Three in a row for Price at Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship

Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship winners © David Brogan / www.sailpix.com.au

For the third consecutive year, Harry Price from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has secured the Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship in what can only be described as one of the most fickle racing weekends this year on Sydney Harbour.

Over the 6-7th August, the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy hosted the Championship where only half the regatta format was completed as the winter weekend was plagued with the ever familiar light, variable winds that come at this time of the year. Nine teams from 5 yacht clubs / associations competed in the two-day event with the CYCA once again coming home with the trophy, having now won the event 15 of the 16 times it has been held, only losing the inaugural event when 2012 Olympic Gold medallist, Nathan Outteridge, won in 2001 for the Hunter Academy of Sport.

Harry now joins Evan Walker & Jay Griffin, two other CYCA Youth Sailing Academy graduates who have won the event three times but with two more years still up Price's sleeve until he ages out, all eyes will be on next year's event to see if he can make it four in a row.

Denis Thompson led a fantastic Race Management team with special mentions to Debbie Holder & Dino Oliveri who joined the team for the first time. Over the course of the two days, with dozens of mark changes, the Race Committee managed to complete the Round Robin qualifying stage before rushing straight to finals on Sunday afternoon, squeezing in the final race with 3 minutes to spare before the daily time limit ran out.

The big surprise for the event came from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, with unranked skipper Harry Hall, finishing in second place overall after only losing 1 race in the Round Robin to Price. The young sailor produced some major upsets, most notably by beating fellow club member, Malcolm Parker (WS #158) and taking Race 1 in the finals from Price.

Price & his team of Milly Stabback, John Cooley & Seldon Coventry almost had a perfect weekend, going undefeated in the round robin stage before a slight stumble by a faded breeze in Race 1 of the Finals. The team sailed exceptionally well in Race 1, having more than a 200m lead at the final top mark, however surprise regatta finisher, Harry Hall, came from behind to steal the lead moments from the finish.

Race 2 saw the disappearing sunlight draw in the best breeze of the day. Price nailed the start and from there stretched away to take a comfortable win. With the time limit expired for racing, and the finals locked at 1-1, the knockout stage was voided and results from the Round Robin would stand.

In the fight for the final podium position, another battle between the two Sydney clubs saw Malcolm Parker (RPAYC) and his team defeat Tom Grimes (CYCA) 2-0 after also benefiting from the dissipating breeze in Race 1 to score a come-from-behind victory.

All competitors paid tribute to Club Marine in the regatta presentation for their continued support of youth sailing and in particular this event which celebrated their 13th year as title sponsor.

For the majority of the sailors, their focus now shifts to the other state titles which are scattered out throughout September before the all-important Australian Youth Match Racing Championship at the end of October at the CYCA.