Zhik Combined High Schools Sailing Championships at Belmont 16ft Sailing Club - Overall
by Rod Carter 17 Apr 2023 21:20 NZST
The final day of the Zhik Combined High Schools Sailing Championships was full of drama. The breeze was predicted to be fresh from the South but it had not materialise and sailors were greeted with a 12knt SW.
Within minutes of the first start a 40deg shift from the SE blew through the course with gusts up to 28knts recorded. The rain was so torrential that visibility was reduced to less than 100 metres. The race committee decided to abandon the race and observe the weather before restarting.
The delay in the start saw the time for the clouds to clear, the sun was shining again and a consistent 10-15knt Southerly greeted the competitors. Overnight leader Marshall Day (Macquarie College) sailing his Cherub had a small advantage over Connor Radford (Merewether HS) in second and Joel Beashel (Morisset HS) in third position.
Race 7 saw the 16ft Skiff team piloted by Joel Beashel sail a fast and conservative race to again win the race on corrected time. Fierce rivals Marshall Day and his crew Charlie Nosworthy were again not far away and managed to finish behind in second place, while Amy Ellis (Avondale School) sailing her Flying 11 in her first regatta as a skipper claimed third.
The Championship was poised between the top 4 boats of Day, Beashel, Radford and Spencer. Beashel needing the second race of the day to have any opportunity to overcome the Day in the overall Championship. With the initial delay in Race 7, the Race Officer was now in a race against the clock to get a course set and the start sequence commenced before the time limit on the final day expired. Race 8 warning signal was made with no room for a general recall. A general recall would see the time limit expire and the Championship end at 7 races.
Joel Beashel and Marshall Day again battled it out for the top position on the podium during the race. Ultimately the result in Race 8 would determine the Championship winner. When results were finalised Joel Beashel had narrowly won, with Marshal Day in second position and Christian Spencer (Newcastle Grammar) sailing his 29er in third.
The overall standing of the Zhik Combined High Schools Sailing Championships saw Joel Beashel (Morisset HS) in first place one point ahead of Marshal Day (Macquarie College) in second place and Connor Radford (Merewether HS) in third. Congratulations to Amy Ellis and Keisha Day (Avondale School) sailing their Flying 11 to be 1st All Girls. A huge thank you to Zhik for their continued support and generosity in providing a significant prize pool to this great event and supporting youth sailing in general.
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