Who is the fastest of them all?

The world's biggest gathering of skiffs gets underway in Australia today

The largest numbers of skiffs seen anywhere in the world, and located at one venue, are set to race at Sail Melbourne from 12-20 January and are expected to attract a large crowd of spectators during the busy holiday period.

120 entries have already been received for the International Skiff Regatta, which includes 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18ft skiffs who will do battle on the ideal flat water conditions of Corio Bay in Geelong, Victoria. The Regatta will include the 14ft and 16ft Skiff Australian Championships and the 12ft Interdominion Championship – the annual 12ft Skiff battle between Australia and New Zealand - with many late entries expected this is looking set to be a huge event, according to Sail Melbourne’s new event manager Rod Austin.

The Skiff Regatta is to be hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, just prior to their next big event, Skandia Geelong Week. With the Club being besieged by skiffs rigging in the park next door thousands of holiday makers who flock to Geelong each year will have an extra treat in seeing these high performance machines.

While Sail Melbourne management plans on racing the five classes on two courses, each class will have separate starts for fair racing. Due to the number of Australian National titles up for grabs and the inclusion of the 12ft Skiff Interdominions the organizing authorities have gone to substantial lengths in order to keep the racing of a high standard. If they so want, all classes have been advised they are welcome to bring their own class race committee or organizing team or can alternatively take advantage of the RGYC’s fully accredited race officers. It remains to be seen exactly how this system will work with 120 skiffs on two courses but it does seem as though all precautions have been taken to try and keep racing as even and fair as possible.

The one exception to this two course individual start format is an invitational race for all boats today, Friday. All the fleets will line up on one start line which will provide a fun opportunity for competitors to race against each other in the ultimate speed test. 120 entries into the regatta all coming off the startline at high speed will certainly make for a particularly great spectacle, especially if the wind is up.



18ft Skiffs

Probably the best known of all the skiffs both in Australia and internationally, having formerly had their own TV series for some years, the 18ft Skiffs in Geelong are sure to attract attention. Although argubly the most famous of all the classes how many 18ft Skiffs will be attending the event is somewhat of a mystery. Evidently very few have pre-entered as there is currently no entry list available for the class. However, John Winning, a proponent of the 12 and 18ft skiffs, says we can expect a good number in Geelong, including the brand new Channel 7 sponsored Gotta Love It 7 skiff, sailed by junior match racing champions Seve Jarvin, Rob Bell and Sam Newton in their first season together.

Almost seeming like a preview of what’s to come, the 18’s did battle on Sydney Harbour on Sunday 7 January in the first race of their Australian Championship, with rookie skipper Jarvin and crew the clear winners in the first heat – an exciting first win of the season. Conditions turned into a blustery nor-wester and many did not finish the course, suffering damage.

Jarvin and crew have had weekly practice sessions on Sydney Harbour under the watchful eye of coach Andrew Palfrey and mentor Iain Murray, who once upon a time won an unprecedented six 18ft skiff world championships under the Color 7 banner when sponsored by Channel 7.



12ft Skiffs

Most skiff sailors will tell you the two-crew 12 footer is the hardest to sail – a large sail area make these boats hard to handle and are not for the faint-hearted. Specifically with most boats having a choice of three or four rigs it is more than possible for these boats to be on the edge of control from about eight knots upwards.
With Nick Press and Brad Yabsley, winners of the 2005 Interdominion moving into the 18ft Skiff class, the field is wide open for the 12ft Interdominion title, a fierce competition that has been sailed between Australia and New Zealand since the mid 1950s.

Sailed in Australia and New Zealand alternatively each year, usually in January, great sailing names have won the Interdominion; the likes of Kiwi supreme 12ft Skiff designer and builder John Chapple, who won three in a row in the early to mid ‘60s. Dave Porter, a Sydney legend in both the 12ft and 18ft Skiffs. Well known Kiwi yacht designers and builders Bruce Farr, Russell Bowler and Don Lidgard, and Sydney skiff identities John Winning and Iain Murray. New Zealanders Alex Vallings and Nathan Handley are the current holders of the trophy, for Vallings it was his second win of the event.

Campaigning a 12, in fact all skiffs, requires a range of skills, including boat handling, tuning, maintenance, organisation, training and thrill seeking. Recent equipment developments, and the introduction of carbon masts have made the 12ft skiffs more manageable, allowing any sailor with relative skiff experience to adapt.

