Please select your home edition
Edition
Selden 2020 - LEADERBOARD

Manly 16ft Skiff Club Championship Heats 1 & 2

by Adam Lucius 18 Oct 07:10 BST 12 October 2024
RedPumps – Tyler Dransfield – Greg Windust – Jay Harris - Club Championship / Crews Trophy © SailMedia

They say ignorance is bliss... It's also a winning formula if you happen to be Manly 16ft Skiff Club sailor Tyler Dransfield. The Red Pumps skipper was so busy caught up with social and work commitments during the week that he didn't realise he was about to sail in the first two heats of the club championship on Saturday.

It was only the night before the Club Championship double header that he was alerted to the fact, but that didn't stop him from guiding Red Pumps to two all-the-way victories alongside experienced crewmates Greg Windust and Jay Harris in a fresh southerly.

While yet to be officially verified, it's believed to be the first time the same boat has won two club championship heats on the same day in Manly's long history. "It had been a busy week and I hadn't really given the weekend a lot of thought," Dransfield explained.

"I just thought it'd be a club point-score race until I was told on Friday afternoon that we were sailing two heats of the clubbie.

"I think not knowing probably did help the preparation. Sometimes you can play a race over in your head all week or over-think things, but we went in pretty relaxed." The lead-up may have been relaxed but Red Pumps was all business once the gun fired.

They led at each mark to secure a tight 15-second win over Moonen Yachts (Daniel Turner) and Modern Concept Construction (Kurt Hansen) in the day's first race. It was pretty much rinse and repeat in race two, with Dransfield, Windust and Harris again clearing out to an early lead and maintaining their vice-like grip to the finish. The only difference was a change of position on the lower steps of the podium - MCC (second) and Moonen (third) swapping places.

"We've always been pretty good in the wind. Greg's big, Jay's big enough so those conditions really suited us," Dransfield said. "The two races were very similar. Great starts, first to every mark, good upwinds, reading the compass nicely and trying to stay on the lifts." It's early days but two "bullet" finishes have given Red Pumps a handy advantage in one of the three major titles they are bidding for this season.

Dransfield has picked up a third and fourth in his previous two club championship campaigns and is hungry for greater success. He said: "Long way to go, obviously, but it's a great start. The challenge is to keep the results coming. "The clubbies has been won by some great sailors and we'd love to get our name up there on the board. It's definitely on our radar."

Red Pumps also holds the upper hand on the handicap club championship pointscore, just ahead of Modern Concept Construction and Red Pumps Red (Zoe Dransfield) after the opening two heats.

In the 13s, 2 bullets from Harken put them 2 points clear of Imei and Botany Scaffold.

Related Articles

2024 NSW 13ft Skiff State Championship
A quartet of podium finishes landed Heidi Bates & Orlando Sadlik a maiden title A quartet of podium finishes landed Harken (Heidi Bates/Orlando Sadlik) a maiden NSW 13ft Skiff State Title. Posted on 2 Dec
A dramatic finish to NSW 16ft Skiff Championship
It's hard to recall a more eventful weekend Has there ever been a more dramatic finish to a NSW 16ft Skiff Championship in its 118-year history? Posted on 2 Dec
Manly's pathway to progress
A youth sailing success story in Australia The Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club is a success story against a background of dwindling support for youth sailing in Australia. Posted on 26 Nov
13ft & 16ft Skiff NSW State Championships Preview
A hectic shoot-out that will test mind, body and craft The winners of this weekend's 13ft/16ft NSW Championships will have done it the hard way following a hectic shoot-out that will test mind, body and craft. Posted on 26 Nov
Manly 16ft Skiff Club Championship Heat 3
For five years, Kurt Hansen was lost to sailing Burnt out after a prolonged stint travelling the globe in the 49er class, the then 22-year-old walked away from the sport to pursue other interests - including ironman triathlon events - while building a career in the renewable energy sector. Posted on 12 Nov
Manly 16ft Skiff Club report
A record number of females are entering the various classes At Manly 16ft Skiff Club, a record number of females are entering the various classes on the back of the path paved by some of Australia's finest women sailors. Posted on 30 Oct
Manly 16ft Skiff SC Port Jackson Championship
One of the most unforgiving races on the 16ft skiff calendar The Port Jackson Championship is regarded as one of the most unforgiving races on the 16ft skiff calendar. One small mistake or miscalculation and your day can be over as Sydney Harbour shows who's boss over two gruelling hours. Posted on 22 Oct
Sponsors, Club Financial Support and Media
The key drivers for 13ft Skiff Success Whether he's dressed in a business suit or wetsuit, Hugh Skeen is seeing the growth of the 13ft skiff class first-hand. Posted on 25 Sep
Manly16s first Season Pointscore
Winning culture and Flying 11s - the key to Manly's sailing success A quick glance at the results from Saturday's first point-score race of the season tells you all you need to know about the conveyor belt of quality sailors emerging from Manly 16ft Skiff Club's enviable junior program. Posted on 17 Sep
Manly 16ft SC's 2024/25 season officially starts
New season, new boats, new crews Manly 16ft Skiff Club's 2024/25 season officially kicked off last Saturday with a non-pointscore race in a dying southerly, with 17 boats facing the starter's gun. Posted on 13 Sep