"I haven't felt this NERVOUS to go SAILING in a long time" Sixt Spring Series - Race 5 (Highlights)

The 2025 JJ Giltinan world champion Yandoo team of Tom Needham, Fang Warren and Lewis Brake were faultless in the 20-knot southerly winds which swept across Sydney Harbour today, as they powered their skiff to a brilliant near-all-the-way victory in Race 5 of the Sixt Spring Championship. Sailing together for the first time since their Giltinan triumph back in March (due to sheet hand Fang Warren’s paternity leave) the trio made it look easy as they raced ahead of the fleet for all but a few hundred metres after the first set of 3-buoys rounding marks. The Balmain team of Henry Larkings, Tom Grimes and Lachlan Pryor also gave a wonderful performance as they valiantly chased Yandoo and provided spectators with some brilliant downwind spinnaker action. At the end of the long South course Yandoo crossed the finish line 2m21s ahead of Balmain. The new Shaw and Partners Financial Services skiff (Keagan York, Max Paul and Tom Anderson) finished a further 1.39s back in third place, after having to temporarily use borrowed sails on the day. This team will only get better in the weeks to come. Sixt (Jacob Marks, Alex Marinelli and Matt Doyle) was in third place for most of the race before coming home fourth, but the placing was enough for the team to increase their lead in the Spring Championship with only next Sunday’s race still to be sailed. Matt Stenta, who was part of the 2022 Giltinan world champion Andoo team, took over the role as skipper in today’s race, and with Josh McKnight and Jack Taylor, came home in fifth place ahead of Vaikobi (Kirk Mitchell, Andrew Stephenson and Pete Nicholson). Credits Words by Frank Quealey Livestream Footage by Sail Media Editing by Sprott Media Visit www.18footers.com for the very best in 18 foot skiff racing from Sydney Harbour and beyond