Dimension Polyant takes out Lincoln Crowne 12ft skiff NSW Championships

Lincoln Crowne & Company was pleased to see some great results and spectacular sailing across the two weekends of the LCC NSW 12FT Championships. The State Titles ran over six heats and
doubled as the selection series for the Inter-dominion Championships. Starting at the historic
Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Sailing Club, the event moved to Abbotsford 12ft Skiff Sailing Club. The
following weekend, Woollahra Sailing Club hosted the final three heats.

Going into the Championships, 2010 Inter-dominion Champions Nick Press and Brad Yabsley in
Dimension Polyant were the favourites but were expected to be pushed hard by last year’s big
improver Adam Forbes in D-Unit and by former NSW Champion Brett Hobson in Garde.

The event didn’t fail to excite skiff enthusiasts and amateur watchers alike, and Nicholas Assef
(Executive Director, LCC) was very proud to have sponsored the event in 2011 – a display of
true sportsmanship, skill and agility in the ever-unpredictable weather conditions that Sydney
gave the crews over the two weekends.

In the first heat, sailed at Lane Cover, LCC sailed conservatively in the testing conditions to preserve 1st place, crossing the finish line with a lead of 1 1/2 minutes, and take the winning gun. Unfortunately the starting committee determined that LCC had crossed the start-line early and scored them an On the Course Side (OCS), and received no points for the race. Skoll took 1st place from Garde in the end. Dimension Polyant finished in 3rd place.

In the 2nd heat, at Abbotsford, a wind-shift up the final work saw LCC gain the lead, only to be run-down by Dimension Polyant heading home with their spinnaker, and capsizing. LCC had amassed enough of a gap over the 3rd placed Garde to be able to hold them out to the finish to save 2nd place for the race.

The 3rd heat saw LCC sail the whole race in 5th position. Dimension Polyant taking 1st, D-Unit taking 2nd and Gemmell Sails in 3rd. There was a very light, shifty, breeze dying completely on several occasions. The weekend finished with LCC recording an OCS, 2nd and a 5th. With LCC removed from heat 1, Dimension Polyant’s places were 1st, 2nd and 4th, and Garde’s were 2nd 3rd and 7th, these being the top 3 placing boats overall.

Heat 4, 5 and 6 was sailed at Woollahra sailing club. Dimension Polyant sailed a fantastic race with their big rig taking 1st place, 4 seconds later Garde, then Gemmell Sails, Skol then LCC. Geotherm won the handicap for their effort of 6th place and only being 1 minute behind the top finishers.

With a fresh breeze from the South-East, rain and cold, the skiffs embarked on their last day of the Championships. Unfortunately, LCC’s mast broke, putting them out of the race. Garde won the race by a margin, then Skol, then Gemmell Sails. DP broke their headsail tack-fitting, effecting repairs and finishing 5th.

With the top finishing skiff’s neck and neck towards the end of the race 6, LCC capsized during a rushed jibe to give way to Garde with a close approaching shoreline, allowing Garde to hold 3rd place leading into the finish. Dimension Polyant 1st, Skoll 2nd.

The final results saw Dimension Polyant with their 3rd consecutive State Championship, Garde 2nd and Skoll 3rd. Geotherm picked up the handicap from Skoll, both for their consistent improvements through the first half of the season.

FINAL RESULTS:

1st Dimension Polyant Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club - Nick Press & Brad Yabsley

2nd Garde Woollahra Sailing Club - Brett Hobson & Alex Johnson

3rd Skoll Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club - Peter Polec & Jamie McCrudden

4th Gemmell Sails Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club - Murray Press & Ben Gemmell

- Emma Simonsen