International Skiff Regatta at Sail Melbourne - Day 6
by Di Pearson 18 Jan 2007 09:18 GMT
Winning Jnr steals Dad’s 18ft skiff lead at International Skiff Regatta
John Winning Jnr has taken the overall lead from his father John (Woody) in the 18ft skiffs at the International Skiff being hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht club today.
Young John (Herman) and his crew Anthony ‘Jack’ Young and Casey Smith on appliancesonline.com.au won both Races 5 and 6 which were sailed in very light airs on Corio Bay.
“It was very light and shifty,” Winning Jnr said, continuing, “We were quite lucky in the first one. We went round the top mark second behind Kinder Caring, but then they had chute problems and we sailed through them.”
Winning Jnr said that in the second race, positions changed as they sailed around the course. “We were last around the top mark, got De Longhi at the fourth bottom mark, then we led the fleet out left and made a small gain, then we got the lead going out to the right of the course half way up the work and stayed in front.”
The 21 year-old also conceded: “It was great beating Dad – we never beat him at home (Sydney), he always gets us somewhere on the course.” John, who has sailed 18s since the ‘70’s, has won every title in the class and now in his 50’s, is still difficult to beat
Winning Snr with crew Andrew Hey and Drew Waller aboard Ssanyong Yandoo scored a second in Race 5, but finished outside a podium place in Race 6, while the Kinder Caring of crew Brett Van Munster/Paul Montague/Aiden Menzies took out second place in Race 6. Van Munster is the builder of the new-age 18 footers.
“It was a bit dismal out there – very frustrating sailing in the light breeze, it’s hard to stay afloat,” commented sheet hand Montague, who is also an offshore maxi yachtsman and big cat sailor.
This is the trios first season together in the boat and, says Montague: “Our biggest thing is getting time together on the water, we’ve got the boat sorted, we just need to get some sailing time in.”
The CST Composite crew of skipper Chris Dixon, brother Greg on bow and sheet hand Justin Healey placed third in both races.
Skipper Chris is Operations Manager at CST, which builds all the rigs for the 18s and some for the 12s, 14s and 16s. “We do heaps of research and development and sponsor some guys and do development work with them and others,” he said.
Some of those he is talking about are currently at the top of the leaderboard here at the International Skiff Regatta. In the 12s, Emmett Lazich/Cameron McDonald lead their series with CST Composites until yesterday, Irwin Sails and Bob Jane T Marts Edgecliff lead the 14ft and 16ft National titles respectively and Fluid Building Services are currently fourth in the 16s.
Dixon said the company had expanded to China in 2006, where they have developed 60 rigs for production 30ft ‘Flying Tigers’ with more on order.
He and his crew have been together for three seasons with a best result of a fifth in the 2006 NSW Championship. Dixon is also a former Victorian 14ft skiff champion.
The 18s will sail their final two races tomorrow starting from 12:00pm.
14ft Nationals will come down to the wire at International Skiff Regatta
Lindsay Irwin/Andrew Perry’s (Irwin Sails) two second places in Races 6 and 7 today have regained them the lead of the 14 foot Nationals series today from yesterday’s leaders and now second placed Roger Blasse/Andrew Gilligan (Read Between the Lines).
Only one point separated the two Victorians yesterday and it’s the same again today in this very close Championship.
“We are pretty good mates,” Irwin said tonight. “From my point of view, I have been champion eight times and a former world champion. For someone else to give us some close competition is good If Andrew and I won every race, I would get sick to death of it. I couldn’t be happier to have some one pushing us – and Roger is a really good guy – a talented sailor.”
Lindsay, who is 45, won the Worlds in 2005. Perry, his crew and a talented sailor in his own right, has won a couple of Fireball World as well as winning titles with Irwin. The deadly duo is in their sixth season together and they are the reigning National Champions.
Not only are Irwin and Blasse club mates at Black Rock Yacht Club, both are committee members and both use Irwin Sails. In fact, around 50% of 14ft skiff sailors here use Irwin’s Sails.
These sailors don’t normally sail on the flat waters of Corio Bay when at home; they spend their time on the rougher choppier waters of Port Phillip.
Most of what we do here on Corio, the decisions are made on the spot. It’s been very shifty breeze here – sometimes frustrating, but it’s good if it goes in your favour, Irwin stated.
“Traditionally I’m best at heavy air, but our last worlds were in Los Angeles, so we worked hard on our light air stuff, so we don’t dominate now like we used to before. We are better all-round these days, and Roger is now our equal in the heavy airs.”
