Full line-up for NSW Youth Match Racing Champs

Ten teams from NSW, Victoria and QLD will line up for the Club Marine NSW Youth Match Racing Championship.

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Youth Sailing Academy hosted weekend event marks the early start of the long summer match racing season with more than a dozen events staged across Australia and New Zealand finishing in February 2018.

Joining the usual New South Wales entries from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will be two interstate teams from Mooloolaba Yacht Club (Queensland) and Sandringham Yacht Club (Victoria).

The strongest challenge for this year’s title once again looks to come from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club sending three teams to compete with Sarah Parker and James Farquharson, who won the 2016 Youth Match Racing World Championship as crew, having both stepped up as skippers for this year’s event.

Competing in his first match racing event is Taylor Rogers from Queensland. Rogers will be one to watch with a mixed team of Queensland sailors who will be new to the Elliott 7s. The team will also borrow two CYCA youth sailors to complete their line-up.

Taylor, 15, will be on the helm for what will be biggest match racing event so far. And, it will be on his biggest boat. Up until now he has been training and racing on an Elliott 6m.  

“I have been watching some videos and trying to understand the boat,” Taylor said. “Once I get to Sydney I will try to get down to the boats and get my head around them.”

His biggest challenges for this regatta he said will be the Sydney Harbour wind and the lack of experience with the bigger boat.

Johnson, 17, has been in the gym building on her strength. She normally races a Laser Radial, so while she has leg and core strength, she has spent time on upper body strength to help her with the trimming role.

“This is the biggest boat I have match raced in,” Kriz, 15, said.  “It’s also the furthest I have travelled for a race and we will be mixing crews which will be interesting.”

Sandringham Yacht Club, who will host the Australian Open Match Racing Championship next month, will be represented by one team with Hayden Brown as skipper.

James Hodgson, winner of the 2017 Captain John Piper Match Race Regatta will lead the charge for the CYCA with Darwin International Youth Match Racing Championship winner, Tom Grimes, helming the second CYCA entry.

Hodgson, 18, is partnering up with a crew combination he hopes will be crew for major match racing events from now onwards.

He has the same main and jib trimmers from last month’s regatta, but he has a different person on the bow.

Hodgson will be racing four-up as the young fellows are on the weight limit for the Elliott 7ms.

“The last regatta went pretty smoothly so we are looking at building on that and moving forward,” Hodgson said.

Thomas Steenson from Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club will once again join the three Sydney based yacht clubs while Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron will be represented by two teams with Nick Rozenauers returning to the helm and Fergus Abbott helming the second entry.2017 will mark the 17^th edition of the event and the 14^th consecutive year supported by Club Marine.  The CYCA’s fleet of Elliott 7s will be used for the Championship and will ensure some exciting and closely-fought battles.

“Club Marine is proud to partner with this prestigious event that showcases the talents of Australia’s up and coming sailors. We value initiatives that promote safe sailing and boating in general, with the championship helping develop competitors skills that will stick with them across all classes of sailing. Best of luck to all competing teams and I hope the event is a huge success with more favourable conditions than those experienced last year.” commented Brent McKinnon, NSW Distribution Manager.

The regatta will include a round robin qualifying stage followed by semi-finals and final series on Sunday. Results can be followed live, via the CYCA website.

Note – original story edited with quotes from the MYSS sailors.