Jay Griffin To Defend Musto International Youth Match Racing Title
Griffin In Action At The 2010 Championship
©Andrea Francolini
Musto International Youth Match Racing Championships
Sydney, Australia
Jay Griffin is back to defend his Musto International Youth Match Racing title on his home turf, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. Racing commences tomorrow, Tuesday 22 November and continues until Friday 25 November 2011.
Griffin, who represents the host club, is back with a younger crew who have all been sailing in the CYCA's Youth Sailing Academy Development Match Racing squad. Griffin and his crew of Joel Turner, Kurt Hansen and Jack Breislin go into the regatta as the second highest ranked team at #51.
Jordan Reece and his crew of Henry Kernot and Arnau Farras-Knowles are the highest ranked crew at World #32 and are one of two teams representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. Reece has returned from competing in the World Match Racing Tour Argo Group Gold Cup over the past eight months.
Nicholas Howe will lead the other Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron team, with the CYCA fielding three teams in total. Ashlen Rooklyn won the Australian Match Racing Championship last month and he will team up with Hamish Hardy and Jeronimo Harrison for this regatta representing the CYCA.
Tim Forbes Smith heads the third CYCA team of Harry Price, Tom Potter and Brooke Smith - all three have also been training with the YSA Development Match racing squad throughout the year.
Three teams from New Zealand will continue the trans-tasman rivalry; Tim Coltman from Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club together with Emma Berry and Matthew Clough from Royal Yacht Club of New Zealand; and Jamie Dawson and Chris Steele leading the two Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron teams.
Travelling the most distance to compete in this regatta is the team from Balboa Yacht Club, California, USA - the host club for the Governors' Cup.
"I would like to welcome all the crews to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and look forward to the close match racing that this regatta will showcase over the next four days," said CYCA Commodore Garry Linacre.
"I would also like to thank Musto Australasia for their sponsorship of this regatta and am pleased to announce that Musto has committed to continue sponsoring this regatta up to and including the 2014 event," Commodore Linacre added.
Racing commences on Tuesday 22 November at 10:00 local time in the vicinity of Rushcutters Bay on the CYCA's Elliott 6's with the Bureau Meteorology forecasting south easterly winds of 5 to 15 knots becoming north west to south westerly around midday then tending south to south westerly during the afternoon.
Jennifer Crooks