Irwin went on to say: “We expected Grant Geddes and Dan Wilsdon to be up there (the currently third placed overall pair from South Australia sailing Boost), and depending on conditions, if it was going to be predominantly light, I thought Roger Ramjet (Alex Newman/Derek Layfield from Victoria) would be up there, but if it was going to be heavier, Ray and the Crazy 88 (Anthony Anderson/Phil Chadwick).”
Chadwick was Irwin’s first crew and the two sailed together for a long 16 years. Chadwick also has a reputation as a Flying Dutchman, Fireball sailor.
Blasse and Gilligan won Race 6 and scored a fourth in Race 7 and are keeping Irwin/Perry honest. It is likely, with only three races remaining, that the winner will come from these top two crews, both currently using a fifth place as their drop.
Second and third places are still up for grabs, but after today’s two races, which started late due to almost non-existent shifty breezes, the South Australians on Boost are third placed, after mixed results of fifth and 15th – the latter used as their drop.
Flaunt It, sailed by Ron Scherwinski/James Lanati from Victoria, are just three places away from the Boost crew, with Ray and the Crazy 88 crew just two points behind in fifth place, after today’s races sailed in winds of up to only 10 knots.
Two further races will be sailed tomorrow, with the final race to be sailed on Saturday.
Typhoon romps home at International Skiff Regatta
Typhoon T Shirts scored a stunning victory over their rivals in the 16ft Skiff National Championship today, leading the race from go to whoa for a near two minute win on Corio Bay in Geelong.
In yesterday’s blustery race, in which half a dozen 16 footers came home with broken masts, Typhoon’s crew of Craig Nicholls/Stu Graham/Geoff Moore inverted theirs, and not having brought a spare mast to Geelong with them, had to use their wits if they were to race today.
Manly 16ft Sailing Club skipper Nicholls takes up the story. “We got the boat back to shore yesterday and thought ‘what can we do.’ We ended up letting down the tyre on one of the trailers, and along with some blankets and pillows, used them for padding either side of the mast, then we jumped up and down on it to bend it back into shape and the boat didn’t go any slower, so it did the trick.
“It was the only way to do something quickly so we could race today, and fortunately for us it worked,” said Nicholls, who was over the moon with their win. “it’s the first time for a long time,” he laughed.
Nicholls also told how they waited around in the near non-existent shifty breezes waiting for their start, which got away late as officials from host venue Royal Geelong Yacht Club waited for winds to fill in.
“We had time to work out that we’d start down the leeward end and go off to the left of the course. Most of the others went right – and thank God it didn’t pay off for them. Going down the run, we gybed first, picking the wind shift right, and took off with a little break.”
All the trio had to do from that point was keep the pack they had been sailing with behind them.
Fellow Manly sailors, Clint Bowen/Steve Bowen/Anthony King (Fluid Building Services) came home second, and in a heart stopper, Belmont entry, YB Flat (Gary Bruniges/Steve Newell/Scott Sherry) stung Race 3 winner, Savage Bee (Bruce Savage/Greg Windust/Damon Zemanek) by a bowsprit.
Lee Knapton/Peter Hubble/Dean Williams (Bob Jane T Marts Edgecliff) did enough today in finishing sixth to just hold on to their overall lead of the series by one point.
“It was pretty light, not enough breeze, up to about 10 knots at times. It was just one of those fluky days, so officials had to change the course a couple of times,” Knapton, from Middle Harbour said.
Currently, the Jack Andrew skippered Riley Marine Services is second overall in the Sail Melbourne event, after finishing fifth today, while Fluid Building Services’ second place today places them third overall, five points behind the leaders with Savage Bee a further three points away in fourth place.
In a major coup for the Typhoon brand, Typhoon T-Shirts has kept their winning streak going in the 13ft skiffs with a further victory in Race 5 today.
The two Dan’s, Daniel Turner and Daniel Ambler have now scored five out of five wins and cannot be beaten for the series, with only two races remaining.
“It was closer today, we didn’t win by much, because it was lighter airs so the lighter crews were able to close the gap on us a bit,” said Turner, the Typhoon skipper, whose two cousins, Alana and Georgia Clancy are also racing in the series, crewing aboard Fluid and Bigfoot respectively.
“In the first half of the race we waited for the sea breeze – we just waited for the first puff and when you get that, you know you can get going,” he added.
James Dorron/Jay Harris (Fire Stopping) came home second today to be second overall in the series and Fluid (Skye McFadyen/Alana Clancy) was third. Sheads First National sailed by brothers Richard and Tim Plain finished fifth today, and are now third overall.
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