Olivia Price, the youngest skipper in the 2011 Marinassess Women's Match Racing Regatta. Image copyright Andrea Francolini.
by Jennifer Crooks
After the recent success of the men’s match racing teams from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, this weekend will showcase some of the up and coming women’s match racers from around Australia when they begin competition tomorrow in the Marinassess Women’s Match Racing Regatta.
The regatta, conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on the Youth Sailing Academy’s (YSA) Elliott 6.0m boats, will be a chance for three CYCA women’s teams to shine following the recent success of fellow YSA skippers Evan Walker and Jay Griffin who have secured four wins and one second place in recent international and national regattas.
Amanda Scrivenor, Katie Abbott and Tara McCall will all represent the host club. Scrivenor is the highest ranked of the three CYCA skippers (49th, ISAF Women’s Match Racing Rankings), and for McCall, this will be her first regatta as skipper having developed her match racing skills through the YSA’s Winter training squads. Abbott, who originally hails from Canada, has been with the CYCA training and coaching for six months and is currently ranked 116 on the ISAF Women’s Match Racing Rankings.
Olivia Price and Jessica Eastwell, two teammates from the Australian Women’s Match Racing Team, who are in training for the 2012 London Olympics, will go head to head as skippers. Price will be the youngest skipper in the regatta.
Stephanie Doyle, representing the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, is the sixth skipper in the regatta. Doyle has recently competed in New Zealand where she gained valuable international match racing experience.
Rear Commodore and Chairman of the Training and Development Committee Howard Piggott said “We welcome all these competitive teams to the Marinassess Women’s Match Racing regatta and look forward to some great displays of match racing prowess.”
“The CYCA gratefully acknowledges the ongoing sponsorship from past Commodore John Messenger and Marinassess of this regatta, women’s match racing and the Youth Sailing Academy,” Rear Commodore Piggott said.
Racing commences on Saturday 12 March at 1015hrs, in the vicinity of Rushcutters Bay, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting southeast to southwesterly winds of 5 to 10 knots, tending east to northeasterly 10 to 15 knots during the afternoon. At the conclusion of round robin one, the six teams will enjoy a fun fleet race, followed by a welcome barbeque. The event will conclude on Sunday 13 March when the second round robin and finals will be conducted.
CYCA
