BRISK DAY ON PORT PHILLIP - UPDATE - 24th September 2007
After losing a day’s sailing yesterday due to 30-knot plus winds in the Australian National Women’s Match Racing Championship at Sandringham Yacht Club on Port Phillip in Melbourne, competition continued today for the six teams with initial NW/W light and variable winds this morning. However, after the initial flight of three matches was completed, the breeze strengthened and settled from a westerly direction enabling the second round robin of 18 matches to be completed, followed by the semi-finals.
Racing was generally much closer than in the first round robin with the top four competitors from the combined two round robins meeting one another in the semi finals in the afternoon. The semi-finalists were Katie Spithill and her RPAYC team, fresh from their second place in the Women’s World Match Racing championships in Sweden, Nicki Souter and her Wild Oats team, also from Pittwater, and two teams from the CYCA led by Samantha Boyd and Amanda Scrivenor.
The Chief Umpire, former Australian Olympic sailor, Neville Wittey, commented that the racing was extremely close with last race today between Spithill and Scrivenor up to world standard. Wittey also commended the quality of race management that enabled 24 matches to be completed with time to spare today. ‘They have done a grand job in some trying conditions’, he said.
Racing continues tomorrow with Katie Spithill and Nikki Souter fighting out the final in a five race series whilst Amanda Scrivenor meets Samantha Boyd in the petit final to determine the minor placings.
Click here to download the results
NEVILLE WITTEY
