18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship & Club Championship, Race 2
by Frank Quealey 27 Oct 01:10 PDT
27 October 2024
Race 2 of the 2024 Sixt Spring 18 footer Championship was held today by the Australian 18 Footers League on Sydney Harbour, where 16 teams from the club started in an 8-12 knot north-east wind that provided much more favorable racing conditions compared to the 22+-knot southerly winds that affected the fleet during Race 1 last Sunday.
The race met expectations and kept spectators engaged until the finish, with multiple lead changes throughout the course as the handicap system influenced each of the three laps.
The winning formula for the Vaikobi team, consisting of Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson, and Daniel Barnett, was a combination of downwind speed and steady crew work over the entire course, securing a win with a 27-second lead over early race leader Smeg (Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruikshank, and Jack Taylor).
Balmain (Henry Larkings, Miles Davey, and Flynn Twomey) recovered from a seventh-place position after the second lap, demonstrating exceptional downwind skills to finish third, 31 seconds behind Smeg.
Finport Finance (Keagan York) placed fourth, followed by Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price), Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn), Yandoo (John Winning), Sixt (Jacob Marks), and The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel).
After the first two races of the six-race series, Vaikobi (4 points) holds a slim lead over last week’s winner Rag & Famish Hotel with six points, followed by Balmain with 8, Burrawang-Young Henrys with 10, Sixt with 14, The Kitchen Maker with 16, Smeg with 18, Lazarus (Tom Cunich) with 19, Finport Finance with 20, and Yandoo with 23 points.
There is NO DISCARD in this series.
Smeg took an early lead over Vaikobi shortly after the race start, and the competition for the top positions was tight as Rag & Famish Hotel and Yandoo advanced through the fleet alongside Lazarus.
Rag & Famish Hotel secured the lead from Smeg as they approached the weather mark for the first time, but The Rag had to sail to the further ‘red’ mark, allowing Smeg to round first, 40 seconds ahead of Lazarus (both opted for the ‘blue’ mark), with spinnakers deployed for the run to the wing mark south of Shark Island.
Sixt had also advanced and was in third, ahead of Rag & Famish Hotel and Finport Finance.
Smeg maintained a solid lead over Lazarus as the fleet rounded the Shark Island mark and headed toward the bottom mark near Clark Island. Vaikobi was showing impressive downwind speed and began to close the gap on the leaders.
Just when it appeared that the race was settling down as the fleet neared the bottom mark, things took an unexpected turn when Smeg and Sixt went to the wrong rounding mark.
The Lazarus team quickly capitalized on this mistake, taking the lead from Smeg as both boats returned to the weather buoys at Beashel Buoy, establishing a 30-second lead as spinnakers were again set for the return to Clark Island.
The lead changed once more shortly after when Lazarus capsized, allowing Smeg to regain control. This time, Smeg had a 20-second margin over Vaikobi, followed by Finport Finance, Yandoo, Burrawang-Young Henrys, Rag & Famish Hotel, and Sixt.
Smeg maintained her lead during the long spinnaker run, but Vaikobi was now just 5 seconds behind and applying pressure on the Smeg crew. Finport Finance trailed by 20 seconds, making gains, while the two leaders remained strong as they navigated toward the final set of marker buoys.
Smeg and Vaikobi both headed toward the ‘white’ buoy, holding an edge over Finport Finance and The Rag, which opted for ‘red’. Burrawang-Young Henrys had raced consistently and was still among the leading six boats, maintaining a slight lead while heading to the ‘blue’ (shorter) mark on this lap.
As Vaikobi headed for home, under spinnaker with a 12-second lead over Smeg, she was in a commanding position that allowed for an impressive victory with another fast run.
The MarkSetBot robotic sailing buoys system was utilized for the first time in a three-buoy 18 footer race on Sydney Harbour today, proving successful in providing enhanced handicap accuracy for the entire fleet.
Next Sunday, the Australian 18 Footers League will conduct Race 2 of the Club Championship along with Race 3 of the Sixt Spring Championship for the Eric Bowen Memorial Trophy.
The Club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, departing from Double Bay Public Wharf at 2 PM, and SailMedia will livestream all the action.
