18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship & Club Championship, Race 3
by Frank Quealey 3 Nov 01:53 PST
From 27 October 2024
Another outstanding performance from the skilled Rag & Famish Hotel 18ft skiff crew of Harry Price, Max Paul, and Finn Rodowicz secured them their second victory in the series by winning Race 2 of the Australian 18 Footers League’s Club Championship on Sydney Harbour today.
The race showcased an exciting battle among four boats throughout much of the north-east course, with Rag & Famish Hotel establishing an early standard for major national and international regattas later this season, as she led at every rounding mark.
Finport Finance (Keagan York, Miles Davey and Phil Marshall) pushed hard, challenging The Rag’s crew until they finished 1 minute 35 seconds behind the winner.
Yandoo (John Winning, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake) trailed Finport Finance by an additional 19 seconds in third position, followed by Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), Balmain (Henry Larkings), Smeg (Nathan McNamara), The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel), Sixt (Jacob Marks), Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin), and Burrawang-Young Henrys (Simon Nearn).
Finport Finance was later disqualified for using sails that were not marked, promoting Yandoo to second place above Vaikobi. All remaining teams that completed the course behind Vaikobi were raised by one position.
After two races in the series and considering the disqualification of Finport Finance, Rag & Famish Hotel tops the points table with a total of two points, followed by Vaikobi with six points, Balmain with nine, Sixt and The Kitchen Maker with 13, and Lazarus (Tom Cunich) with 16.
Thirteen teams started in a 12-14 knot north-east wind, and the race quickly turned into an intense battle up the first windward leg from Clark Island to the Beashel Buoy.
The lead shifted numerous times as Yandoo, Vaikobi, Rag & Famish Hotel, and Finport Finance raced closely, separated by mere seconds as they vied for dominance.
Ultimately, Rag & Famish Hotel triumphed in this contest, leading by a boat length over Vaikobi as both teams deployed their spinnakers for the run towards the wing mark at the southern end of Shark Island.
Yandoo was 10 seconds behind Vaikobi with Finport Finance in fourth place, ahead of Balmain and Smeg, who were leading the rest of the fleet.
The Rag increased her advantage to 20 seconds over Vaikobi at the wing mark, extending it to 45 seconds by the end of the spinnaker run and the first lap of the course off Clark Island.
At that time, Finport Finance sat in third place, one minute behind the leader, followed by Yandoo, Balmain, Smeg, Sixt, and The Kitchen Maker.
Finport Finance delivered a strong performance on the second leg to the Beashel Buoy, narrowing The Rag’s lead to 20 seconds before both teams set off for the lengthy spinnaker run down the center of the course to the bottom mark near Clark Island.
With the final lap ahead, Rag & Famish Hotel was 30 seconds ahead of Finport Finance at Clark Island.
Finport Finance managed to cut 30 seconds off Rag & Famish Hotel’s lead on the previous lap — could they replicate that over the final leg?
Harry Price and his crew performed exceptionally as Finport mounted its challenge; Price’s match racing skills were evident as he kept The Rag firmly ahead of Finport, ultimately rounding the weather mark at the Beashel Buoy with a winning gap of 1 minute over Finport Finance.
Race 3 of the Sixt Spring Championship series took place alongside the Club Championship, with victory going to the consistent The Kitchen Maker team of Lachlan Steel, Jerome Watts, and Darcy McCracken, followed by Yandoo in second and Rag & Famish Hotel in third.
With three additional races remaining in the series, Rag & Famish Hotel leads the progression points table for the Sixt Spring Championship with a total of nine points.
Vaikobi holds second place with 11 points, followed by Balmain with 13, The Kitchen Maker with 17, Burrawang-Young Henrys with 19, and Yandoo with 25 points.
Next Sunday, the Australian 18 Footers League will hold Race 4 of the Sixt Spring Championship. The club’s regular spectator ferry will follow the race, departing Double Bay Public Wharf at 2 PM, and SailMedia will livestream all the action.
Race 3 Results:
Pos Boat Name Finish Elapsed Handicap Corrected Handicap Pos
1 Rag and Famish
(Harry Price / Max Paul / Finn Rodowicz) 16:02:03 01:10:03 00:01:10 04
2 Finport Finance
(Keagan York / Matt Stenta / Phil Marshall) 16:03:38 01:11:38 00:02:01 02
3 Yandoo
(John Winning (Woody), Fang Warren, Lewis Brake) 16:03:57 01:11:57 00:02:01 03
4 Vaikobi
(Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson, Daniel Barnett) 16:04:24 01:12:24 00:01:12 08
5 Balmain Private
(Henry Larkings, Tom Grimes, Flynn Twomey) 16:06:09 01:14:09 00:03:01 06
6 Smeg
(Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruickshank, Jack Taylor) 16:09:36 01:17:36 00:04:01 09
7 The Kitchen Maker/Ceasarstone
(Lachlan Steel / Jerome Watts / Ben Kirkby) 16:10:44 01:18:44 00:10:01 01
8 Sixt
(Jacob Marks, Alex Marinelli, Matt Doyle) 16:11:17 01:19:17 00:07:01 07
9 Shaw & Partners
(Emma Rankin / Jordan Girdis / Brandon Buyink) 16:11:57 01:19:57 00:09:01 09
10 Burrawang Hotel
(Simon Nearn, Max Nearn, Cameron McDonald) 16:20:13 01:28:13 00:10:00 10
11 Royal Oak
(Hugo Stoner / Hugo Leeming / Daniel Watson) 16:24:20 01:32:20 00:10:00 11
DNF Team Will
(William Dargaville / Ryan Wilmot / James Doyle)
DNF Lazarus
(Tom Cunich / Josh Feldman / Burger)
DNC 18 Footers Bar and Restaurant
(Luca Gambacorti, Nic Livermore, Nathan Byrne)
DNC Noakes
(Bec Hancock / Daniel McLachlan / Michael Vincent)
DNS Marine Outlet
(John Cooley, Cam Gundy, John Walton)
