Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship – Race 1 – Race sponsor: StretchLab Double Bay
Trophy: George Calligeros Memorial Trophy – Saturday, 8 March 2025 – Sydney Harbour
The Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship got underway with great expectations on Sydney Harbour today when a fleet of 28 teams from three Australian states, New Zealand, UK and Germany lined up to contest the 76th regatta since 1938 for the world’s most sought after 18 footer trophy, and spectators weren’t disappointed when they witnessed a great opening race.
In the typically light, sometimes fluky Easterly conditions which prevailed for Race 1, the defending champion
Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake took the opening day’s honours with a 1m9s victory over Finport Finance, after the pair had staged a wonderful battle for three laps of the four-lap course.
Finport Finance (Keagan York, Matt Stenta and Angus Williams) led for most of the course and the team was gallant in defeat.
New Zealand’s ASCC (Eli Liefting, Adam Mustill and Josh Schon) finished in third place a further 13s behind Finport and just ahead fellow New Zealander C-Tech, skippered by Alex Vallings.
The current Australian champion, and series favourite, Rag & Famish Hotel (Harry Price) trailed the leader by 55s at the first weather mark and never got to within one minute of the lead throughout the race before coming home in an unexpected fifth place.
The consistent Balmain team (Henry Larkings) finished sixth, followed by Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), Smeg (Nathan McNamara), Lazarus Capital Partners (Tom Cunich), and Sixt (Jacob Marks), which rounded out the top ten.
The fleet made a great spectacle at the start and the racing was naturally fast and furious as the teams all battled for the lead on the beat to the weather mark where C-Tech held a 18s advantage over Finport Finance, Lazarus, Akarana Eatery (Tim Howse), ASCC, Balmain, Rag & Famish Hotel, Yandoo, Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin), Germany’s Black Knight (Heinrich von Bayern) and Queensland’s Big Foot Bags and Covers (Dave Hayter).
Finport’s team out-manouvred C-Tech soon after rounding the mark and led the fleet back down the spinnaker run to the bottom mark where Finport held a 38s lead. Balmain had also enjoyed a good run and had moved into third place ahead of Lazarus and Rag & Famish. ASCC was next with Yandoo in seventh place.
After trailing the leader by almost one minute at the first weather mark, then 1m5s at the end of the first lap, Yandoo began a charge which saw the team get into second place, 35s behind Finport Finance at the following weather mark.
Balmain was still in third place, ahead of C-Tech, Rag & Famish Hotel, ASCC, Lazarus and Big Foot, but the two leaders had edged a little further ahead.
Yandoo’s challenge reduced Finport’s margin to 15s at the bottom mark and the race was on as the pair raced side-by-side on the third beat to windward.
Approaching the mark in very light breeze, Yandoo was forced into an additional tack and Finport Finance’s team seized the opportunity to open up a 20s break for the third spinnaker run. C-Tech had got back into third place at this stage, followed by ASCC and Balmain, then Rag & Famish 1m55s from the leader.
With one lap of the course left to sail, Finport still led by 18s but the persistent Yandoo team came back again and we witnessed another two-boat war as the highly-skilled crews gave nothing away to each other in a desperate battle to lead at the final weather mark.
Yandoo won the battle to lead by 15s over Finport, with ASCC a further 25s back in third place, and the gripping contest was over as the defending champion Yandoo team raced away to score the 1m9s victory it deserved,
The other winner was the spectators who witnessed a classic 18 footer battle and the expectation we now all have for the rest of the regatta.
As usual, the regatta also has a handicap section. Today’s handicap winner was NZ’s Akarana Eatery (Tim Howse, Ollie Gilmour and Pat Morgan), ahead of NZ’s Honda Marine (Harry Butler) and Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin).
Race 2 of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship will be sailed today (Sunday, 9 March) with further race days on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and concluding on Sunday, 16 March.
The Australian 18 Footers League’s spectator ferry will follow each day’s racing and SailMedia will livestream all the action, with expert commentary from the course.
Visit www.18footers.com for the very best in 18 foot skiff racing from Sydney Harbour.
To follow the livestream of Race 2, go to:
Frank Quealey
Australian 18 Footers League Ltd.
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