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Honda Marine have vowed to defend the JJ Giltinan Trophy next year after becoming the first New Zealand team to win the event for 44 years.
Honda Marine won the JJ Giltinan Trophy by the narrowest of margins. Photo: Suellen Davies / Live Sail Die.
The team of Dave McDiarmid, Matt Steven and Brad Collins finished only one point ahead of fellow Kiwis Josh Porebski, Jack Simpson and Dave Hazard on Maersk Line in what is widely considered the world championships of 18 foot skiff racing. The Honda Marine team had come close before and it was only fitting their win came in dramatic circumstances as the two New Zealand boats were engaged in a match race in the final race.
The Maersk Line crew came into the event with little 18 foot skiff experience but showed the benefit of racing 49ers to a high level - Porebski is part of Yachting New Zealand's Olympic development squad and Simpson has previously won a World Cup regatta.
“I can’t believe we were battling a Kiwi boat for the win," Honda Marine skipper Dave McDiarmid said soon after winning the title. "I definitely didn’t see that coming, but full respect to the Maersk Line boys. They’ve only been in the boat for about 15 days.”
Honda Marine and Maersk Line dominated the week's racing, ensuring a New Zealand winner with a race to spare - Asko Appliances were 13 points behind Maersk Line in third.
This year's regatta was the third time McDiarmid, Steven and Collins had attempted to wrestle the JJ Giltinan Trophy off the Australians.
"For us, it was a big relief," mainsheet trimmer Matt Steven said. "We came close two years ago but finished two points off and last year we spent too much time in the protest room and got distracted. This time we kept it clean and won it.
"We were a bit nervous at times [with Maersk Line doing so well] but we were always confident we were going to beat them in the end. They probably had more race practice than we did, sailing 49ers a lot, and they also had nothing to lose."
Porebski said they were delighted with how their week went and thought they might even do enough to pip their more experienced rivals.
"It was just pleasing how it all went," he said. "Everything seemed to go well for us until the second last race when we got stuck in a big hole.
"We are keen to give it another crack next year. This time we'll spend a bit more time in the boat [beforehand] and work on the sails."
Two other New Zealand boats contested the JJ Giltinans with Knight Frank (Riley Dean, Luke Stevenson and Tim Snedden) seventh and C-Tech (Alex Vallings, Sam Trethewey and Matt Coutts) eighth in the 25-boat fleet.
The next major event on the 18 foot skiff calendar is next month's Anzac championships at the Royal Akarana Yacht Club.
Results from the JJ Giltinan Trophy at Sydney recently:
1st: Honda Marine 4 1 2 3 4 4 1 2 (6) - 21 points
2nd: Maersk Line 1 3 3 (5) 1 3 3 5 3 - 22 pts
3rd: ASKO Appliances 5 2 (21) 7 5 7 4 3 2 - 35 pts
7th: Knight Frank 8 5 7 6 14 6 6 10 (15) - 62 pts
8th: C-Tech 6 (14) 5 8 11 2 10 8 13 - 63 pts
Full results can be found here.
