Flukey conditions

Heat three of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship saw the lead change hands many times

Chris Dixon and his CST Composites team scored a remarkable victory in heat three of the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship sailed on Sydney Harbour when they grabbed the lead only 100 metres from the finish line to defeat series leaders Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris) by just four seconds.

Rag & Famish appeared to have the race wrapped up at the final rounding mark but the fluctuating wind conditions and determination from Chris Dixon, Greg Dixon and Justin Healey on board CST weren't to be denied.

Defending champion and equal series leader Casio Seapathfinder ( Michael Coxon) recovered from a poor position early in the race to finish a further one minute nine seconds back in third place.

Rag & Famish and Casio share the lead on six points, followed by equal third place getters Club Marine (Euan Mc Nicol) and CST Composites on 12 points.

The race was one of the strangest sailed for some time as the flukey south-east wind made conditions extremely difficult for the crews.

After an even start, the fleet immediately split into two groups with skiffs working each side of Shark Island.

When the groups met in Rose Bay the right hand side of the course prevailed with Jackie Bonnitcha's Noakes Youth leading Tony Hannan's Maytag by 25 seconds, followed by Active Air (John Sweeny) in third place.

Club Marine was fourth and the leader of the group from the left hand side of the course.

It was a historic moment in the 100+ years history of the class when a young female skipper led the fleet around the windward mark in a major 18ft Skiff championship.

Over the next three legs of the course, positions throughout the fleet changed continually as the wind and an occasional manly ferry tested the nerves and ability of the crews.

CST, Maytag, Rag & Famish and Belle Property were always in or around the lead while Casio regained lost ground to move towards the leaders over the latter half of the course.

Rag & Famish put her mark on the lead over the 'loop' across the harbour into Rose Bay and looked certain of victory until the dying moments of the race.

With two more heats to be sailed over the next two Sundays, the championship is set for a thrilling finish.

Results:

Pos	Skiff	Elapsed Time	Handicap Place	NSW Cship Points
1	CST Composites	1.23.35	3	12
2	Rag & Famish Hotel	1.23.39	9	6
3	Casio Seapathfinder	1.24.48	15	6
4	Belle Property	1.25.35	5	19
5	Maytag	1.26.14	2	31
6	Asko Appliances	1.26.15	8	18
7	Club Marine	1.26.49	13	12
8	Omega Smeg	1.27.10	11	19
9	Noakes Youth	1.27.21	1	44
10	Fisher & Paykel	1.27.29	12	41
11	De Longhi	1.27.51	16	37
12	Panasonic	1.27.56	6	42
13	Appliances Online	1.28.07	7	38
14	Ssangyong Yandoo	1.28.16	19	33
15	Active Air	1.28.40	10	35
16	Southern Cross Constructions	1.29.54	4	49
17	AAPT	1.30.55	17	47
18	SX Projects	1.33.53	14	51
19	Aristocrat	1.36.37	18	56
20	Rosemount	1.39.32	20	54