The 12 Foot Skiff Australian titles where held at the Sydney Flying Squadron from the 5th to the 8th January. For Sydneysiders this conincided with the strong southerly gusting into the +30 knot range for the fist two days & three races, certainly one way to test the fleet & fitness!
After 5 races & going into the last race we had 3 boats on equal points before & after drops. Geotherm ( Brett Hobson & Pete Nicholson), Sail inc ( Nick Press & Noddy Hay) & Sydney Sailmakers ( Cameron McDonald & Brendan Jenkins). A slightly softer day greeted the fleet although still in the 15 to 20 knot range. Some close early racing gave way to a convincing race win by Geotherm & with that the championship. Sail Inc finished second on a count back with Sydney Sailmakers.
Some great racing over some EPIC days with 26 knots in boat speed being recorded downwind.
Congratulations to Brett Hobson & Pete Nicholson for a great series under intense pressure from the other contenders & the weather.
Full results on the website, https://skiff.org.au/2023/aussie-champs-results/ with great pictures & videos on Facebook, Australian 12 Foot Skiffs
Report by Murray Press
