The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania had the pleasure of hosting a joint Youth and Open Australian Match Racing Championship 2024 from 24 to 27 October.

Skippers from NSW, SA and Tas battled out the round robins in a mix of weather ranging from sleet and hail with up to 28 knots of southerly winds to steady sea breezes and brilliant sunshine.

But whatever the weather the racing was red hot. With the Youth-aged competitors also chasing the Open title, the pressure was on the older sailors to protect their patch from the young guns.

In the end, experience told with the four Open skippers – Tom Grimes, Sam King, Max Paul and Finn Tapper winning their way through to the Open semi-finals.

Tom Grimes prevailed 2 – 0 over Finn Tapper in an all-CYCA semi, while RYCT’s Sam King defeated Max Paul representing Gosford Sailing Club 2 – 0.

Meanwhile on the Youth side of the regatta, Xavier McLachlan (RSYS), Hugo Butterworth (RPAYC), Daniel Kemp (RPAYC) and Thomas Rees (RSYS) qualified for the Youth semi-finals.

McLachlan won his way through to the Final by winning two semi matches against Rees.

Kemp defeated Butterworth 2 – 0, to set up a Youth Final with McLachlan.

In the first-to-two wins Open Final Grimes took a narrow win in the first match over defending champion King, but positions were reversed in match two. With all to play for in the deciding match the cards fell the right way from Grimes who, with his crew of Nick Rozenauers and Max Voss, was crowned Australian Match Racing Champion 2024.

The Youth Final also went the distance with McLachlan dropping his first match of the regatta, but fought back over Kemp in the next two matches to win the Australian Youth Match Racing Championship 2024. McLachlan was well supported by his crew of James Hayhoe, Raphael McLachlan and James Hopkins.

RYCT would like to acknowledge the hard work of the umpiring panel of Damien Boldyrew, Murray Jones, John Whitfield, Jonathan Rees and Ollie Hugo, as well as the team of volunteers and staff who made it all happen.

Words – Nick Hutton
Images – Michael Vincent

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