A Perfect Season Starter for the 13ft Skiffs and 16ft Skiffs at Manly
by Adam Lucius 11 Sep 2025 06:55 BST
6 September 2025
Manly 13ft Skiff and 16ft Skiff Season Opener © Michael Chittenden
It was the perfect start to what shapes as a perfect season for the Manly 13 and 16ft skiff club fleets. On a beautiful early spring afternoon last Saturday, a dozen 13s and sixteen 16-footers hit the water for the traditional rust-clearing non-pointscore race.
This is a chance for sailors to clear away the winter cobwebs and continue fine-tuning their boats for this Saturday's opening short course pointscore race.
Perennial title contenders Daniel Turner, Gus Williams and Matt Stenta were keen to impress new sponsors Buckingham Marine and crossed the line first in the 16s, only to record an OCS after breaching the line prior to the official start.
That allowed IMEI (Joel Beashel) to swoop for the win, followed by Geochemical Assessment (Nathan McNamara) and Typhoon (Alex Hart).
Beashel's star is on the rise after he became the youngest skipper, at 16, to win the national 16s title, piloting IMEI to a memorable victory last January.
The all-women crew on Queens of Buckingham did not finish but showed promising signs they will quickly gel once the serious stuff gets underway. Skipper Fiona Harris is back after a long lay-off to fulfil motherhood duties, with Emily Fewster and Annika Mountstephens rounding out a very competitive crew. Queens of Buckingham is sure to be one of the great storylines of the new season.
In the 13s, Ash Napper and Theo Franklin picked up where they left off last season, cruising into pole position aboard Buckingham Marine.
Buck & Simple (Lachlan Jansen) was 47 seconds behind in second place, with IMEI (Oliver Ross). Debutant Dive Co (Hamish and Iain Cameron) enjoyed their first hit-out at Manly and will make their presence felt as the season unfolds.
Dive Co is among a host of new sponsors to join the 13s/16s fleet, with Buckingham Marine, Big Foot Sailing and Geotechnical Assessments also offering their backing. Sponsorship vacancies remain available in both fleets.
Club commodore Michael Childs is excited about what lays ahead over the next seven months.
"Senior participation at Manly continues to flourish, with 24 x 16s and 20 x 13ft skiffs expected to register for Saturday racing this season," he said. "The 13ft skiff growth, in particular, has been phenomenal. The class has some awesome momentum at the moment. "We boast world class competitors, coaches, facilities and location – there's simply no better place for skiff sailing."
Manly boats will be again in the thick of the action when the major regattas roll around, with the state titles to be held at St George and Middle Harbour in November, followed by the nationals at Belmont in January.