The highly fancied Sail Inc. crew of Nick Press and Andrew Hay secured victory in the opening race of the 2026 triSearch 12ft Skiff Interdominion Championship held on Sydney Harbour. The second race was abandoned due to a predicted thunderstorm arriving on schedule.
Sail Inc., representing the Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club (LC12’SSC), delivered a strong performance from the start near Clark Island, sailing flawlessly in the gusty 15-20 knot nor’easter winds.
The Geotherm crew of Brett Hobson and Peter Nicholson from Sydney Flying Squadron (SFS) made considerable efforts to close the gap but ultimately finished 16 seconds behind. Despite a spirited duel down the last leg of the race from Bradleys Head to the finish, Geotherm could not catch up.
In third place, Josh Tasker and Brendan Jenkins, sailing Sydney Sailmakers (SFS), trailed somewhat, finishing two minutes after Sail Inc. Other notable finishers included Jono Clough and Pat Morgan of Monkey Wrench from the Royal Akarana Yacht Club (RAYC), as well as Brad Phillips and Oscar Wilson from Terms & Conditions (SFS) and Murray Press and Mark Muirhead of Red Energy (LC12’SSC).
Upon returning to shore, Press remarked on the conditions: “It was a beautiful nor’easter. We had a big lead at the top mark, but Geotherm brought the breeze down with them. It was tricky down the last run.” He expressed satisfaction with the win, acknowledging the equal speed between his crew and Geotherm, indicating the competitive nature they anticipate in future races.
The day had a rocky start for Geotherm, as they faced equipment issues with their spinnaker pole breaking upon launching. A larger pole was used as a remedy, albeit not ideal.
“We didn’t have much to lose, so we thought we’d go for it, give it a go,” Hobson shared, noting they were able to close in on Sail Inc. towards the end. He also mentioned that other competitors like C-Tech, Monkey Wrench, and Sydney Sailmakers would pose significant challenges throughout the races.
The pre-start phase sparked some joviality among the competing crews, with former 12ft skiff sailor and commentator Jimmy Walsh remarking on the exchanges happening before the start of the two-lap windward/leeward course.
Initially, Sail Inc., C-Tech (Alex Vallings and Fraser Brown from RAYC), and As Good As It Gets (Glenn Armstrong and Roger Barnes from Worser Bay in New Zealand) got off to the best starts. However, past Interdominion winner Paul O’Malley-Jones and crew Wayne Ritcher found themselves capsizing early on while on Giddy Up, but quickly recovered to finish in 21st place.
In an inspiring note, Tim Bartlett, a six-time Interdominion champion at 75 years old, sailed The Darkside to a ninth-place finish. He expressed that his focus is less on winning and more on competing against peers of similar age, enjoying the camaraderie that comes with long-term sailing friendships. Bartlett stated, “I loved today. I’ve known some of these people for more than 50 years. Sailing these boats keeps me young.”
This year’s Interdominion will consist of ten scheduled races, concluding on Saturday, January 10, with a layday on Wednesday. The events are hosted by the Australian 18 Footers League at Double Bay.
triSearch is a subsidiary of InfoTrack www.trisearch.com.au. Support sponsorship comes from Your Move Conveyancing https://yourmoveconveyancing.com.au/ and Pete’s Home Loans www.peteshomeloans.com.au.
The Interdominion was first held in 1957 on Sydney Harbour and has become a prestigious annual competition between Australia and New Zealand, competing for the coveted Silasec Trophy. This trophy, donated by Keith Golding of Sealwall Trading Company, features the names of many notable sailors in its history.
Spectators are invited to view the annual event, which is held alternately in Australia and New Zealand. There will be a Spectator Ferry on 4 and 10 January, departing from the Double Bay Wharf at 1.30pm, so bring your friends and family along to be a part of the action. Ferry tickets at:
https://events.humanitix.com/4-january-12ft-skiff-interdominion-ferry-heats-1-and-2
and
https://events.humanitix.com/10-january-12ft-skiff-interdominion-ferry-final-day
Otherwise, take out your own boat or view from land.
For more information on the 12ft Skiff class and events, visit https://www.skiff.org.au/.
Di Pearson/12ft Skiff media
Hashtags: #12ftSkiff #SailingAustralia #SydneyHarbour #InterdominionChampionship #TriSearch
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