is a subsidiary of InfoTrack. Support sponsors are Your Move Conveyancing and Pete's Home Loans.
A spectator ferry will be on the water for the final day of racing on 10 January and departs Double Bay Wharf at 1.30pm, so bring your friends and family along. Ferry tickets here.
For full results and all information on the 12ft Skiff class and its events, please visit: www.skiff.org.au