WA 2018 Inter Club Championships
Friday 13th, Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th April 2018
Hosted by Royal Perth Yacht Club
The 2018 Inter Club & Country Club Championships was conducted over four racing sessions in Matilda Bay
Friday, 13th April - Session 1: Veterans
Royal Perth Yacht Club’s veteran team skippered by America's Cup helmsman Gordon Lucas recovered well from two par starts to win the session over Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club with a 1/3/1. The contest was tight and excellent to watch in a 12knot easing SW breeze. Maintenance maestro Mike Taylor sent the teams out with the big Genoas expecting the breeze to moderate which it slowly did but not before pushing the veteran's' bodies on a discovery of some muscles they haven’t felt for a while...
Country teams Jervoise Bay Sailing Club and Koombana Bay Sailing Club set the tone early with a two-turn umpire initiated penalty on JBSC in race two. Camaraderie was enjoyed in the twilight bar after sailing.
Saturday, 14th April - Session 2: Women’s
Adele Jackson’s RFBYC team sailed fast to a 1/7/1 result, but an over the line early in race 2 proved costly in a no discard session. After a selection series in S80’s at RPYC successful skipper, Fiona McCabe was fired up for a result. Two great starts set the team up for a session victory courtesy of a final run comeback resulting in winning the session with a 2/3/2. South of Perth Yacht Club third.
Sunday, 15th April - Session 3: Open Morning Teams
In a dying south easterly Brad Sheridan’s RPYC team narrowly laid the pin end, winning the favoured left side of the course. RFBYC’s Ethan Prieto-Low’s midline start was strong enough to get to the top mark in second place. In both runs, the lead was exchanged between the Royal Clubs. SoPYC skippered byAlex Landwehr held on starboard down the final run to setup a win in the solo race session. RPYC just snuck in at the boat end for a second with Fremantle Sailing Club third and RFBYC fourth.
Sunday, 15th April - Session 4: Open Afternoon Teams
After a two hour delay without wind RPYC’s Race Officer Hayden Swanson got racing under way in the final session around 14.00. Will Boulden’s RFBYC team were dominant winning the pin end group in both starts and extending around the course to comfortably take out the session ahead of SoPYC’s and Australian Sailing Team member Conor Nicholas. The interest in the session though was the performance of the Robbie Gibbs led RPYC team who had a 3 point buffer ahead of the session. Jervoise Bay Sailing Club with the Country Club Championship comfortably in the bag were sailing well and tied the session with Royal Perth Yacht Club for third, slipping to fourth on countback leaving Royal Perth Yacht Club with 7 points overall and victors in the 2018 Inter Club Championships by one point!
