Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship – Race 8 Sponsor: Smeg
Trophy: Big Kite Memorial Trophy – Saturday, 15 March 2025 – Sydney Harbour
The Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake went into today’s Race 8 of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour with a two points lead over Finport Finance, its closest challenger to retaining the coveted title won in 2024, and at the end of the day’s racing had provisionally increased the margin to nine points following a racing incident involving the Finprt team
On the race course, Yandoo’s crew were again superb and grabbed their sixth race win from the eight races sailed to date when they defeated the Rag & Famish Hotel team of Harry Price, Max Paul and Finn Rodowicz by 1m21s at the end of the three windward-leeward laps.
New Zealand’s C-Tech (Alex Vallings, Matt Steven and Brad Collins) gave an excellent performance to finish in third place 15s further back, after having pushed the Yandoo crew to the limits over the first lap of the course.
Next was Balmain (Henbry Larkings), followed by Marine Outlet (Josh Porebski), Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), Queensland’s Big Foot Bags and Covers (Dave Hayter), Smeg (Nathan McNamara), Germany’s Black Knight (Heinrich von Bayern) and Lazarus Caapital Partners (Tom Cunich).
The incident between Finport Finance and New Zealand’s ASCC is likely to go to protest with Finport Finance’s team seeking redress.
Pending the result of protests, Yandoo leads the points table with a total of 15 points, followed by Finport Finance (Keagan York) on 24, Rag & Famish Hotel on 30, C-Tech on 39, Smeg on 45 and Balmain on 52.6 points.
In the handicap section of the regatta, Smeg leads with a total of 43 points, followed by Skiff Ropes Rockstar (Mickery Martin, Germany) on 48 with Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Emma Rankin) and WLTH (Josh Sloman, Queensland) tied for third place on 54 points.
Once again, Yandoo was soon into the lead after another great start at the boat end of the line, but this time she was pushed to the limit by C-Tech and led by just 5s at the weather mark. Vaikobi was also great on the opening leg and was in third place ahead Marine Outlet, Rag & Famish Hotel, Big Foot, Balmain, Shaw and Partners Financial Services and Sixt (Jacob Marks).
C-Tech was applying the pressure to Yandoo all the way dow the run and when the two met at the bottom mark there was absolutely nothing between them.
Side by side they rounded the mark and, just to be sure there was no possible cause for protest, the Yandoo crew elected to take a penalty turn and immediately began the chase to regain the lead from the C-Tech team.
The breeze freshened a little to around 12knots for the second beat to the weather mark and it was business-as-usual for the Yandoo crew as they clawed back the lead from C-Tech to round 11s ahead as spinnakers were set for the following run back to the bottom mark NW of Clark Island.
The breeze increased up to possibly 15knots for the final beat to the weather mark and it was all systems “go” for the Yandoo team as it powered away from the challengers to head for home with a lead of 1m7 over Rag & Famish Hotel.
Much will depend on the outcome of protest hearings, but whatever happens, the racing will continue to be fast and action-packed and nobody should miss seeing these 28 racing machines as they fly across a sun-drenched Sydney Harbour.
We hope you enjoy SailMedia and Suellen Hurling / Live Sail Die images from the racing.
Race 9 (the final race) of the Winnings 2025 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship will be sailed on Sydney Harbour on Sunday (16 March). The Australian 18 Footers League’s spectator ferry will follow the race, leaving Double Bay Public Wharf at 2pm.
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.
Frank Quealey
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