Heading the line-up will be Jonathan Temple and Richard Jones who finished second at the 2005 Interdominion, Michael Bochner and Tim Baraclough winners of the 2005 Australian title and Brett Hobson and Alex Johnson who finished second at the 2006 Nationals. Jim Walsh and James Birdsall will also be a threat. Walsh has scored a number of top results but the major prize has eluded him so far, maybe this is his year.



16ft Skiffs

The 16ft Skiff class are also fielding a classy entry list and on going to press had the largest entry of al the classes with 40 teams already registered. The top three from the recent 2006-07 NSW Championship heading to Geelong are; winning skipper, Jack Andrew ( Riley Machine Fittings) second placed Alan Cummings ( OAS), and third placed defending National champion skipper, Clint Bowen ( Fluid Building Services).

Joining them will be the well-sailed Bob Jane T Marts Edgecliff, skippered by Lee Knapton, Andy Divola ( Fire Stopping) and veteran all-round skiff champion Peter Sorenson ( Sheads), who has variously sailed 12ft, 16ft and 18ft skiffs – all are from NSW fleets, while Brad Colledge with Data #3 will head the Queensland contingent.

A three-person, two trapeze boat, the 16ft Skiffs are fiercely competitive with a number of Sydney clubs and some in Queensland going head to head on a regular basis. Although highly popular in Australia these boats are rarely seen outside of the country and as such ill be unfamiliar to many in the northern hemisphere. However, many big names have come out of the class including entrant Sorenson and the Boyd brothers, Gary and John who came close to 2000 Olympic selection in the 49er class.



13ft Skiffs

Perhaps least well know of all the skiff classes to be out on the water the 13ft Skiff class was originally designed as a sort of intermediate skiff. The concept of the boat was to provide a steppingstone between junior classes such as the popular Flying 11 and more high performance full blown skiff like the 16 and 18 footers. The hulls are a strictly one design affair and are shrunken versions of the 16ft Skiff. Due to its close relation to the 16ft skiff class the helm does not trapeze leaving this the only fleet out on the water with less than two trapezes.

The 13ft skiff fleet will be well represented by a number of the top skippers from the 2006/’07 Australian Championship, Daniel Turner ( Typhoon T’Shirts), James Dorron ( Firestopping), Fiona Walker ( Ultra Tune)and brother and sister duo Peter and Anna Ewalk Rice ( Addbuild Additions).

The 13s, still in their fledgling stage, are to give teenagers the fun and experience needed to take the next step. Currently, the fleet race in Sydney only, but it is hoped the class will expand after being seen at Sail Melbourne.



14ft Skiff/International 14

A demanding two-crew, twin trapeze class first established in Australia in 1897, the Australian 14ft Skiff, with some minor measurement modifications officially became accepted as part of the International 14 Class in 1997.

Here, with the possible exception of the 18ft Skiff class, lies the most international boat. Entries for this event include 2006 NSW 14ft Skiff Championship title-holder Stewart Vickery ( Argo) from Victoria, who won on countback from his brother Robert ( Carbon Concepts) who will also contest, as will a third brother Alan ( WAM). Perhaps favorite to win the event and a regular class favorite, former world champion Lindsay Irwin and his crew Andrew Perry, a champion of multiple classes are entered into the event.

South Australian skipper, Grant Geddes, who won the 1999 World Championship at Sail Melbourne, will also be there, as will Roger Blasse, a multiple world and National champion in the OK Dinghy class and renowned Victorian yachtsman Peter Dowdney, crewing for Andrew Low.
As a 21 year-old, Dowdney performed foredeck duties in his first America’s Cup outing in 1986 aboard Syd Fischer’s Steak “N Kidney (Sydney) and was pronounced one of the best bowman around. He recently competed in the Sydney Hobart aboard Queensland entry Wedgetail. The ‘Ronstan Man’ is known as a good all-round sailor.

Venue

Royal Geelong YC boasts a double 10 metre wide ramp plus a 5m deep-water ramp. East Beach is a large, flat sandy beach with a progressive gradient. All launching areas are protected with no shore break, and flat conditions in all winds, making launching easy. The Club will erect a marquee for all skiff sailors to enjoy mixing before and after racing.

The brainchild of Melbourne based 14ft skiff sailor Stewart Vickery, who will contest the 14ft skiff Australian Championship with his crew Tim Withall, Sail Melbourne’s International Skiff Regatta certainly seems to be an event not to be missed.

