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2020 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship - Races 6 & 7

by Frank Quealey 18 Mar 2020 08:40 GMT 14-22 March 2020

Today's racing sponsored by Harken

The defending champion Honda Marine team of David McDiarmid, Matt Steven and Brad Collins hold a narrow points lead over their nearest rival as the fleet goes into the final two races of the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour tomorrow.

After each team drops the worst placing from the seven races sailed to date, Honda Marine leads former World champions Seve Jarvin, Sam Newton and Scott Babbage, in Winning Group, by just four points, so every placing in each of the two races will be critical.

Honda Marine has a net total of 11 points, Winning Group is on 15 points. Shaw & Partners Financial Services (James Dorron, Harry Bethwaite, Tim Westwood) is third on 28, followed by Smeg (Micah Lane) 29, Tech2 (Jack Macartney) 35, and Finport Finance (Keagan York) 43.

In today's first race, sailed over a windward-return two-lap course in a 13-18 knots NE wind, Honda Marine came from behind early in the race to defeat Smeg (Micah Lane, Ricky Bridge, Peter Harris) by 44s, with Winning Group a further 35s back in third place.

C-Tech (Alex Vallings) was fourth, followed by Shaw & Partners Financial Services and Finport Finance.

Honda Marine trailed the early leader, Shaw & Partners, to the top mark but powered downwind under her big rig (her opponents had smaller #2 rigs) to hold a 7s margin at the bottom mark.

Over the final lap of the course, Honda Marine out-sailed the rest of the fleet to go on to an impressive 44s victory.

In the latter race (Race 7), Winning Group won the start and quickly opened up a clear 45s break over Noakesailing (Sean Langman), Smeg, Tech2, Noakes Blue (Yvette Heritage), Bird & Bear (Tom Clout), Finport Finance, Vintec (Kirk Mitchell) and Honda Marine, which was 1m30s behind the leaders.

Unlike Race 6, the big rig boats were unable to gain enough time over the smaller rigged boats downwind and Winning Group was still 30s ahead at the bottom mark. Noakesailing was still in second place but Tech2 had edged just ahead of Smeg in the battle for third place.

Over the final lap of the course, Winning Group had little trouble retaining her lead and was still 45s ahead of Smeg and Tech2 at the top mark.

Smeg and Tech2 then staged a spectacular spinnaker battle on the run down the middle of Sydney Harbour to the finish. Tech2 finally getting the better of Smeg to take second place by just 8s.

Results after Day 4: (seven races)

PosTeamR1R2R3R4R5R6R7Pts
1Honda Marine (David McDiarmid / Matt Steven / Brad Collins)113231411
2Winning Group (Seve Jarvin / Scott Babbage / Sam Newton)424513115
3Shaw & Partners Financial Services (James Dorron / Harry Bethwaite / Tim Westwood)2714235928
4Smeg (Micah Lane / Ricky Bridge / Peter Harris)5471582329
5Tech2 (Jack Macartney / Charlie Wyatt / Trent Barnabas)3917957235
6Finport Finance / Breene & Breene Solicitors (Keagan York / Mat Stenta / Angus Williams)711225106743
7Bird and Bear (Tom Clout / John Walton / Cameron MacDonald)1020141781050
8Yandoo (John Winning Snr / Mike Kennedy / Jasper Warren)1131534171450
9URM (Marcus Ashley Jones / Cam Gundy / Lewis Brake)6136101925862
10C‑Tech (Alex Vallings / Sam Trethewey / Matt Coutts)1716518941263
11Noakes Blue (Yvette Heritage / Rory Hunter / Oliver Scott‑Mackie)92113121212664
12thekitchenmaker.com.au (Jordan Girdis / Lachlan Doyle / Tom Quigley)188976162264
13Noakesailing (Sean Langman / Ed Powys / Nathan Edwards)2261661518566
14Rag & Famish Hotel (Bryce Edwards / Jacob Broom / Rory Cox)16158252141166
15Maersk Line (Peron Pearse / Eli Liefting / Harry Clark)13141281891369
16The Oak Double Bay / 4 Pines (Aron Everett / Courtney Mahar / Charlie Gundy)125181414101772
17AppliancesOnline.com.au (Brett Van Munster / Phil Marshall / Peter Mackie)1410111313131574
18Vintec (Kirk Mitchell / Pete Nicholson / Matt Wark)817211111112379
19Birkenhead Point Marina (Tom Anderson / Elliot Scali / Tom Arkens)19181019161918100
20Queenslander (David Hayter / Nathaniel Dutton / Elliott Mahar)25122316221516104
21Ilve (Pedro Vozone / Matt Doyle / Jerome Watts)15191917212120111
22Dal Zotto (Jack Sprague / Josh Feldman / Marc Chapon)22222225202019125
23Lumix (Alex Watson / Cooper Richmond / Ben Roxburgh)25232020172224126
24QMC (Matt Rogers / Darren Rogers / Steve Wilson)25252421242321138

The JJ Giltinan Championship will conclude tomorrow with two races (races 8 and 9) being sailed to complete the nine-race regatta.

1996 JJ Giltinan world champion Stephen Quigley will present the traditional blue ribbon to the winning team on the water, immediately after the completion of Race 9. Mr. Quigley has also won Australian, European, NSW and Australian 18 Footer League Club championships, and has been a Director of the club for the past 20 years.

Unfortunately, due to the present COVID-19 restrictions, the Board of the Australian 18 Footers League have decided to cancel the Club's spectator ferry until further notice.

Racing will continue, and AeroMedia Live Broadcast team will be out on Sydney Harbour to capture all the action, which can be viewed LIVE online at www.18footers.com and clicking on the '18 Footers TV' link..

JJ Giltinan Championship information, race results, race reports and photographic images is also available on the club website www.18footers.com and other news about the championship is available at:

Twitter - @18skiff
Instagram - @18skiff
Facebook - International 18ft Skiff

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