We are extremely excited to be involved in this years CHS! It is a regatta I loved as a high school student and I am glad I can now be involved as a sponsor. This is an event we have looked at sponsoring for years so it is fantastic to now be involved. I met so many friends at CHS and have so many good memories from on and off the water. From our perspective not only are we sponsoring an event that features a variety of classes but it is also an event that this generation of teenagers will remember for life. That is something very special to be a part of.
I hope this generation are as lucky as I was and enjoy the experience as much as I did. I hope they make great friends and memories which will be the stories they tell in years to come. My friends and I often tell the stories that were our CHS experiences.
Press Release:
The Notice of Race is now available for the 2012 Combined High Schools/ Australian Secondary Schools Sailing Championship to be held on the 10th April to 14th April 2012 at Belmont 16’ Sailing Club. The event is sponsored by SLAM in conjunction with DeckHardware.
To be eligible the Skipper and crew MUST be students attending an Australian Secondary School. The regatta is open to all classes and sees entries from many classes including Sabots, Flying Elevens, Lasers, 13’ and 16’ Skiffs, NS14’s, Herons, 29ers and in the past has also seen the entry of sports boats and small yachts. This is one of the highlights for many who compete in the regatta as it brings together teenage sailors from all classes giving them the chance to meet and experience other classes. Many of Australia’s well known sailors will agree that the CHS as it is known was a highlight of their teenage years. The event showcases some of Australia’s top young sailors and past winners of the event include current Olympians and Volvo Ocean Racers. America’s Cup Champions have also competed in the CHS as Teenagers.
The races are sailed on the same course in five divisions making for very exciting racing and exciting viewing for the adult spectators:
Div 1 Monohulls & Yachts
Div 2 Medium Monohulls
Div 3 Multihulls
Div 4 Slower monhulls
Div 5 Sailability
The Combined High Schools Sailing Championship in 2011 had over 140 boats entered. The 2011 Championship was eventually won by Alex Chittenden and Tom Potter sailing their 13ft Skiff ‘Sheads’ from Middle Harbour 16ft Sailing Club (NSW). Chittenden and Potter displayed good speed and tactics throughout the regatta which saw an array of different breezes.
The final placing was not confirmed until the final race of the series where Chittenden placed second, which was enough to secure the title. Second overall was Harry Price and Nick Connor (29er) and a further 3 points behind was Sarah Parker and Alicia Watt on their Flying 11 ‘Wave Runner’.
For more information on the 2012 event visit Belmont16s
Melissa Yeomans 