The title race in the Manly 16ft Club Championship has narrowed to a contest between two leading boats, following a surprising victory by IMEI Barnabas Build in heat six last Saturday. The team, skippered by Joel Beashel, capitalised on a last-minute mishap by Buckingham Marine Services (BMS), helmed by Daniel Turner, who capsized near the finish line in challenging 20-knot winds.
This win marks the first time this season that a boat outside the traditional top three – which also includes Red Pumps Red (RPR) skippered by Zoe Dransfield and Geochemical Assessment led by Nathan McNamara – has taken the top spot. The top contenders had each claimed victory in the first five heats, with RPR securing three wins and one each for BMS and Geochemical Assessment.
Fresh off their latest triumph at the NSW 16ft Championship, and preparing to defend their national title in a month, Beashel, Trent Barnabas, and Rob Napper executed a nearly perfect race, positioning themselves competitively for the upcoming national championships at Belmont.
IMEI finished ahead of Imagine Signage, skippered by Nathan Wilmot, with BMS rounding out the top three despite crew member Matt Stenta’s adrenaline-filled day transitioning from the maxi Scallywag after the Cabbage Tree Island race.
IMEI not only won the race but also claimed the handicap honours. Barnabas acknowledged, “We got a bit lucky with ‘Ruffy’ (Turner) stacking on the last run. He was a bit quicker than us on the downwind, and we were getting to him upwind, so we were within 10-15 seconds of him all day and just got that break at the end.” The victory broke a streak of disappointing results for IMEI, which has left them in sixth position overall, casting doubts on their championship aspirations.
BMS and RPR are now leading the competition with 15 and 17 points, respectively, and will likely contest fiercely in the remaining three heats. According to Barnabas, “We had a couple of shockers early and have been playing catch-up ever since. Ruffy and Zoe are sailing really well and are definitely the ones to beat. I can’t see anyone else really challenging from here.” The focus for Beashel, Barnabas, and Napper will now shift to fine-tuning their preparations for the Australian 16ft Championships set for 3-10 January at Belmont.
In the 13ft category, Harken, managed by Heidi Bates and Orlando Sandlik, secured their fifth consecutive win, taking a decisive lead in the club championship standings. Buckingham Marine, led by Ash Napper and Theo Franklin, finished second, catching the attention of IMEI and Buck & Simple (skippered by Lachie Jensen and Max Barrett), who are both vying for second place. The Kitchen Maker (Tayla Lees and Ollie Barrett) impressed by finishing third and advancing to seventh overall in rankings.
In other news, Tim Lees, the juniors president, is currently recovering from a broken foot sustained during a recent state 16ft championships aboard Buck & Simple. Meanwhile, the Australian Sailing Team Skiff celebrated their best result this season, with Daniel Links, Keizo Tomoshima (in the 49er class), and Ellis Merrett (in the 470 class) finishing 13th.
Club Championship / 16’ Skiff Results
Club Championship / 13’Skiff Results
Words Adam Lucius
Images SailMedia | Michael Chittenden
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