Winning wins round 1

Frank Quealey report from the NSW 18ft skiff championship - plus an impressive pic of Michael Coxon taking a plunge

Former world champion John Winning showed all his skills when he steered Yandoo to an all the way victory in the Casio NSW 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today.

Along with crewmen Euan McNicol and Geoff Bauchop, Winning handled the 15 knot northeast winds perfectly to record an impressive 1m 5s win.

Asko Appliances (Hugh Stodart) finished second with Computer Associates (Anthony Young) a further 39s back in third place.

It was an ironic victory for the Yandoo team who were the only major competitors to sail with their smaller #2 racing rigs. While all their rivals selected their big sails Winning and co. were forced to go small as their big mast is still on a container ship returning from the USA .

Yandoo and Casio Seapathfinder (Michael Coxon) won the start but it was soon evident that Yandoo was going to be the one to beat as she outpaced the classy fleet by 30 secs to the windward mark.

Downwind was always going to be the problem for the smaller Yandoo sails and Asko Appliances closed to wihin 5 seconds at the wing mark. Yandoo clung grimly to a narrow lead over Asko over the next three legs of the course.

Just when it appeared as though the two leaders would fight out a head-to-head battle over the concluding lap of the course, ASKO capsized while dropping their spinnaker at the leeward mark. From that point Yandoo was untroubled to score a great victory.

Computer Associates was buried in the pack at the start and had to fight her way back to the leading pack. Once in clear air Computer Associates held third placing throughout, ahead of Rag & Famish (John Harris), Casio Seapathfinder and Churchills Sports Bar (Ben Austin).

Warwick Rooklyn's new Club Marine skiff lost all chance of victory after a capsize at the first wing mark cost her several minutes in the water.

Results

Pos	Boat	Time
1	Yandoo	1.17.23
2	Asko Appliances	1.18.28
3	Computer Associates	1.19.07
4	Rag & Famish Hotel
5	Casio Seapathfinder
6	Sunday Telegraph
7	Churchills Sports Bar
8	Avaya
9	Aristocrat
10	Club Marine
11	Team Pomfet
	Non Finishers
	Terry Hogan	Fastest Time
	General Electric	Yandoo
	Rosemount
	Non Starters
	Total Recall
	Fisher Paykel
	Panasonic
	Omega Smeg
	Terry Hogan
	General Electric