A St George boat will be among the contenders at the Australian 16ft Skiff & 13ft Skiff Championships at Port Stephens in January.
Brydens Lawyers' sheethand Peter Mackie has seen 53 summers, almost half of those aboard a 16ft Skiff. Mackie has tasted considerable success along the way winning five Australian and five NSW titles. With a newly launched skiff, Lee Knapton back at the tiller and the vastly experienced Ricky Bridge on the bow, Mackie expects more good results at Salamander Bay.
"We're at the learning stage with the new boat and it can be hard to get Lee on a Saturday due to his work commitments in real estate but we sail through the week as often as possible," Mackie said.
"The boats are very similar in speed, so consistency demands spending time aboard and chipping away to make sure the gear doesn't let you down. A breakage can be the difference between winning and losing."
Brydens is currently sailing out of St George among a fleet of eight skiffs, aiming to help reinvigorate the club.
"There are some good young guys at St George and I enjoy helping them and bringing them through the class. But there's a bit of rivalry at the same time," Mackie said.
"I'm really looking forward to Port Stephens. [I] haven't sailed there much but I'm expecting the conditions to be similar to our home waters of Georges River."
The Australian 16ft Skiff Association is expecting a fleet of 60 16ft Skiffs and 15 13ft Skiffs to compete on the neutral waters of Port Stephens from January 4 to 11.
Host club Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club at Salamander Bay will host nine races with two drops, up from a seven-race series with one drop in previous years.
