Right to the wire

Andy Rice watched the dramatic final race of the unofficial Skiff World Championship in Sydney

A disappointing regatta for Rob Greenhalgh and his crew on RMW Marine

For the second year running, it was a case of the 'if only' for the RMW crew, Rob Greenhalgh, Dan Johnson and Jonny Meers. They won three races, finished second in another, but were disqualified for infringing Derwent Racing in another, and suffered a broken jib track in another. It was a messy, disappointing series for them, but even the rest of the fleet admits it is just a matter of time before they win the JJ Giltinan.

This was the first time the fleet had been allowed to use carbon rigs, and there was a lot of talk about RMW’s slightly higher hounds position for the shrouds. North Sails Sydney's Michael Coxon watched the last race and was impressed by the way their rig looked - giving them good power and pace. But Greenhalgh dismissed all the speculation as "boat park talk". "Our hounds are 10cm higher at the most," he said. For Greenhalgh it is about superior crew speed.

Front hand Jonny Meers summed it up best. "We know we're the fastest, we know we can win this, we've just got to make sure the boat holds together and make sure we stay away from other people."

It was a disappointing series generally for the Brits, with even ex-champion Tim Robinson struggling for pace. With 49er silver medallist Simon Hiscocks and another talented 49er crew in Harvey Hillary, Robinson had no excuses on the boathandling front. It was a simple matter of time in the boat. Business interests have taken over in his life during the past couple of years. "We were too inconsistent, not enough practice, not enough speed - too many distractions. If you don't put in the time you don't get the results."

But whatever the Brits' problems, the event and the class are thriving. For an regatta that has no official recognition from ISAF, it is a good deal more international than many approved world championships - with crews from Italy, Canada, France, Britain and the USA making the trip downunder. Whatever, the class doesn't seem too bothered - they are having fun and enjoying some of the best quality racing outside of the Olympic classes.