18ft Skiffs Giltinan Championship Race 7 - Champions decided

9:35 AM Sun 21 Feb 2010 GMT

'Placegetters - JJ Giltinan-2010' Frank Quealey &copy /Australian 18 Footers League

The Gotta Love It 7 team trio dominated today's last race of the championship in a second-sail North East wind to take out the race by 44s. and the championship by four points.

Second over the finish line today was Rag & Famish Hotel (John Harris, Scott Babbage, Peter Harris) which could well be described as the unluckly boat of the regatta.

Appliancesonline.com.au (John Winning Jr., David Ewings, Tim Austin) finished a further 53s back in third place today, ahead of Yandoo (John Winning, Andrew Hay, David Gibson), Team PSP/Aust-Asia/Benny (Rob Greenhalgh, Dan Johnson, Phil Harmer) and Bassett Plumbing & Drainage (Chris Skinner, Luke Gower, Dave Healy)

The overall championship placings were Gotta Love It 7 on 16 points, followed by Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Aaron Links, Trent Barnabas) on 20 points, Project Racing (Andy Budgen, James Barker, Matt Mc Govern) 21, Rag & Famish Hotel 23, Yandoo 42 and Smeg (Nick Press, Dan Phillips, Jim Beck) on 44.

Today began with three boats in a head-to-head battle for the championship. Thurlow Fisher Lawyers, Project Racing and Gotta Love It 7.

Gotta Love It 7 action - JJ Giltinan-2010 - Frank Quealey &copy /Australian 18 Footers League

Project Racing won the start and led the fleet to the windward mark. Team PSP/Aust-Asia/Benny was in second place with Gotta Love It 7 and Appliancesonline.com.au together about 20s from the lead.

Thurlow Fisher Lawyers was back in the pack more than 1min from the leader.

Gotta Love It 7 was impressive downwind and challenged strongly for the lead (7s ahead at the bottom mark) but her task was made much easier when one of Project Racing's trapeze wires broke and the crew had to capsize the boat to fix it.

This left Gotta Love It 7 with a clear lead over Appliancesonline.com.au and Rag & Famish Hotel, and it was obvious that except for a capsize or rig failure, Gotta Love It 7 was going to take the title.

When her two main opponents could not improve their positions (Project Racing finished seventh and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers eleventh) Gotta Love It 7 was an easy winner.