Newsletter 16 March 2023
Modern and historic 18 footers shared the harbour as Britannia raced in the SFS Autumn Point Score alongside the JJ Giltinan Championship fleet, with both Britannia and Andoo winning their respective races.
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It’s not often you see 30-odd 18 foot skiffs all racing in one area of the harbor Last weekend, there were modern and historic 18 footers racing on the harbour in a beautiful 12-15kt NNE breeze, spanning a period of over 100 years of skiff sailing history. The Sydney Flying Squadron’s Britannia, 1919 to the Australian 18 Footer League’s Andoo 2022 were racing alongside each other but in separate races (Britannia in the Sydney Flying Squadron’s Autumn Point Score Handicap race) and Andoo and 23 other modern skiffs racing in Heat 8 of the Winning Appliances J.J. Giltinan Championship race, hosted by the 18 Footer League. Few sailing classes can lay claim to such a long and rich history. In fact, 18 footers precede the SFS’s Britannia (1919), going back to the establishment of the SFS back in 1891 and even earlier. The Sydney Flying Squadron
keeps a long and important part of Australian and particularly Sydney sailing history alive with skiffs spanning the period 1919 to 1950/51. As it happened, both Britannia and Andoo won their races on the day, just to round out the story. The harbour was dotted with the 18s of both eras and those sailors on other yachts and dinghies with a sharp enough eye and a touch of sailing history knowledge might have noticed the beautiful gaff rigged historics and their carbon-fibre cousins ripping around their not-too-dissimilar courses. The starting lines were almost on top of one another off Point Piper in preparation for the first upwind leg for both fleets to the Beashel Buoy, near Sow and Pigs reef off Watsons Bay, and return to Shark Is and on from there. It’s important to note that John Winning Jnr, son of the SFS President, sailing Andoo was crowned J.J. Giltinan Champion for 2023 after completing heat 9 of the championship in second place on Sunday 12th March, 2023. Congratulations to John ‘’Herman’’ Winning Jnr and his crew of Seve Jarvin and Sam Newton on a great performance throughout the series. The Sydney Flying Squadron has races on 18th and 25th March to round out the season and the Australian 18 Footer League conducts it’s Queen of the Waves lady’s day race on the 18th March, 2023 to finish their season.’ To read Bob Chapman’s full race results, click below
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Photo by Sail Media
Vale John Lawrence Eyles On 29th January J.L. Eyles crossed his last finish line. Winner of The Sydney to Hobart 1984, Hamilton Island Race Week 1985 & 87 and many more! Legendary sailor, raconteur, plumber/builder
extraordinaire, bon vivant, culinary genius, friend, beloved by family, friends & partner Sharon.
Please join Sharon and John’s friends to Celebrate John’s Journey Wednesday, March 29th 3 - 6 pm @ 18footers Double Bay
We now have a page on the website dedicated to sharing recent sailing images. If you would like to check out the online gallery, please click the button below
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