CYCA’s Evan Walker and his crew, claimed the 2008 Barbagallo Marine Australian Match Racing Championships on Perth’s Swan River this afternoon in unequivocal style.

Crewed by Will Ryan, Brendan Casey, Kurt Fatouros and Silas Nolan, Walker won the first match of the best of three final by 52 seconds, then in the second encounter he forced his opponent, Robert Gibbs, into a succession of penalties which led to him being disqualified from the race, handing the title and the trophy to the defending champion.

“I’m ecstatic about it,” commented Evan, “I couldn’t have done it with a better bunch of guys, we had a great week together, and it was just great to win it with them.”

Talking about winning for the second successive year, Walker said, “there was a lot more competition this year, so it means a fair bit more than last year, it was good to get out there this afternoon and have two good solid wins.” 

Walker and his crew proved tactically superior to Robert Gibbs and his team, from Royal Perth Yacht Club, the event hosts, essentially winning the final by inflicting penalties on the locals.

In the first race of the final Gibbs had two penalties against him before he crossed the starting line, and in the second he started with one penalty already outstanding.

It was on the second leg of the course that Walker harassed Gibbs into two more penalties in quick succession, which in addition to the one he was already carrying, prompted the umpires to raise the black flag and eliminate him from the race, handing the title to Walker.

In the battle for third place, two local skippers, Gordon Lucas of Royal Perth and Doug Cooksey from South of Perth, had two tight races, with Lucas a former winner of the title in 1999, beating Cooksey by 29 second, and then a slender 1 second.

Conditions for today’s competition were ideal, with a steady 10 to 15 knot seabreeze filling in just in time for the start. –  John Roberson/Sail-world.com

FINAL RESULTS:

1. Evan Walker CYCA/NSW
2. Robert Gibbs RPYC/WA
3. Gordon Lucas RPYC/WA
4 Doug Cooksey SoPYC/WA
5. Peter Nicholas RFBYC/WA
6. David Chapman RSYS/NSW
7. Nicky Souter RPAYC/NSW
8. Tristan Brown RFBYC/WA