18ft Skiff Club Championship and Season Point Score on Sydney Harbour conclude
by Frank Quealey 25 Feb 18:00 NZDT
25 February 2024
Yandoo, Club champion for 2023-24 © SailMedia
The Yandoo and Fisher & Paykel 18ft skiff racing teams took out the two major club racing championships conducted over the 2023-24 season by the Australian 18 Footer League, which concluded on Sydney Harbour today.
Each of the Club Championship and Season Point Score series are raced over the entire season, leading up to next week's JJ Giltinan World Championship and are unique in that every race is counted (there are NO discards allowed). Both are a true test of consistent performances.
The Club Championship covers 16 races; the Season Point Score covers 21 races.
Yandoo's team Micah Lane (standing in for the 'sidelined' through injury regular skipper, John Winning), Fang Warren and Lewis Brake won the Club Championship after an incredible season performance of seven victories, two seconds, two thirds, and four fourth placings from the 15 races sailed.
Unfortunately, today's racing had to be abandoned due to a lack of wind and couldn't be sailed later in the day as Sydney Harbour had a restricted area allocated to SailGP.
Team Yandoo finished with a total of 33 points, which was less than half the score of the second-placed Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson and Daniel Barnett) on 76.
Andoo (John Winning Jr., Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton) finished third with a total of 79 points, followed by Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price) on 87, Finport Finance (Keagan York) 96 and Balmain (Henry Larkings) on 100 points.
The Season Point Score, which is based on each team's result in line with its designated handicap in every race, was a far closer series than the club championship and the result was open going into today's race.
With the abandonment today, Fisher & Paykel (Jordan Girdis, Josh Feldmann, Jacob Broome), with a final total of 118 points, became the Australian 18 Footers League's Season Point Score winner with a five points victory over Smeg (Nathan McNamara, Jed Cruikshank, Jack Taylor) on 123 points.
Last week's race winner, Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin, Cam McDonald, Tom Quigley) finished in third place, on 131, followed by Yandoo in fourth place on 146 points.
The Point Score is a highly regarded event on the League's annual racing calendar and the reward for the winning boat is a free trip to the Lake Garda regatta, during the Australian off-season, later in the year.
Next week is the big one!!!
75th JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship 2024
Race Dates
Friday - March 1, 2024 - Invitation Race (No ferry on this day)
Saturday - March 2, 2024 - Race 1, George Calligeros Trophy
Sunday - March 3, 2024 - Race 2, Cliff Monkhouse Memorial Trophy
Tuesday - March 5, 2024 - Races 3 & 4, Alan Cole Memorial Trophy
Wednesday - March 6, 2024 - Races 5 & 6, A.J. Reynolds Trophy
Thursday - March 7, 2024 - Race 7, Bill Miller Memorial Trophy
Saturday - March 9, 2024 - Race 8, Big Kite Memorial Trophy
Sunday - March 10, 2024 - Race 9, Ribbon and J.J. Giltinan Trophy
Racing on each day will start at 2:45 (On multiple race days, the second race will be as soon as practical after the completion of the previous race).
The Australian 18 Footers League's spectator ferry will follow each of the nine races of the championship, but NOT the Invitation Race, leaving Double Bay Public Wharf at 2.15pm, and SailMedia will livestream all the racing.