AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ’ S MATCH RACING
BENNETT BRINGS IT HOME
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ’ S MATCH RACING CHAMPIONSHIP , RPAYC
After two years of finishing runners-up , the best of five final on the deciding day of the Australian Women ’ s Match Racing Championship 2015 went to Milly Bennett and her Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club crew .
Bennett ’ s team lined up for the sudden death final flight with Clare Costanzo ( RPAYC ), the two teams dead even on two flights apiece after Costanzo pushed her RPAYC club mates to a tie-break .
The pair were both exceptionally strong in the prestart but Team Bennett ’ s tidy downwind manoeuvres gave them a proper sniff at the championship title and they easily crossed the finish line out in front . Boat horns sounded long and loud and the diehard spectators who had braved the cool spring day cheered from the sidelines .
“ I was a little bit nervous when the scores were tied but confident we had the ability to pull it off ,” a relieved Bennett said . “ We stayed calm and went back to basics ; it was nice to get through the line without much pressure . We ’ ve been second two years in a row and it feels good to finally get the win .”
The situation was decidedly untidy for the eventual champions at the beginning of the second flight . In the pre-start jostle with Costanzo the keel bulb of Bennett ’ s Elliott 7 wrapped around the start boat ’ s anchor chain and held them fast . Costanzo sailed off leaving her opponent trapped for a minute or so and won that flight , then the fourth .
Winter ’ s last hurrah in Sydney meant another day of fresh , cold southerly winds for the petite final and final staged on Pittwater on a windward / leeward track between Longnose Point and Scotland Island . Other than a light patch on day two and this morning the low pressure system guiding strong southerly winds onto the NSW coast kept the tension on all eight teams from Sydney , Perth and New Zealand .
Light and flukey sou ’ westers made the final morning a busy one for Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson and his race committee who were forced to set up three different courses to accommodate the significant shifts . The breeze finally settled and built to 18 knots out of the SE for the afternoon finals , on Sunday September 27 , 2015 .
Bennett and her regular crew of Alice Tarnawski , Chelsea Connor , Jessica Russell and Seldon Coventry are a cohesive and long-term team who train three times a week on Pittwater .
Due credit was paid to Costanzo , Lauren Crossman , Ruby Scholten , Sophie Shannon and Emma May who came together for the first time as a crew last Friday for the ISAF Grade 3 title that was originally founded in 1997 by the Royal Perth Yacht Club and Yachting Western Australia .
“ The teams are all talented sailors in their chosen classes and to mesh so well at a national title and finish second overall shows great teamwork and adaptability ”, said regatta organiser Katie Pellew , also regarded a skilled match racer and last year ’ s winner .
“ We ’ ve all come through different pathways , 49ers , Lasers , Flying 11s …. I ’ d only sailed with one other of my crew before Friday ,” Costanzo said . “ We meshed well and we did better than my ranking going into the regatta . This is my first women ’ s regatta and it was intense racing .”
Demonstrating once again the strength of its Youth Development program a third RPAYC team , skippered by Sarah Parker , finished ahead of the Cruising Yacht Club ’ s team led by Lauren Gallaway .
At this evening ’ s trophy presentation for the annual regatta the RPAYC ’ s club commodore Ian Audsley thanked championship supporters Harken Australia and Lejen Marine and the PRO and Chief Umpire David Tallis and their teams .
FINAL FULL RESULTS
1st Milly Bennett – RPAYC 2nd Clare Costanzo – RPAYC 3rd Sarah Parker – RPAYC 4th Lauren Gallaway – CYCA 5th Jessica Eastwell - SoPYC 6th Stephanie Kirkman - RNZYS 7th Caitlin Tames CYCA 8th Kirstin Norris - CYCA
LISA RATCLIFF / OCC
CLUB YACHTING
YACHTSMAN 35