Manly 16ft Skiff Club’s 2024/25 season officially kicked off last Saturday with a non-pointscore race in a dying southerly, with 17 boats facing the starter’s gun.
And while this is traditionally treated as a chance to blow off the winter cobwebs and ease into the eight-month long 13s and 16s campaign, there was an extra level of intensity on the water. That was due to the presence of four new 16s entrants, headed by Davis Marine Brokerage (Nathan McNamara, Jack Taylor, Warwick Taylor) and including Nozomi (Eliza Kirby, Ciare Bartels, Nathan Stanaway), Musto (Spencer Mackay, Jack Farren-Price, Ben McKay) and Carnaza (Francisco Barros, Alexandre Roger’s, Ben Fernandez).
Regulars Imagine Signage (Nathan Wilmot) and Botany Access (Gerard Smith) filled the first two places on the podium, but it was Davis Marine Brokerage’s third-placed finish that was the talk of the clubhouse that night. They, along with their fellow debutants, will add a new layer of competitiveness to what is already the strongest 16ft fleet in the country. The newcomers will form part of a 25-strong 16s fleet, with 16 boats currently registered in the 13s fleet.
Manly race secretary Michael Childs said: “A big welcome to these sailors. We are genuinely thrilled to have them joining the club and sailing with us each week. “They will add to the depth in the fleet and provide even greater competition to the established crews. “It’s awesome to see such a busy start line each week and it speaks volumes to the effort the club is putting in to support sailing in our community.
“The club’s senior division is in a very healthy position at the moment and we are poised for another big season at Manly. “Both our 13ft and 16ft skiff fleets are saturated with talented sailors, so I expect another hotly contested season with several boats all competing for the silverware in both.”
Davis Marine Brokerage’s promising start to its first year in the 16s came as a pleasant shock given their lack of time together in race mode. Skipper McNamara is an accomplished 18s and 16s sailor, transferring from Drummoyne to join the Taylor brothers, Warwick and Jack. Warwick spent four years in the 13s class, sailing with Avril Richardson aboard Plonk at Middle Harbour, while Jack cut his teeth on Flying 11s, 16s and 18s.
“An opportunity to buy a 16ft skiff with Jack arose and that led to the move to Manly,” Warwick explained. “The Manly fleet has been incredibly welcoming so far and it looks like there’s going to be strong competition and plenty of exciting racing ahead. “Saturday’s race went well for us despite some apprehension leading in, with it being our first race with a new boat and crew. “We were relieved to find our boat speed to be on par with the fleet, probably thanks to a bit of winter training. “We still have plenty left to learn and are excited to improve our racing as we move forward.”
Handicap honours went the way of Botany Access from Imagine Signage, Shebang and Red Pumps Red (Zoe Dransfield).
Saturday was a perfect hit-out to open the season, but it’s straight into business this Saturday with the first pointscore race of the season.
WORDS | Adam Lucius
PHOTOS | SailMedia
