SIXT Spring Championship, Race 1 - Major Arthur Frizelle Trophy - Sunday, 11 October 2026 - Sydney Harbour
The Australian 18 Footers League’s 2026-27 season got off to an unexpected start when the League conducted Race 1 of the seven-race SIXT Spring Championship in a light ENE breeze over a 3-buoys course on Sydney Harbour.
When the current world champion skipper John Winning Jr was unable to skipper Yandoo, his father, the legendary John ‘Woody’ Winning (2000 Giltinan World champion) took over the tiller and came from behind in the closing stages to take the race from another former world champion, Michael Coxon, who was also replacing Joel Beashel on Thurlow Fisher Lawyers.
Yandoo (John Winning, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake) grabbed the lead on the next-to-last leg of the course before sailing away to a 24s victory from Thurlow Fisher Lawyers (Michael Coxon, Blake McGlashen and Trent Barnabas).
The Kitchen Maker (Jordan Girdis, Josh Feldmann and Jacob Broom) finished a further 1m4s back in third place, ahead of Lazarus Capital Partners (Tom Cunich), Balmain (Henry Larkings) and Shaw and Partners Financial Services (Keagan York).
Rag & Famish Hotel (Ben Crafoord), Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell), 18 Footers Bar & Restaurant (Luca Gambacorti) and Club Marine (Emma Rankin) completed the top ten placegetters.
With a fleet of 17 skiffs lined up off Double Bay for the start, supporters were anxious to see the exciting new teams compete against their more established rivals, although they realized that the early season races would be a hard ask as the crew build up teamwork in new, unfamiliar boats.
From the start Yandoo and Thurlow Fisher Lawyers were prominent on the LHS of the course and soon crossed a large group in the middle before heading the fleet to the first set of 3-buors weather marks at the Beashel Buoy.
Yandoo was first to round the red mark but lost the lead to The Kitchen Maker (blue) and TFL (white) as the fleet headed under spinnakers to the wing mark off the Rose Bay end of Shark Island
Vaikobi was with Yandoo, followed by Smeg (Ash Rooklyn), Balmain, Sixt (Jacob Marks), Club Marine, 18 Footers Bar & Restaurant, Shaw and Partners, Rag & Famish Hotel.
Ocius (Dante Oliveri) and Killer Coffee Co (Ryan Ewings) were in the group but were sailing their new boats for the first time so today was going to be a ‘learning’ process for the new crews.
The Kitchen Maker crew handled the tricky conditions well and led by approx. 30s as they gybed for the run between the islands, back to complete the first lap of the course off Clark Island.
Unfortunately for the TKM team, they went to the incorrect rounding mark while holding a good lead which allowed Thurlow Fisher Lawyers to take a 10s lead from Yandoo as the fleet back to the Beashel Buoy 3-buoys for the second time.
Vaikobi had moved into third place ahead of TKM, which was followed by Rag & Famish Hotel, the 18 Footers B&R, Smeg and Lazarus.
Yandoo again took the lead from TFL on the beat but it wasn’t a gig enough lead to prevent a repeat of the first lap as Thurlow Fisher Lawyers regained a 20s lead for the spinnaker run down the centre of the course to Clark Island.
While the two leaders were engaged in a tense battle, the race for the following eight placings was just as tight and the positions were changing continually in the variable conditions.
The final beat to the weather mark was dominated by Thurlow Fisher Lawyers and even allowing for both teams having to go to the top mark, TFL held a 45s lead over Yandoo and it appeared as if she would go on to victory with only two spinnaker runs, around Shark Island, then to Clark Island to the finish.
Unfortunately, the vagaries of Sydney Harbour struck the Thurlow Fisher Lawyers crew when they sailed into light air and could do little but watch as ‘Woody’ and the Yandoo team sailed past and on to another 18 footer victory.
Today’s race was also the first of 18 races for the Mondiale VGL Season Pointscore, which is sailed in conjunction with all club races and concludes on Sunday, February 21.
As usual SailMedia did a livestream coverage of the race with an expert commentary team broadcast from the race course. If you would like to catch up now, the coverage is available at 18FootersTV on the club’s website. Click here
Text: Frank Quealey Australian 18 Footers League
Racecarmarine race an Open 7.50 race boat - Cool Runnings - with Racecarmarine branding in a number of events on the South Coast of the UK and have a good understanding of the marketing requirements for businesses in the marine sector. Contact us for details on how we can help with your project.