Four wins each

Hardy Cup match racing underway on Sydney Harbour

Three teams, from Perth, Sydney and Auckland, each have four wins out of the first five flights they have completed in the opening round-robin of racing in the 2008 Hardy Cup ISAF Grade 3 match racing event on Sydney Harbour.

Stuart Pollard, representing the host club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Keith Swinton, from the South of Perth Yacht Club, and defending champion Adam Minoprio, out of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, sailed impressively to share the top of the leader board.

After a one-hour morning delay because of lack of wind, the Hardy Cup began between many of the best under 25 male and female sailors from Australia and New Zealand, plus one Sweden team.

The 12 teams are sailing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s fleet of Elliott 6 sports boats in this prestigious event, the concept of Australian yachting icon Sir James Hardy. Five teams are sailing three-up, seven teams four-up to make the maximum weight limit.

With a harbour largely clear of traffic, the race committee set the course for the freshening northeasterly seabreeze between Clark Island and Shark Island.

The steady breeze saw spirited competition at the starts of each flight and close mark-roundings, with tactical decisions and good helming playing a key role in success.

At the end of the morning session, defending Hardy Cup champion Adam Minoprio with his BlackMatch team of David Swete and Nick Blackman from New Zealand headed the competition four wins and one loss.

West Australian Keith Swinton and his Black Swan four-crew team of Nick Davis, Peter Nicholas and James Catts, also had four wins and a defeat, their one loss being to Minoprio.

As the racing continued, Stuart Pollard and his RSYS team of Ben Barzach, Ian Quartly and Kate Brown, levelled with their fourth win, their only loss being to West Australian Torvar Mirsky, winner of last week’s Warren Jones Youth Regatta in Perth.

Four teams each have had three wins from five flights - Torvar Mirsky from Royal Perth Yacht Club, Evan Walker from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Sydney, Robert Gibbs, also from RPYC and New Zealander Laurie Jury from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club.

The RSYS Youth team with David Chapman on the helm has had two wins and three losses, as have Nicky Souter (RPAYC) and Josh Junior from NZ’s Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club at Wellington.

The only non-winners so far are Nina Curtis (RPAYC) and John Back representing the Royal Swedish Yacht Club in Stockholm.

Round-robin racing will continue tomorrow on Sydney Harbour.