Brett Hobson and Peter Nicholson made a return to 12ft sailing in style, steering Geotherm (Sydney Flying Squadron) to a 54-second victory over Sail Inc.’s Nick Press and Andrew Hay at the Parramatta River Championship, hosted by Abbotsford 12ft Sailing Club.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, Hobson remarked ashore, “That’s the worst westerly I’ve ever sailed in, it was a shocker – a tough day – the wind was all over the place.” Geotherm faced stiff competition at the outset, with Sail Inc. and Arrogant Frog (Peter and Steve Hill from the host Club) off to a great start.
“They got great starts – they port tacked the fleet,” Hobson noted. Though starting mid-line and finishing third at the beginning, the Geotherm crew managed to push their way to the front shortly thereafter.
Hobson described their experience that day as having “moments of glory and moments of disaster – and a bit of luck.” The day’s conditions proved confusing, with the wind shifting significantly throughout the race. “It was mainly nor’ west with strong tide the other way, then an east/nor-easter came in and beat the westerly breeze,” Hobson explained.
Geotherm gained an unexpected lead, as Hobson recalled a close encounter with Sail Inc., stating, “Nick caught us and we got away again. It was a bit of snakes and ladders between us.” Weather conditions continued to prove perilous, with Hobson recounting a capsize during a particularly strong gust, stating, “We just got knocked straight over in a freak gust, but we got up quickly and kept going.” He pointed out that nearly all boats suffered a similar fate, except for Nick’s crew.
“Sometimes it was so windy, and other times we were sitting in the middle of the boat because it (wind) dropped right off. We were hooting along and sometimes it was hard to keep upright,” Hobson concluded, relieved when the four-lap course was shortened by half a lap.
While Sail Inc. recently won the season opener at the NSW Upper Harbour Championship, Geotherm did not compete in that event. However, both crews are regarded as the top-ranked 12ft skiff sailors in Australia, positioning them as the competitors to beat.
Will Beck, steering for Murray Press, also had a strong performance in Red Energy (LC12’SSC), finishing in third place, just over a minute behind Sail Inc. Meanwhile, the crew of Dave Winning and Cam Gundy on Your Move Conveyancing (LC12’SSC) continued their winning streak, having claimed the handicap title at the Upper Harbour Championship two weeks prior.
The Parramatta River Championship, along with the forthcoming NSW Championship scheduled over two weekends at the end of November and early December, will serve as significant indicators of which NSW sailors may transition well to the prestigious 63rd Interdominion Championship. This event is set to be hosted by the Australian 18 Footers League on Sydney Harbour from 3-10 January 2026.
Sponsored by triSearch, a subsidiary of InfoTrack www.trisearch.com.au, with support sponsorship from Your Move Conveyancing https://yourmoveconveyancing.com.au/ and Pete’s Home Loans www.peteshomeloans.com.au, the Interdominion is the pinnacle of 12ft skiff sailing.
For further information on the 12ft Skiff class and its events, please visit: https://www.skiff.org.au/
#SailingAus #12ftSkiff #SydneySailing #SailorsLife
Interested in seeing more Racing News? Click here
