From 1 to 4 October, four of our BYS youth members travelled to Newport Harbour Yacht Club to race in the Global Team Race Regatta. Team BYS, comprising Ed Warner, Sally Danks, Ethan O’Brien, and Harriette Singh, finished 10th overall, beating the Japanese and Swedish teams. The US teams proved to be the experts in team racing, coming first, second and third. Congratulations to the home team of Newport Harbour Yacht Club, who won the regatta.
The regatta was run in the 2K teams racing format, where teams race against each other in a round robin. Each race has one team squared off against another with two boats from each team, and the goal is simple, don’t come last! The racing however, was not simple, with up to 11 action packed 10-15 minute races completed each day for each team.
Not only did our team have to take on the challenge of racing some of the world’s best in the format, including the current Teams Racing World Champs from Corinthian Yacht Club, they also had to adapt to the fleet of Harbor 20 yachts supplied for the regatta, which were different to anything we had sailed in Australia! They included a self-tacking and furling jib with a boom, a cushioned cockpit with no tiller extension, and a boat which would stop in the water if you turned too quickly!
The team had a wonderful time meeting sailors from all over the world, and learnt lots about teams racing, a format of racing which they hope to help grow in Victoria. The atmosphere was fantastic at the regatta as Newport Harbor put on a range of social and off water events, including a classic American Burger Bash on the Friday Night. All of the members were very welcoming to the international teams, and our billet hosts certainly welcomed us and cheered for us on the water.
While the team were over there, they were invited onto the Commodore’s boat to exchange burgees. This past weekend, the team were able to present the Newport Harbor Yacht Club burgee to our very own Commodore. A big thank you to BYS and the Sailing Committee for supporting our participation in this regatta, and for its continual support of the J70 Youth Squad which offers many opportunities for our young members.
Ethan O’Brien
The team exchanged club burgees with Newport Harbor Yacht Club Commodore Brian Burke (left). The team (minus Sally Danks) delivering the NHYC burgee to BYS Commodore Georgina Plumridge (right).
