2010 world champions Mat Belcher & Malcolm Page. Image copyright www.harvpix.com
by Di Pearson
The 2012 London Olympic Games will be here in the blink of an eye, pushing elite teams from all over the world to make hay while the sun shines, meaning many are expected to sign on for Sail Sydney, Yachting NSW’s regatta in December, with the Notice of Race and online entry now on the official race website at: www.sailsydney.org.au
Round 2 of the Sail Downunder Series, Sail Sydney is one of only two ISAF Grade 1 events in Australia and the big news is that for the first time, the regatta will be run during weekdays only, from 6-9 December, making it a fairer playing field for all.
To be held from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 December, competitors will not have to worry about dodging the weekend traffic, including ships and ferries, so will be able to concentrate on the job at hand – to win qualifying points towards their Olympic campaigns.
Coming on the back of the Perth International Regatta (the test event for the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships) to be held from 16- 21 November and Round 1 of the Sail Downunder Series at Sail Brisbane from 29 November to 2 December, a good international fleet is expected at Sail Sydney.
Olympic classes for Sail Sydney this year are: 470 Men’s and Women’s, RS:X Men’s and Women’s, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial and 49er.
Following an excellent summer season in Europe, Australian entries will feature largely at Sail Sydney.
Heading the Aussies will be Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page, the reigning 470 world champions, who went on to capture silver at the final round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup at the Olympic venue in Weymouth last month, catapulting them to the top of the ISAF World Ranking list after their win.
Tom Slingsby (Laser) and Nathan Outteridge/Iain Jensen (49er) won Gold at Weymouth. Slingsby went on to win the Etchells Worlds with John Bertrand and Andrew Palfrey in late August, then went immediately to the Laser Worlds where he had a stunning victory to claim his third Laser World title on Sunday.
Outteridge went on to win the Moth European Championship straight after Weymouth. Early in the year, he and Jensen, defending their 49er world title, won the silver medal at the 2010 Worlds.
Brendan Casey who did well to finish eighth overall in the Finn class at Weymouth after an extended break from the class, also did an exceptional job at the Finn Gold Cup (the World Championship) where he finished 10th overall against a class field.
Other Australians will include Krystal Weir, who has moved back into the Laser Radial after competing in the now defunct Olympic class Yngling at the Beijing Games, and triple Olympian Jessica Crisp (RS:X class). Having put her 13th place at this month’s Worlds behind her, Crisp is always on the money on her home waters.
The other major announcement for Sail Sydney, hosted by Woollahra Sailing Club, in conjunction with Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club, is the inclusion of two of the three Paralympic classes; the 2.4mR single-handed and theSKUD18, a two person boat.
Australians Dan Fitzgibbon (Qld) and Rachel Cox (WA) returned to the SKUD for the first time this year after winning Silver at the Paralympic Games in 2008. They won Bronze at the 2010 IFDS Worlds, their first major competition, and went on to win Gold at the Sail for Gold Olympic and Paralympic event in Weymouth in August.
The duo is expected at Sail Sydney, along with main Aussie rivals, Ame Barnbrook and Lindsay Mason from NSW, who have racked up some great results since joining forces this year, including leading Fitzgibbon/Cox at the IFDS Worlds, but ultimately finished fourth in their first international competition together.
Matthew Bugg finished a brilliant sixth in his early campaign for Paralympic selection in the highly competitive 24mR single-handed class. The Tasmanian, who began competing internationally only this year, will head the Australian line-up at Sail Sydney.
Other classes include eye-catching speed machines; the Moth, 505, Hobie 16, 29er and 29erxx and Bich Techno 293 classes, along with the Laser 4.7 and 420 classes.
Entries for Sail Sydney must be received no later than 1700hrs on 12 November 2010. Entries received after that time will be subject to a late entry supplement.
Sail Sydney is proudly supported by Steve Jarvin Motors, Alphaboat, Tohatsu and Sport and Recreation.
Notice of Race, entry and further information at: www.sailsydney.org.au
