18ft Skiffs - 2024 JJ Giltinan Championship - Day 4

Races 5 and 6 – Race partner: Vaikobi – A.J. Reynolds Trophy

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 – Sydney Harbour

The outcome of the Winnings 2024 JJ Giltinan Championship is still wide open between the three leading teams with just three more races to be sailed, as the 27-boat fleet focuses on winning the coveted JJ Giltinan World 18 footer trophy currently being contested on Sydney Harbour.

With six races of the nine-race regatta now completed, each team’s worst race result to date is excluded from the net score and reflects a truer position as the event moves closer to completion next Sunday.

After today’s two races Yandoo (Micah Lane, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake) and Andoo (John Winning Jr, Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton) share the lead with net scores each of eight points, followed by Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price, Josh McKnight and Finn Rodowicz) on 13 points.

Finport Finance (Keagan York) is fourth on 27 points, followed by New Zealand’s ASCC (Eli Liefting) on 31, Germany’s Black Knight (Heinrich Von Bayern) on 33, Marine Outlet (John Cooley) 38, Queensland’s Big Foot Bags and Covers (Dave Hayter) 40, Balmain (Henry Larkings) 40 and Lazarus (Tom Cunich) on 42 points.

Following yesterday’s racing, a protest by the Yandoo crew (which finished first over the finish line after sailing the entire course) for being declared OCS in Race 3, resulted in the skiff being reinstated as the winner and every other finishing skiff being placed one position further back than originally recorded.

All placings have now been adjusted accordingly and scores in this report and those on the attached overall points table are correct.

Day four’s two races were sailed in a 10-16-knot North-East breeze on Sydney Harbour today, with all teams electing to carry their smaller #2 rigs, and the honours were shared between the two series leaders who each scored wins.

Race 5 of the series (the first of today’s two races) began dramatically when Andoo and Lazarus both believed they were over at the start and returned to re-start. Rag & Famish Hotel was also ‘buried at the start’ and had to fight her way through the fleet.

Yandoo took advantage and soon held the lead before rounding the first of three weather marks with a 13s margin over Andoo. The Rag had also recovered well to move up into third place ahead of Finport Finance, ASCC, Marine Outlet and The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Jacob Marks).

Yandoo held off the Andoo challenge downwind to round the bottom mark with a 9s advantage while Rag & Famish Hotel was a furth 11s back in third place.

Finport Finance headed the next group from ASCC, The Oak and Queensland’s C-Tech (Josh Sloman).

Andoo got the upper hand on the next windward leg to grab a narrow lead over Yandoo at the weather mark but a spinnaker set problem allowed Yandoo to get back into the lead, a lead she held to the finish to defeat Andoo by 24s. The Rag was a further 7s back in third place.

Race 6, which was reduced from three laps to two, produced another dramatic incident shortly after the start when Yandoo capsized near Bradleys Head. This time Andoo took full advantage and opened up a 12s lead over Big Foot Bags and Covers, followed by Marine Outlet, Lazarus, Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), Yandoo, Black Knight, Rag & Famish and The Oak.

Andoo increased the lead over Big Foot to 20s at the bottom mark and out further to 30s at the second weather mark before going on to an all-the-way 33s victory.

Big Foot Bags and Covers (Dave Hayter, Ben Roxburgh and Alliott Mahar) finished in second place, 23s ahead of Yandoo with Finport Finance came home fourth ahead of Black Knight and Lazarus.

Today’s handicap section attached to the championship was won by Big Foot Bags and Covers with a win and second placing into the two races.

Tomorrow’s full-course Race 7 will determine which of the two leaders is likely to go into the weekend’s final two races with the lead and whether Rag & Famish Hotel can reduce the five-point margin.

Further race dates for the championship are:

Thursday March 7, 2024 Race 7, Bill Miller Memorial Trophy

Saturday March 9, 2024 Race 8, Big Kite Memorial Trophy

Sunday March 10, 2024 Race 9, Ribbon and JJ Giltinan Trophy

DON’T FORGET: Half-price ferry tickets TOMORROW, Thursday 7 March 2024

Racing on each day starts at 2:45pm.

The Australian 18 Footers League’s spectator ferry follows each day’s racing, leaving Double Bay Public Wharf at 2.15pm, and SailMedia livestreams all the racing.

To view Thursday’s Race 7 of the Winnings 2024 JJ Giltinan Championship, go to: