18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship – Race 6

18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship Race 6

by Frank Quealey, November 23, 23:42 PST
November 24, 2024

Series Trophy: Yandoo Trophy
Race Sponsor: Sixt

The Rag & Famish Hotel team, consisting of Harry Price, Max Paul, and Finn Rodowicz, secured the 2024 Sixt Spring 18ft Skiff Championship, which concluded today on Sydney Harbour.

Josh Porebski filled in for regular skipper Harry Price, and though The Rag had to give substantial starts to the majority of the fleet and only managed a fifth-place finish in the final race, they held a nearly insurmountable lead prior to the race. With a total of 15 points, they claimed victory by a comfortable margin of 12 points.

The day’s race winner, Balmain (Henry Larkings, Tom Grimes, and Flynn Twomey), finished second overall with 27 points, while Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson, and Daniel Barnett) came in third with 34 points. Yandoo (Micah Lane) placed fourth with 35, followed by The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel) on 36 and Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn) with 39 points.

In today’s race, Balmain showcased a strong performance, achieving a remarkable 2-minute victory over Smeg (Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruikshank, and Jack Taylor), with Finport Finance (Brett Van Munster, Mike McKensey, and Phil Marshall) finishing 14 seconds later in third.

Lazarus (Tom Cunich) came in a close fourth, followed by Rag & Famish Hotel, The Kitchen Maker, Burrawang-Young Henrys, Yandoo, Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin), Vaikobi, Noakes (Bec Hancock), and Team Will (William Dargaville).

The race commenced in a moderate north-east breeze, leading to a close contest among the first 5-6 boats as they sailed from the start at Clark Island to the first set of three buoys near the Beashel Buoy.

Yandoo led the charge, followed by Marine Outlet (John Cooley), as they neared the marks. However, when Yandoo had to sail to the farther white mark, Marine Outlet emerged ahead of the pack as the spinnakers were deployed for the run to the wing mark off Shark Island.

The Marine Outlet crew executed an impressive run, leading by 15 seconds over Smeg and Balmain, who contended fiercely for the entire leg. Lazarus held fourth place, followed closely by Finport Finance and Sixt (Jacob Marks).

Yandoo capsized during the run, causing them to fall back through the fleet.

At the conclusion of the first lap, Marine Outlet maintained a 15-second lead over Smeg and Balmain, with the next three positions unchanged from those at the wing mark.

After giving handicap starts to the rest of the fleet, Rag & Famish Hotel displayed their usual downwind speed, moving into seventh place and solidifying their overall championship dominance.

Marine Outlet continued to perform beautifully on the next windward leg, preserving their 15-second advantage over Balmain as they raced back down the course, under spinnaker, towards the bottom mark off Clark Island.

Disaster struck Marine Outlet as they neared the mark, having been interfered with by a powerboat, compelling the crew to retire and head home.

With Balmain beginning to assert control in the conditions during the final lap, spectators’ attention turned to the intense competition for the minor placings between Smeg, Lazarus, and Finport Finance.

The three crews delivered an impressive performance as they raced home between Shark Island and Clark Island, concluding with just seconds separating them; Smeg finished 14 seconds ahead of Finport Finance, while Lazarus trailed by another 9 seconds in fourth place.

Races 1 and 2 of the NSW Championship are scheduled for next Sunday, December 1. The club’s spectator ferry will follow the race, departing from Double Bay Public Wharf at 2 PM.

SailMedia will livestream all the action.

Sixt Spring Championship Overall Results: