Hobart’s Friends School has won the 2016 Australian Secondary Schools Teams Racing Championships at Goolwa, South Australia, contested last week by 60 young sailors from schools from all States and Territories.
The Friends' Blue team of three boats, helmed by Silas Hamilton, Morgan Davies, Hugo Hamilton and Jasmin Galbraith and with crews Ethan Galbraith, Finn Buchanan and Issy Declerck, won the final against Westminster School from South Australia.
In a day of light and testing conditions they were the dominant team all day, winning their quarter final and two semi finals convincingly before winning the best of three final 2:1.
All members of the winning team are prominent Hobart club dinghy sailors as well as actively representing their school in weekly team racing on the Derwent. Many of the team are members of Sandy Bay Sailing Club.
Friends Blue was one of six Tasmanian teams in the 24 team competition, with four of these teams making the final series after 336 qualifying races at the four day event. Competition was in Pacer one-design dinghies.
Friends' White finished 4th, Hutchins Gold 8th, Guilford Young College 9th and Hutchins Magenta 10th. The Fahan School finished second in the girls' event losing their final to St Joseph's of South Australia.
The Friends' Blue team qualified for the Australian championship after winning this year's Tasmanian title, which was sailed on the Tamar RIver at Deviot in April. Their win at the national event entitles them to represent Australia at the Pacific Rim Championship to be held in New Zealand later this year.
This is the first time the Friends' School has won the National Championship, but with more than 60 sailors from the school participating in team sailing they certainly have a strong future ahead of them.
Peter Campbell
18 July 2016
