2026 Storm Bay Apparel SB20 Australian Championship at Derwent Sailing Squadron - Day 2
by Jane Austin 28 Mar 10:38 GMT
27-29 March 2026
Fahan School cool under pressure - 2026 Storm Bay Apparel SB20 Australian Championship Day 2 © Jane Austin
Export Roo (Michael Cooper) has tightened their grip on the 2026 SB20 Australian Championship, but it is the young guns and female helms that have been the stars of Day Two taking it up to the front runners in the 2026 Storm Bay Apparel SB20 Australian Championship.
Export Roo is leading the regatta after eight races on 13 points from second placed Porco Rosso (Paul McCartney) on 16 points.
Ares, skippered by Eirini Marios, is in third place on 23 points with the young female helm, who has plenty of world championship experience and success under her belt, taking a win in Race Seven.
Six points back is Aeolus, skippered by Indy Cooper, who had her second win of the regatta taking Race Six, but an OCS in the final race is going to make it hard for her to reach the podium with only 2 races remaining.
Warwick Dean - THSSA, skippered by Charlie Birch, continued their good form and found themselves leading the fleet at the top mark in the first race of the day, and is currently leading the Youth Division.
The big mover on the leaderboard today was Mind Games (Phil Reid) with the popular crew retiring after breaking the main halyard in the first race of the day, only to return to the race track for the start of Race Six where they scored a second place followed by two fourth places, to move into sixth overall.
Karabos (Nick Rogers) is currently in fifth place.
Cook Your Own Dinner, skippered by Chloe Abel, had a good hit out today and is currently in ninth position.
Abel, a multi-talented sportsperson who plays cricket for Scotland when she's not on the water, was comfortable with their performance today.
"We are very happy with how today went, definitely those first few races suited us more, and its always good to be out racing especially alongside Mum.
"And kudos to Jack Allison for supporting us on the boat, he and Mum have both been doing an amazing job while I sit lazy at the back.
"It's been great to see the Fahan girls doing so well, we are competing with them pretty closely throughout this regatta," said Abel.
The Murray Jones-THSSA team had their moments today and are enjoying racing against in a world class fleet, said crew member, Tom Hugo.
"We had an OK day today, we are much more a developing boat right now, bringing some younger crew up, so we struggled a bit when it got a bit windier, but overall, I think the team did really well.
"We were actually coming about third in two of the races, around the top mark, but we had a bit of trouble setting the kite in one race, and we dropped the kite a bit too late in another," said Hugo.
Hugo's crew mate Lachie Prior is relatively new to the Class but is having a ball in the regatta.
"We find that we always sail better together when we are having a good time, and not overthinking things, just thinking about things when we get there," said Prior.
Hugo is enjoying learning from the top sailors on the water, and also onshore.
"We've been going around having a look at how some of the other boats have been rigging up differently, and the different setups they may have to us, and we are always making tiny little adjustments to try and make the boat faster and easier to sail.
"On the race course, we have a saying which is don't be the black sheep, if everyone is going in one direction and you're going the other, you are probably wrong," said Hugo.
The day finished on a high note with a brisk seabreeze and blue skies making for exhilarating downwind legs followed by a shy reach back to the dock at speeds of around 15 knots.
One helmsman who didn't enjoy the finale so much was Wicked's Chris Keil, who went for a quick dip after his boat took off without him soon after rounding the top mark.
"The kite filled, the boat took off down a wave and I slid out the back," said Keil.
He was quickly and safely picked up and reunited with his boat, full of smiles back at the marina.
Two races remain in the championship with Export Roo looking reasonably safe at the top of the leaderboard.
Results after Day 2:
| Pos | Boat Name | Sail No | Skipper | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | WICKED | 86 | Stephen Henley | 1 | [15] O | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 15 R | 24 |
| 2 | REBELLION | 44 | Stephen Catchpool | 3.5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | [15] O | 30.5 |
| 3 | AEOLUS | 45 | Indy Cooper | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | [15] O | 32 |
| 4 | MIND GAMES | 90 | Phil Reid | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | [15] R | 1 | 4.5 | 8 | 33.5 |
| 5 | KARABOS | 49 | Nick Rogers | 3.5 | 2 | 2 | 5 A | 4 | 9 | 11 | [15] O | 44 |
| 6 | SILVER GULL | 42 | Scott Glanville | [11] | 10 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 45 |
| 7 | MURRAY JONES ‑ THSSA | 87 | Harry Pilkington | [14] | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4.5 | 7 | 48.5 |
| 8 | EXPORT ROO | 31 | Michael Cooper | [12] | 8 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 53 |
| 9 | ARES | 46 | Eirini Marios | 10 | 7 | 11 | 12 | [13] | 10 | 1 | 4 | 55 |
| 10 | COOK YOUR OWN DINNER | 58 | Chloe Abel | 7 | 11.5 | [13] | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 55.5 |
| 11 | WARWICK DEAN ‑ THSSA | 56 | Charlie Birch | 6 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 5 | [14] | 12 | 6 | 58 |
| 12 | PORCO ROSSO | 19 | Paul McCartney | 13 | 5 | [14] | 14 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 59 |
| 13 | FAHAN SCHOOL | 85 | Sarah Reynolds | 9 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 8 | [13] | 9 | 10 | 62 |
| 14 | MASTER CLASS | 75 | Sam King | 8 | 11.5 | 3 | [13] | 12 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 64.5 |
Full results here