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'On paper the credentials of the ten teams lining up for next week's ISAF Grade 3 regatta are all impressive so we are looking forward to the on water showdown that will determine who are this year's best Trans-Tasman youth match racers,' said organizer Jenni BONNITCHA (AUS).

The local Sydney Yacht Squadron team of Stuart POLLARD (helm), Ben BARZACH (middle) and Ian QUARTLY (bow) have been sailing together for around three years and individually they have been match racing for five years.

The RSYS crew's latest results include a fifth at the recent ISAF Grade 3 Australian Youth Match Racing Regatta and a second in the NSW state titles. The team finished third in the Bavaria International last year and second in 2003.

As well as match racing, the crew all enjoy dinghy sailing with QUARTLY regularly sailing his Laser Radial and POLLARD campaigning a 29er. They also do considerable offshore sailing with POLLARD competing in his first Rolex Sydney Hobart last year.

Theo MCDONNELL, who is in his third and final season with the Lion Foundation Youth Yachting Scheme in Wellington, New Zealand, will skipper the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club team for the Bavaria International which will be hosted by the CYCA from 16-20 November.

MCDONNELL has been training hard with a steady crew throughout the winter and is currently at the top of the Lion Scheme's internal match racing programme leaderboard.

The Royal Perth Yacht Club team of Robert GIBBS (helm), Kinley FOWLER (middle) and Jasper WARREN (bow) has recently come under the guidance of new coach Andy FETHERS, who is part of the Italian challenger for the America's Cup Luna Rossa, and enjoyed their first international win in early 2005.

GIBBS comes from a teams racing background with his best results including open national champion, three time runner up school nationals and two time state youth champion.

Kinley FOWLER, GIBBS's long time crew, comes from a keelboat background where he dominated the Endeavour 24 fleet by winning both state and national events. FOWLER has raced on a variety of keelboats including Etchells, Foundation 36's and Farr 40's and has proven himself to be a very talented sailor while bowman WARREN recently finished third in the Flying Ant nationals and second in the national secondary school teams racing championship.

The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, renowned for its youth match racing prowess, is sending two teams to contest the regatta, one headed by Nina CURTIS, a finalist in the ISAF Grade 3 Line 7 Australian Women's Match Racing Regatta and the other skippered by Hamish ROUGHLEY, a highly ranked youth sailor who won the recent Australian Youth Match Racing Championship.

Sandringham Yacht Club in Victoria, which recently invested in a one design fleet of Beneteaus in order to expand its youth programme, is sending an all women team, skippered by Megan RIDGWAY, to compete in the Bavaria International.

Defending champion Seve JARVIN, Australia's top ranked youth match racing sailor, and Evan WALKER, this year's state youth match racing champion and ISAF Youth Worlds gold medallist, will skipper the two CYCA entries.

A total of ten teams will compete in next week's international regatta and to guarantee the highest level of race management, the CYCA has secured a strong umpiring team including International Umpires Phil MOSTYN from Western Australia and David TALLIS from NSW, and NSW national umpires Bill PRINGLE, Gary MANUEL and Andrew BAGLIN.

Racing in the Rushcutters Bay area will commence daily at 1000 hours local time from 17-20 November with 16 November a dedicated training day.

Bavaria International Youth Match Racing Entrants
( - ISAF World Match Race Ranking)

• Seve JARVIN (AUS) - 27
• Evan WALKER (AUS) - 76
• Torvar MIRSKY (AUS) -131
• Stuart POLLARD (AUS) - 162
• Robert GIBBS (AUS) - 165
• Hamish ROUGHLEY (AUS) - 183
• Theo MCDONNELL (NZL) - 319
• Nina CURTIS (AUS) - 617
• Megan RIDGWAY (AUS) - 648
• +1 one more team