16th HARKEN Youth Match Racing starts Wed 19, Nov

7:35 AM Tue 18 Nov 2008 GMT

'Action from Day one in 2007 Harken' Ron Farley

The 16th annual HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championships, one of the premier events for youth on the match racing circuit gets underway, Wednesday 19th November 2008 on Pittwater with the competitor registration, weigh-in and training session followed by a gala event launch in the evening at the host club, The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club with Commodore Russell Murphy presiding over proceedings.

The 2008 HARKEN International Youth heralds the 11th consecutive year with HARKEN Australia as naming rights sponsor. Their ongoing commitment to the development of youth match racing is a credit to this leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sailboat hardware and accessories.

Carl Watson, HARKEN Australia's Managing Director said, 'We are delighted to be celebrating our 11th consecutive year with this fantastic event, the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championships, our ongoing association with the RPAYC and we're really looking forward to this year's competition.'

2007 Harken winner, RNZYS' James Williamson - Ron Farley

This year 12 teams from Australia and New Zealand will compete for the Rockin' Robin Perpetual Trophy including 4 teams from New Zealand, 3 from Western Australia and 5 from NSW. The Harken will be sailed on the RPAYC's purpose built fleet of six Force 24's performance keelboats with up to five crew , all of who must be under 21 years of age.

The crew weight limit has been increased this year so many teams are running five crew to get the maximum weight of 350Kg on the rail upwind.

Crews will certainly be challenged this week on the Pittwater track with the bureau's Thursday Outlook on Day one of racing predicting breeze out of the North at 15/20 knots, tending NW with a complete about face for Friday with a southerly change and conditions out of the SW/SE at 15/20 knots.

'These conditions will make for some exciting and tricky match racing and will see the cream rise to the top pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to another great HARKEN,' commented PRO Ted Anderson.

The teams will sail a complete round robin with every team sailing once against each other. The teams will then progress through to a three-match repechage/knockout round. The team at the bottom of the ladder after each three-match decider will be knocked out of the competition. This will continue until there are only two teams remaining. The two remaining teams will then sail a best of five final to decide the winner of this year's event.

The 12 teams are: Team - Skipper

1 Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club (NZ) Josh Junior

2 Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW) Will Ryan

3 Royal Perth Yacht Club (WA) Robert Gibbs

4 Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZ) James Williamson

5 Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (NSW) David Chapman

6 Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (NZ) Adrian Short

7 Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW) Tom Spithill

8 Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (NSW) Keiran Searle

9 Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (NSW) Amy Lee

10 Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (NZ) Hayden Cockburn

11 Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (WA) Tristan Brown

12 Royal Perth Yacht Club (WA) Kinley Fowler

The host club, the RPAYC will provide two teams for the event, one being skippered by 18 year-old HARKEN debutante 19 yr old Amy Lee who said, 'I've picked the hardest year to do it!' She will line up with her all girl crew including younger sister Sarah, Carla Sexton, Makayla Whitton and Jenna Walters; all very experienced fleet, teams and match racers who will handle the pressure cooker environment comfortably.

The other team is skippered by 20 year-old Tom Spithill, who, in his last attempt at the HARKEN, will be hoping to become the 6th RPAYC sailor to win the title.

With his team of Nina Curtis, Sam Sexton, Josh Dawson and Andrew McKillop, all part of the RPAYC's Youth Development Program, they will go in to the event as one of the favourites but will have their work cut out for them in what's shaped up as a very competitive field

'I'm looking forward to meeting up with the other teams from Australia and overseas, in what will be a tough program. We've been training hard and are ready to go. Our first goal is to make the finals and we will see how we go from there. I'm also looking forward to catching up with Robyn Wiltshire who donated the perpetual Rockin' Robin trophy, ' said Tom.

Last year's HARKEN saw the NZ teams fill all 4 semi final placings and the contingent from across the Tasman will be as strong again in '08 with 4 more teams including all of last year's podium finishers - winner James Williamson (RNZYS), runner-up Adrian Short (RNZYS) and 3rd placed Josh Junior (RPNYC) all back to compete in the event and defend their coveted titles. Adrian represented the Sandspit YC in the 2007 event. Add Hayden Cockburn from Bucklands Beach YC and our Kiwi counterparts are set to be centre stage once again.

The 2008 Harken International event is certified Grade 3 for ISAF match race rankings. After team training and event launch on Wednesday, match racing will commence on Pittwater on Thursday, 20th at around 10am and conclude with the finals on Sunday 23rd November. The course is set just north of Scotland Island and spectators are encouraged to come along.

The 'Rockin'-Robin Trophy'
Robyn Wiltshire presented the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club with a perpetual trophy named the 'Rockin'-Robin Trophy'. Robyn presented the trophy in memory of her husband Grant and son Robert, Andrew Young & Jeff Smith, all Club members who tragically lost their lives at sea aboard the yacht 'Rockin' Robin' whilst on passage to Fiji in 1990. Many Club members provided financial assistance and volunteered their time to help with the Search & Rescue, after the group was spotted next to their partially submerged yacht approximately 200 nautical miles off the Australian Coast. Even after an extensive Search & Rescue lasting more than one month, the sailors or the vessel were never sighted again.

by Damian Devine