Evan Walker makes good start in Hardy Cup Match Race

Sydney sailor Evan
Walker has thrown down an early challenge to the strong New Zealand contingent on the opening day of the
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s Hardy Cup under 25 match-racing regatta on
Sydney
Harbour.

The 20-year-old from the Cruising
Yacht Club of Australia’s Youth Sailing
Academy came through
unbeaten in six flights of the first round-robin, sailed in a light
east/nor’easterly breeze and clearing weather.

Walker has taken a
short break from skippering an 18-footer in the big league of Sydney Harbour skiff racing to make another bid
to win the prestigious Hardy Cup, presented by eminent Australian yachtsman Sir
James Hardy.

He won the Hardy Cup in 2008 and
finished third last year to New Zealander Adrian Short, whom he beat in flight 8
of today’s first round robin by a comfortable 22
seconds.

“We had a good day, although we have
not had a great deal of practice of late in the Elliott 6s, but our tactics and
sail handling was good,” Walker said after the racing. “I’ve got a good
crew, too, Kyle Langford on mainsheet and spinnaker, and Ted Hackney, who sails
with me on the 18-footer.”

Walker had his
closest race of the first round-robin against fellow CYCA Youth Sailing
Academy member Will
McKenzie, winning by just one second. McKenzie finished the day with three wins
and four losses.

However, Walker has yet to meet the successful Kiwi, William Tiller,
who last week won the Warren Jones International Regatta in Perth last week, and
another New Zealander, Josh Junior.  Tiller also had an impressive Hardy Cup
debut, scoring five wins and two losses

“It is taking us some time to get
used to the smaller Elliott 6s after sailing the larger yachts in Perth and we
had a couple of losses today to the local sailors McKenzie and Reece.” Tiller
said.

Tiller was full of praise for Jordon
Reece, representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. “He is sailing well and
managed to get a flight-winning penalty on us,” added Tiller, whose crew
comprised Harry Thurston and Jerry Maloney, like their skipper graduates of the
Lion Foundation Development Squad at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in
Auckland.

Reece won four of his seven flights,
one of his losses being to Hardy Cup defender Adrian Short, who also finished
the day with four wins, as did Josh Junior from the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht
Club at Wellington and Will MacKenzie from the CYCA. 
However, Junior has sailed only five flights and his loss to Tiller was by just
one second.

David Gilmour (RFBYC),  David
Chapman (RSYS) and Peter Nicholas (RFBYC) each had two wins, while Maegan
Ruhlman from the USA provided keen competition in each
of her flights, but could not break through to get a
win.