Further information can be found at the Sail Melbourne website, www.sailmelbourne.com.au

Programme

Class	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
12ft Skiff	Invitation Race	R1	R2, R3	Lay Day	R4, R5	R6	Lay Day	R7	R8
13ft Skiff	Invitation Race	R1	R2	R3	Lay Day	R4	R5	R6	R7
14ft Skiff	Invitation Race	Measurement	R1	R2, R3	R4, R5	Lay Day	R6, R7	R8, R9	R10, R11
16ft Skiff	Invitation Race	R1	R2	R3	Lay Day	R4	R5	R6	R7
18ft Skiff	Invitation Race				Racing	Racing	Racing	Racing

Entry List

12ft Skiff

Helm		Crew		Boat Name
Peter	Hill	Steven	Hill	24/7 Pest Control
Grant	Nicholson	Scott	Hill	Holt
chris	Reid	Alex	Vallings
Jakub	Ronowicz	Chris	Urquhart	Breaking Wind
Jock	Sinclair	Donald	Williams	Blockbuster
James	Fleming	Lindsay	Stead	Flying Animals
Nicholas	Bernard	Andrew	O'Brien	Pink B
Andrew	Stevenson	Brad	Greenrod
Glenn	Armstrong	Tim	Faulkner	As Good As It Gets
Paul	O'Malley-Jones	Richard	Billett	GOB SMACKED DWARVES
Christopher	Halliwell	Rhys	Short
Russell	Davis	Timothy	Christensen	MGS
Jack	Winning	Brett	Phillips	Vantage Real Estate
Julian	O'Mahony	Richard	Johns	Acer
James	Francis	William	Chapman	STEVE JARVIN MOTORS/HARKEN
Phil	Stevenson	James	McCrudden	Foxy Lady Too
simon	ganley	rod	chave
Matthew	Peat	Paul	Wilson	The Boat & Yacht Store
Emmett	Lazich	Cameron	McDonald	CST Composites
Michael	Bochner	Tim	Barraclough	Gizmo
James	Walsh	James	Birdsall	Woof
Emmett	Lazich	Cameron	McDonald
Chris	Reid	Alex	Vallings	Nuplex
Jonathan	Temple	Richard	Jones	0
Michael	Bochner	Tim	Baraclough	Gizmo
Glenn	Armstrong	Tim	Faulkner	As Good as it Gets
Russell	Davis	Timothy	Christensen	MGS
Phil	Stevenson	James	McCrudden	Foxy Lady Two
Brett	Hobson	alex	Johnson	Garde
Jock	Sinclair	Donald	Williams	Blockbuster
James	Walsh	dfdsg	sdfg
Edward	Blackman	Paul	Carpenter	Dipolar Software

13ft Skiffs

Skipper	Crew	Skiff
Peter Ewald-Rice	Anna Ewald-Rice	ADDBUILD MASTER BUILDERS
Ellen Roel	Georgia Clancy	BIGFOOT
Angus Kerr	Bernie Kerr	BUSTED
Lachlan Hunter	Mitchel Galbraith	CURE OUR KIDS
James Dorron	Jay Marla	FIRE STOPPING
Skye McFadyen	Alana Clancy	FLUID
Mel Walker	Don McPhee	HAP-HAZARD
Susan Veal	Madeleine Graham	MACBRIDE HINTON & CO
Richard Plain	Tim Plain	SHEADS
Daniel Turner	Daniel Ambler	TYPHOON T-SHIRTS
Fiona Walker	Eric Hoeger	ULTRA-TUNE

14ft Skiffs

Helm		Crew
Warren	Sare	Rob	Murdoch	ProLamps
Cameron	Elliott	Bruce	Rollerson	elliott industries
Brian	Long	Colin	Long	Longbow
Matt	Balmer	Jeff	Causey	For The Ladies
Andrew	Low	Peter	Dowdney
Stewart	Vickery	Tim	Withall	argo 16
Roger	Blasse	Andrew	Gilligan	Read between the lines
Jamie	Cottee	Todd	Cottee	Cottee's Electrical
Alex	Newman	Derek	Layfield	roger ramjet
Glen	Tincombe	Ian	Furlong	The Pest
Alex	Newman	Derek	Layfield	roger ramjet
David	Hayter	Matt	Johnston	Fingers
Graeme	Everett	Garry	Sloss	Walking on Water
Greg	Coutts	Chris	Killmore
Alan	Vickery	Andrew	Wilson	WAM
King	Barrie	Bruce	Nicholson	Seatec Get it On
Lindsay	Irwin	Andrew	Perry	Irwin Sails
Paul	Thompson	Ian	Dimond	LoveBone
Alex	Jones	Christopher	Jones
Richard	Ekberg	Carl	Cubitt
david	mcgeoch	luka	dogan	frankston toyota
Jamie	Cottee	Todd	Cottee
Alan	Vickery	Andrew	Wilson
Oliver	Merz	Justin	Woods	Muppet
Benjamin	Strong	Robert	Scrivenor	Lynx
Stuart	Sloss	ben	austin	snatch
Brec	Mitton	Silas	Nolan	sliver
Martin	Cooper	Todd	Cousens	Argo14
Robert	Vickery	Christopher	Vaughan	CARBON CONCEPTS
Anthony	Anderson	Philip	Chadwick	Ray and the crazy 88's
Ron	Scherwinski	James	Lanati
Philip	Strong	Jeff	Klemm	Donkey on the Edge
Stephen	Edmunds	Michael	Woodroffe	Two Dogs
Grant	Geddes	Dan	Wilsdon
Scott	Davis	Bryn	Richards	Tonka Tuff

