18ft Skiffs – NSW Champs – Preview

Despite a disappointing result in last Sunday’s club championship, the current Giltinan world champion Yandoo team, led by Tom Needham, will go into Sunday’s first two races of the eight-race NSW 18ft skiff championship a clear favourite on previous form so far this season.

Favouritism is well deserved as a result of the team’s two race wins in the club championship but the expected 13-14 knot ENE wind on the half-courses being used in the NSW Championship will definitely make life interesting for the champion team as the biggest challengers are beginning to close the margin.

Balmain (Henry Larkings) and the new Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Keagan York) were both very impressive last Sunday and the shorter, tighter courses will make it imperative to get good starts and eliminate errors.

Lazarus Capital Partners (Tom Cunich) is also a very strong team, with a 2nd and two 4th placings, which is presently leading the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship from Yandoo.

Another potential challenger is the 2022 and 2023 Giltinan champion Andoo skiff, which did not race during the 2024-25 season.

Andoo has raced three times so far this season with three different skippers and different crew members each week, and is certainly a ‘wild card’ depending on who will be in the boat for Sunday.

Two young teams, Spring Championship-winning Sixt and Rag & Famish Hotel, will not only be in with a race-winning chance but will also have a great personal battle as both are showing that they are potential future champions.

The skippers, Jacob Marks (Sixt) and Ben Crafoord (Rag & Famish Hotel) have an added incentive to get the better of each other as they were an international champion 29er team in 2022.

Smeg (Ash Rooklyn), Fisher & Paykel (Brett Van Munster), Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell) and The Kitchen Maker (Lachlan Steel) are all experienced teams with the potential of finishing well up in individual races during the state title.

The female influence in the 18 footers class continues to get stronger each season as Emma Rankin (Club Marine) and Bec Hancock (Sotheby’s Ballard Property) continue to feature near the head of the fleet throughout races.

The Oak Double Bay-4 Pines (Hugo Stoner) and 18 footers Bar & Restaurant (Luca Gambacorti) along with first-year teams The Killer Coffee Co (Sam Abel), Gotcha4Life (Kade Morgan) and Redhill Estate (Max Fanzo) complete a 18-boat fleet for the championship.

The club’s spectator ferry will follow Sunday’s racing, leaving Double Bay Public Wharf at 2pm, and SailMedia will livestream the racing. http://youtube.com/video/SPVOB5mu7nA/livestreaming