29er champions - Lewis Brake and Josh Franklin
After some extremely close racing the OAMPS Australian Youth Championships has finally come to a close.
The fourth and final day saw domination in the Hobie 16 class, steady wins in the Laser racing, come from behind victory in the Sailboardsand head to head confrontations in the 29er and 420 classes.
With the wind settling in at around 15knots, the 164 strong fleet headed out for what would be an exciting and nerve raking final day of an extremely tough series. The waters of Botany Bay had offered great conditions over the past week and the final day was no different.
In the Hobie 16 class Paul Darmanin and Alek Vucic continued their domination into the final day taking wins in the last two races. “Today was a windy day which made it more fun and we had two wins out there which made it 10 straight for the week,” said Darmanin. “It’s been good to make the transition from crew to skipper and I’m happy to have done it and to be heading to my second Youth Worlds and hopefully bring home another medal.”
For the Laser fleet squally conditions offered some variety in the racing. However by the final race the breeze kicked up and the boats were powered up and flying upwind. With four Queenslanders in the top 5 to the top mark, it was a promising end to a long regatta. Leading the final two days of the regatta, Mathew Wearn from Western Australia took the overall win away from Sunshine Coast sailor Mitchell Kennedy as Kennedy watched his lead slip away in the final days. Wearn had five wins in the end of the regatta making his score card impossible to match. “I started off not so well but then began racking up the good points with five bullets to finish the regatta which was a good way to end it,” said a relieved Wearn.
The women’s Radial youth worlds’ spot was filled by an exuberant Ashley Stoddard from Queensland. “I’ve been trying to chip away all week and was always just behind Alex but it’s been really good racing,” said Stoddart. The Queensland stole the lead away from New South Wales sailor Alex South, South won the regatta this same time in 2010. After being behind for the regatta Stoddard raced extremely well for the final two days and cut down South’s lead until it finally came to the final race, Stoddard had a near perfect start and rounded the top mark in 3rd and never looked back.
In the Sailboards close racing at the front saw Western Australian Sailor Eamon Robertshaw win as ‘first Australian’. The regatta was won overall by New Caledonian gun Antoine Aubert. After struggling through the beginning of the regatta, Robertshaw came from behind for a glory win in the final heats of the competition. Eamon won the championships last year and headed to Turkey with the Australian Team. This extra experience at a Youth World Championships will come in handing when he prepares for racing in Croatia.
The real story is in the double handed classes. Queenslanders Lewis Brake and Josh Franklin had their hopes and dreams put on the line until the very final race. The pair were trailing by a single point heading into the last two races. However the favorable breeze gave the team an advantage over Victorians James Sly and Thomas Dwyer. It wasn’t until the final downwind that Franklin and Brake secured the win and pushed Sly and Dwyer into second overall. Brake finally added that “All the hard work has finally paid off and it’s going to be awesome to head to Croatia and represent Australia.”
The 420 class was hotly contested this year as Queensland and Western Australian teams battled it out on Botany Bay. The men’s and overall win went to Queenslanders Angus Galloway and Alex Gough, the boys were 13 points clear of second place Carrie Smith and Ella Clarke. However Sail Melbourne and previous youth champions Eloise Brake and Jamie Ryan struggled to fight back against the Smith and Clarke to see their championships slip away in the final two races. Although all three boats rounded first, second and third at the top mark in both races, Brake and Ryan couldn’t match the speed of the WA girls.
The 420 fleet now heads up to Middle Harbour for their Australian Championships. With measurement tomorrow this regatta will prove to be a true endurance event for the top competitors, as they continue to battle head to head for their spot in the Australian Youth Sailing Team.
Follow the Championships at www.420.yachting.org.au and Andrew.gough@blogspot.com
Andrew Gough