Two British teams set for the 2013 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship
by Matt Kiddle 13 Feb 2013 17:07 GMT
15-25 February 2013
Two UK Skiffs, Team Pica and The Black Dog, have been shipped to Sydney to take on the biggest trophy in the 18 foot skiff world, the JJ Giltinan.
Jamie Mears, Tristan Hutt and Stewart Mears, have proved to be a dominant force in Europe in their 18-foot skiff Pica having taken a string of European and UK titles but this is their first time at a JJ.
The Australians are considered to be the current leaders in 18ft skiff racing but the trio, who sail at Stone Sailing Club, Southminster, and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, Burnham, are looking forward to taking them on in their own back yard.
Hutt said: "We have been dedicating a fair bit of time in preparation for the 2013 JJ, going over videos on the 18 footer TV site to look at tactics, studying maps of the harbour to overlay and memorise courses as well as talking with UK 18 legend Rob Greenhalgh (Last British skipper to win in 2004) for some JJ insight."
"In preparation for the Australian climate and longer races we have all been getting in a reasonable amount of gym time to make sure the fitness is there. This forms an essential part of being fully focused on the challenges that Sydney harbour presents with its relatively intricate courses an infamous traffic! Putting aspirations on such an unpredictable location with a lot of sailing talent on display is very difficult. We know from racing some of the Australian boats in Europe over the last couple of years we have reasonable pace on conventional courses, it's all going to be a question of how well we deal with the harbour."
Jarrod Simpson, Helm of The Black Dog, is no stranger to Sydney harbour having competed in multiple JJs before. Having been out in Sydney a week already he is using the time to set up a new rig and as well as some of his own local knowledge he has two secret weapons in the form of his all Australian crew of Grant Rollerson and Euan McNicol (2009 JJ Winner) both very successful 18 sailors.
The action all starts with the Invitation race on the 15th.
The event can be followed on www.18footerstv.com with daily reports, photos and videos here on YachtsandYachting.com