JJ Giltinan 18fters: Honda Marine banks some solid places - Day 3
by RAYC/ASC 18 Mar 2020 14:23 NZDT
18 March 2020
Honda Marine works her way through to leeward - 18ft skiffs - JJ Giltinan Championship - March 17, 2020 - Day 3 - Sydney Harbour © Michael Chittenden
The JJ Giltinan 18 Skiff Championship saw an unprecedented three back to back races sailed Tuesday, one more than was scheduled, in an effort to get a series completed in case the regatta was unable to continue.
The kiwi team, Honda Marine (Dave McDiarmid, Matt Steven, Brad Collins), Maersk Line (Peron Pearse, Eli Liefting, Harry Clark) and C-Tech (Alex Vallings, Sam Trethewey, Matt Coutts), have had a complicated season, with just a handful of races completed before the boats were shipped to Australia for the world championship event. Interruptions to their regular racing meant the teams had to train after work in an effort to get JJ’s ready, meaning that there were not a lot of opportunities to practice in the light airs with the number one rig.
However the team, across the board, are calm in high stress situations, and managed to keep themselves relevant in the championship, with C-Tech having a great first race finishing fifth. The youngsters on Maersk Line pulled out a top 10 result in the second race of the day finishing eighth, but it was Honda Marine who maintained consistency, with a third, second and third, putting them at the top of the leaderboard with 10 point, six clear of second place, The Winning Group, on 16.
The light and flukey conditions provided some intense racing with three race winners from three races. Shaw and Partners, Bird and Bear and The Winning Group took the guns in Races 3, 4 and 5 respectively.
Racing is set to continue on Wednesday 18th March, with two additional races scheduled.