Yachting Australia

Australia’s up-and-coming young sailors showed their tactical and boat-handling skills in cold and blustery conditions on Sydney Harbour today for the opening round-robin of the 2003 Club Marine Australian Youth Match Racing Championship.

Conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia on behalf of Yachting Australia, the championship is being contested by nine teams from four States, sailing the CYCA’s fleet of Elliott 6 sports boats.

With rain clouds bringing sharp gusts of 20 to 30 knots from the south-west, Principal Race Officer Doug Talty allowed crews to the fly spinnakers in only three of the nine flights.

Flight two, with spinnakers, produced some spectacular broaches, including one by the NSW crew of Tom Spithill, James Kidner and Hamish Roughly, partly engineered by internationally successful helmsman Seve Jarvin when he luffed to protect his position from the fast overtaking Spithill.

As the Pittwater crew were left floundering, Jarvin pulled away to a convincing lead and subsequent match win.

At the end of the first round-robin, Jarvin and his crew, Robert Bell and Sam Newton, are the only unbeaten team, with another NSW crew, Stuart Pollard, Mark Dorling and Ian Quartly losing just one match.

However, the Victorian crew of David Barnes, Matt van Kretschmar and Tom Clout and the ACT team of Iain Davidson, Josh Paine and Martin Cox, made their potential clear late in the day with several impressive match racing performances.

Watched by Club Marine’s National Marketing Manager Peter Ryan and guests, the under 20 year old sailors impressed with their aggressive match racing starts, their boat-handling skills in winds that ranged between 12 and 30 knots, and their tactical skills.

Winds are expected to ease overnight for tomorrow’s second round-robin with semi-finals and finals scheduled for Sunday.

Leading teams after round-robin one:

1, Seve Jarvin, Robert Bell, Sam Newton (NSW) 8 wins 0 losses

2. Stuart Pollard, Mark Dorling, Ian Quartly (NSW) 7-1

3, Iain Davidson, Josh Paine, Martin Cox (ACT) 5-3

4 eq, David Barnes, Matt van Kretschmar, Tom Clout (Vic) and Tom Spithill, James Kidner, Hamish Roughly (NSW) 4-4.