Today’s two races in the triSearch 12ft Skiff Interdominion Championship on Sydney Harbour saw challenging shifty light airs, resulting in numerous capsizes and a crew member falling overboard. Fortunately, the sailor was quickly rescued by his skipper.
With three races completed, Sail Inc. (Lane Cove) currently leads, followed by three boats from the Sydney Flying Squadron: Geotherm in second position, Sydney Sailmakers in third, and Terms & Conditions in fourth, with the Kiwi entry Monkey Wrench (Jono Clough/Pat Morgan) in fifth place.
C-Tech (Alex Vallings/Fraser Brown, NZL) started the day strong by winning Race 2 but dropped to seventh in Race 3. Vallings commented on their performance, explaining a good finish followed a moderate start. Despite issues at the start of the second race, they managed to recover, though their crew experienced a fall at Rose Bay.
Geotherm secured a second place finish in Race 2, while Sydney Sailmakers placed third. In Race 3, Sail Inc. dominated the race, followed closely by Sydney Sailmakers, with Terms & Conditions finishing third after having previously held second.
Nick Press of Sail Inc. noted the tricky conditions led to difficulty in maintaining their lead as competitors caught up during the final run to the finish.
Brett Hobson from Geotherm mentioned their struggles with starts but still managed a fourth place finish in Race 3, despite setbacks including issues at the Rose Bay mark.
Brendan Jenkins from Sydney Sailmakers expressed satisfaction with their performance, successfully navigating the wind shifts to secure a good position in the race.
Others, such as LCC Asia Pacific (Jonathan Temple/Richard Jones, NSW), struggled to maintain their positions as the wind shifted frequently. Temple remarked on how they were sidelined by a Kiwi boat’s capsizes.
Race 1 was relatively straightforward compared to Race 2, which saw unpredictable wind patterns that complicated racing conditions. Competitors faced challenges, opting between their larger rigs and number 2 rigs as required by winds that varied significantly.
After only one race on the opening day, the organisers decided to schedule two races for tomorrow, starting at 2pm. A total of ten races are planned for the Interdominion Championship, concluding on Saturday, 10 January, with a lay day scheduled for Wednesday. The event is being 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 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/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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