Hobart’s River Derwent again turned on a brisk to strong breeze to challenge young sailors contesting day two of the Australian Sailing Youth Championships, a huge event supported by the Australian Maritime College and conducted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.
Sailors from NSW and Western Australia continued to dominate the overall standings in six of the seven classes for boys and girls.
Once again, the Derwent turned a brisk sou' wester that enabled most classes complete three or four races today.
Australia’s most important regatta for Australian youth sailors, along with international competitors, has attracted a fleet of 161 boats from all states, along with entries from New Zealand, Singapore and Japan.
After two days, the leaders generally remain unchanged except in the 29er skiffs where Lachlan Brewer and Flynn Twomey have displaced Australian champions Archie Cropley and Max Paul from the top of the leaderboard.
Both crews are from Middle Harbour Yacht Club in NSW, with Brewer and Twomey notching up a score of 1-2-(12)-1-2-1 for a net 7 points as against Cropley and Paul’s (4)-4-1-2-1-2 for a net 10 points. Campbell Stanton/Willian Shapland (NZL) are third on 15 points.
Tasmanian sailors continue to be strong contenders for podium places in the 29ers, with four Tasmanian crews are in the leading ten places in the 32-boat fleet, three of them gaining top-three finishes today.
Oscar O’Donoghue and Rupert Hamilton from Sandy Bay Sailing Club starting the day with a second place, continuing with an impressive 10-5-6 to retain fourth overall.
Ethan Galbraith/Charles Zeeman placed 10-8-3-7 for fifth overall, while in 10th place is the top Girl's crew, Alice Buchanan and Dervla Duggan.
In the Laser Radials, World champion Zac Littlewood had a slight zilch in race four, finishing third but was back in the winner’s list in race five, giving him four wins from five races.
Frazer Brew (Qld) is second overall, Henry Otto (NSW) third while Tasmanian Nick Smart continues to improve his overall standing and is now sixth overall.
Smart today placed 7-10-5 while fellow Tasmanian William Sargent dropped to eighth after placings today of 12-5-12.
Heading the Laser 4.7 leader board is Daniel Costandi (NSW) on a net 9 points well clear of the leading girl competitor, Brooke Wilson (NSW), and Jonathan Lio (Singapore), who had two wins today.
West Australians Georgia Payne and Kai Colman lead the Nacra 15 catamarans by just two points from Ashleigh Swadling and Nathan Bryant (NSW) with just one point to National champions Will Cooley and Bec Hancock
Also from WA, is Bic Techno 293 leader Kai Morris Marns, who won the last two races today. Victorian Jude Smale is second overall, Jarrod Jones (Qld) third.
Queenslander Hamish Swain leads the Bich Techno Plus sailboards on 9 points, with Grae Morris (NSW) second on 16 point, Miles Davey (NSW) third on 18 points.
In the 420s, Ryan Littlechild and Jack Ferguson (NSW) hold a narrow lead from New Zealanders Seb Menzies and Blake McGlashen who have won the last three of the five races sailed. The Australians are on 14 points net, the Kiwis on 16 points.
Results today are still provisional, subject to protest hearings.
Peter Campbell
