Crew of Smeg: winners of Race 4 of the Championships. Image copyright Frank Quealey.
by Frank Quealey
The SP HighModulus Australian 18ft Skiff Championship has become a three boat battle after Smeg took out Race 4 of the championship on Sydney Harbour on Australia Day, Tuesday, 26th January.
Skippered by the newly crowned Interdominion 12ft skiff champion Nick Press and crewed by Dan Phillips and Jim Beck, Smeg led for most of the course before going on to a well deserved 13s win.
Asko Appliances, skippered by Archie Massey, who won the recent world international 14 footer Championship, finished in second place, another 29s ahead of Western Australia’s Slam (Grant Rollerson) in third.
Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris) was fourth, ahead of Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin) and De’Longhi (Simon Nearn).
With only next Sunday’s last race of the championship still to be sailed, the current points score (after discards) is extremely tight.
Gotta Love It 7 leads on 7 points, followed by Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon) on 8, Smeg on 9, Slam and Rag & Famish Hotel both on 15, and Asko Appliances on 18.
Shortly after the start, Gotta Love It 7 tacked to the RHS of the course while Thurlow Fisher Lawyers stayed on the LHS towards the northern shore.
Smeg also went to the right and when the two groups met Smeg and Gotta Love It 7 were a long way ahead of Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.
Others to gain early from the RHS were De’Longhi, Sharks/Coldwell Banker Real Estate (Evan Walker), Rag & Famish Hotel and Pure Blonde (James Francis).
Smeg went around the windward mark with a small lead over Gotta Love It 7.
Downwind back to the bottom twin rounding marks, Smeg was under pressure from Gotta Love It 7 but managed to hold a two-boat length advantage as the pair headed back upwind for the second lap of the course.
Asko Appliances was a clear third ahead of Pure Blonde, Sharks/Coldwell Banker Real Estate and De’Longhi. Rag & Famish Hotel, Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and Gill (Dave Alexander) led the next group.
Smeg continued to hold her narrow lead over Gotta Love It 7 at the bottom mark at the end of the second lap, which marked the half way point of the race.
Rag & Famish Hotel was the improver on that lap as she moved into third place ahead of De’Longhi, Asko Appliances, Pure Blonde, Appliancesonline.com.au (John Winning Jr.) and Yandoo (John Winning).
The breeze was barely above six knots as the fleet began the third work back to the windward mark near Watsons Bay.
Gotta Love It 7 was a narrow leader at the mark but a poor spinnaker set allowed Smeg back into the number one spot for the following run back to the bottom mark.
Despite the spinnaker problems of Gotta Love It 7, there was nothing between the two leaders as they sailed towards the twin marks.
Smeg chose the mark on the left, Gotta Love It 7 went to the right.
They went around the separate marks at an identical time and headed off to complete the final lap.
Gotta Love It 7 hit the final windward mark then her spinnaker problem worsened on the final lap, which saw the skiff drop back to finish fifth.
Thurlow Fisher Lawyers never recovered from her disappointing first lap and managed only 9th place - more than three-and-a-half minutes from the winner.
With such an exciting finish expected next Sunday, the spectator ferry is once again likely to be completely full.
Aussie 18 Footers League
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