Sunday's racing to decide 18ft Skiff NSW champion
by Frank Quealey 18 Dec 2024 18:57 NZDT
22 December 2024
It will all come down to two short course races to decide which team will become the 2024-25 NSW 18ft skiff champion when the 16-boat fleet lines up for the final day's racing on Sydney Harbour next Sunday.
The Rag & Famish Hotel and Finport Finance teams went into last Sunday's racing in the lead and equal on points and, after both recording wins in the two races, ended the day again in the lead and equal with net totals of four points.
Both teams have been unsettled during the championship to date with both skippers missing races. Harry Price (Rag & Famish Hotel) has an injured leg and is likely to again miss next Sunday's racing while Keagan York (Finport Finance) missed the previous round while competing on a maxi yacht.
The biggest threat to the two leaders is the defending champion Yandoo team, now skippered by Micah Lane who replaces the retired John 'Woody' Winning. Lane also skippered Yandoo to win the JJ Giltinan World 18 footer Championship last March when Winning was unavailable through injury.
Another group of four young teams, Balmain (Henry Larkings), Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), Smeg (Nathan McNamara) and Lazarus Capital Partners (Tom Cunich), are separated by just six points as they battle for fourth place overall in the championship.
Three further teams, Sixt (Jacob Marks), Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn) and The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel), showed their best form of the season last Sunday and are also engaged in a tight battle.
The leading net point scores of the NSW Championship, after each team discards its worst race to date, are, Rag & Famish Hotel 4, Finport Finance 4, Yandoo 10, Balmain 12, Vaikobi 16, Smeg 17, Lazarus 18, Sixt 21, Burrawang-Young Henrys 22 and The Kitchen Maker 22.
The Australian 18 Footers League's Season Point Score series, which is a handicap competition staged over every club race throughout the season, continues on Sunday with only twenty two points separating the leading nine teams>
The Rag & Famish Hotel's early season form established a big break but the improvement by many of the young teams has reduced The Rag's lead.
Leading Season Point Score competition points are, Rag & Famish Hotel on 50 points, followed by Balmain on 56, The Kitchen Maker 57, Burrawang-Young Henrys 58, Finport Finance 63, Sixt 66, Lazarus 59, Smeg 69 and Vaikobi on 72.
With the early forecast suggesting a possible big sail North East breeze will test the fleet, the racing over the triangular short courses will be a great spectacle for all sailing enthusiasts.
The Australian 18 Footers League popular new spectator ferry will follow the racing, leaving Double Bay Public Wharf, alongside the clubhouse, at 2pm.
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