Royal St. George's Tom Higgins is fighting for a semi-final place at the 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship in Australia.
The Harken-sponsored Championship is hosting some of the World’s best youth match racing talent, with competitors travelling from across the world, including the UK and Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Brazil, as well as a strong representation from across Australia.
Racing commenced Tuesday and is running through until Friday, 8 December, in Pittwater, NSW.
It has been an action-packed season for Higgins, an Irish ILCA ace from UCD that saw him compete at the USA's Governor's Cup in July, as well as a historic team race win at BUSA in April and the 75th ITRA title on home waters.
At the end of the first day of racing, with nine flights completed, RPAYC’s team of Daniel Kemp (skipper), Isabella Holdsworth, William Hough, Lachlan Wallace and Charlie Verity were top of the leaderboard.
2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship Leaderboard
The teams from Rutland Sailing Club (Great Britain) and Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (AUS) were in joint 2nd place with the rest of the competition spread out among the remaining places.
Experienced Race Officer Ted Anderson commended sailors for their conduct during the first day of competition, “The Crews have excelled and are really well behaved, both on and off the water, which made Race Management that much easier for our team”.
Flags of the competing nations fly at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club for the 2023 International Youth Match Racing Championship
Leading into day 2, the course was set at the top of Morning Bay, and the afternoon continued to pump a Southerly down Pittwater, which had the start of racing in 14knts before dropping slightly by midday, averaging 9-11knots.
The southerly tested boat handling skills, especially with kites hoisted when screaming in to round the gate marks, with some teams using their spinnakers as sea drogues.
Established in 1992, the HARKEN International Youth Match Racing Championship has grown into a world-renowned international youth event.
Round Robin 1 finished with 4 teams on 7 wins heading into Round Robin 2. At the close of racing, Ben Tylecote from Rutland Sailing Club, UK, was the stand-out leader. Tylecote and his crew achieved 12 wins from 14 matches.
Round Robin 2 will be wrapped up tomorrow, with the top four Skippers hoping to qualify for the Stage 3 Semi Finals.