16ft Skiffs

Helm	Crew	Crew	Skiff
Phillip Cooke	Matthew Wark	Paul Atkins	ALTIS CONSULTING
Chris Jones	Charley Jones	Nick Davies	BIG SATURDAY
Drew Spring	Steve Stenta	Damian Bassett	BOB
Lee Knapton	Peter Hubble	Dean Williams	BOB JANE T-MARTS EDGECLIFFE
Jamie Roberts	Greg Kennedy	David Lister	BRYDENS LAW OFFICE
Amahl Haradasa	Kris Plain	Michael Plain	CAPITAL RESULTS
Dale Cummings	Graham McMartin	Adam Stewart	CARLTON DRAUGHT
Ben Bruniges	Troy Dobinson	Jeffrey Shute	CONTOUR BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION
Craig Corke	Ben Willis	Nathan Skyrm	COUGAR BOURBON
Brad Colledge	Ian Miller	Russell Miller	DATA # 3
Patrick Levy	Mark Muirhead	James Triggs	ENERGY AUSTRALIA
Andrew Divola	James Bury	Rob Napper	FIRE STOPPING
Clint Bowen	Steve Bowen	Anthony King	FLUID BUILDING SERVICES
Adam Favaloro	Matt Stanbury	David Stanbury	GIRO CONSTRUCTIONS
Alexandra Deakin	Phil Jenkins	Debra Stening	HAZARD
Matt Waters	Kyle Macdonnell	Dave Johnson	HUNTER GAMING
Paul Linnett	Shane McDonald	Graham Fairbairn	ILLAWARRA GEAR AND DIFF
Bruce Gault	Peter Schwartz	Rory Cox	INFINITE PROPERTY SOLUTIONS
Rod Hozack	James Hozack	Paul Mackenzie	INTEGRATOS
Julian Lydement	Matthew Field	Ben Plummer	J.L.E ELECTRICAL
Ian Heritage	Matt Chalmers	Richard Hermitage	JOHN ROMANOUS CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Adam Gillson	Morgan Frew	Dallas Dawson	KOFM 102.9
Graham McKellar	Aaron Morgan	Paul Harrison	M & J CHICKENS
Gavin Cooke	Hugh McCrystal	(tba)	NETKIOSK
Alan Cummings	Danny Anderson	Sean Harrison	OAS
Matt Bassett	John Oliver	Andrew McBean	OLIVER HIRE
G. Crosely	(tba)	(tba)	OPORTO
Daniel Jack	Alan Mansfield	Scott Ovenden	R W  RETAIL
Chris Thomas	Chris Williams	Brendon Levy	R.A.M
Jack Andrew	Keagan York	Andrew Finnie	RILEY MARINE FITTINGS
Gerard Smith	Evan Beeby	Brent Dennis	RONSTAN
Bruce Savage	Greg Windust	Damon Zemanek	SAVAGE BEE
Peter Sorensen	Gary Boyd	Tony May	SHEADS FIRST NATIONAL
Marilyn Sorensen	Rob Stenta	Mike Jenkins	SHEADS FIRST NATIONAL  II
Clare Hozack	Grant Windsham	Claire Smith	SIMPLY AVIATION
Kieran Humphries	Luke Birch	Shaun Moran	THE HERALD
Ian Henderson	Kevin Kilroy	Stuart Masson	TOM AND FRANKS
Robert Flanagan	Kent Yarrow	Ricky Bridge	TUDOR
Craig Nicholls	Stuart Graham	Geoff Moore	TYPHOON
Gary Bruniges	Steve Newell	Scott Sherry	Y B  FLAT