Gold, silver and bronze decided at Sailing World Cup Melbourne

St Kilda’s usual foreshore and beach buzz on a warm summer Sunday grew louder when the Sailing World Cup Melbourne reached its peak. Eight Olympic classes peeled off their Medal Race one by one straight off the main beach, St Kilda Baths and pier, to the delight of visitors and sailors whose competition had already concluded.

Light morning northerlies moved around to the local sea breeze then tried to settle, swinging between south-east and south. By the time the men’s 49er skiff teams went hunting gold at 14:30, 15 knots was the reading on the track, the most finals day would deliver.

Fast finish in Melbourne
URL – https://youtu.be/ilY9a2NKUD8
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Event director Mark Turnbull OAM and Sydney 2000 sailing gold medallist, dashing between his various responsibilities around the St Kilda sailing precinct, took time to assess the popularity of the final day’s events. “We’ve got big crowds, plus the sailors are really happy, but importantly there are non-sailors everywhere; it’s the general public getting close to the action which is brilliant and one of the reasons why we brought sailing to the people this year.”

World Sailing’s Technical Delegate Antonio González de la Madrid Rodriguez agreed racing out of St Kilda put the sport front and centre. “We saw this today with St Kilda beach packed and the pier bustling. Melbourne is the start of the 2016 Sailing World Cup series and the journey to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is well and truly on!”

Melbourne’s 2015 World Cup, which drew more than 900 competitors representing 23 nations across nine invited, nine Olympic and three Paralympic classes, was the Oceanic qualification event for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. As of this week the Olympic campaign begins for Cook Islands sailors Teau McKenzie (Laser Radial) and Taua Henry (Laser) who gained entry for the Pacific island nation.

The winner of each Olympic class at the World Cup also qualifies for the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi in November 2016.

Organisers acknowledge major partners, the state government of Victoria under the Melbourne banner, City of Port Phillip through its St Kilda tourism brand, St Kilda Sea Baths and Mercedes Benz Brighton. Each Sailing World Cup medallist was fortunate enough to be presented with a pair of Bolle sunglasses.

Finn

Josip Olujic (CRO) and Oliver Tweddell (AUS) are close friends, but this didn’t hinder their battle for double points, the series trophy and an invitation to the Sailing World Cup Final. The start of their Medal Race was dramatic with both sailors OCS. Tweddell was first to return, quickly taking and then holding control of the race to finish up on the right side of the series countback split.

“It’s pretty nice to finally win on home waters, I think I’ve come second here four in a row,” Tweddell said. His has a big season ahead starting with the European Championships in March in Barcelona, one of several events that will earn the Melbournian points towards selection to the Australian Team for the Olympic Games.

Women’s 470 gold medal race / Carrie Smith & Jamie Ryan (AUS) Gold medalist
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Sunday 13 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

49erFX

There were three teams in the Medal Race, all equal in skill and determination. When it came to the final double-point race, the dying seconds decided the ultimate victor.

The finish was so tight even Australian’s Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks weren’t sure if it was them or Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland (NZL) who finished second and therefore top scorer at the end of their gruelling five-day series. The Australian clawback from last secured them the World Cup gold medal and an invitation to next year’s Grand Final.

“At the start we got a little mixed up with what was happening with the wind and didn’t make the best choices on the course. Unfortunately that put us behind on the first leg and it was just catch up from there,” Elks said. “We both said anything can happen and we have lots to play for.”

“The biggest thing was the decision at the end around the bottom mark, whether to hold the kite or drop it,” Lloyd added. “We were behind so it was pretty much the only thing we could do and we just made it.”

Third was Julia Gross and Cecilia Jonsson (SWE).

RS:X

Joanna Sterling won the RS:X gold medal after a near-perfect series. In second overall was Audrey Yong (SIN) who comfortably stayed ahead of Lara O’Brien (AUS).

Sterling put her win down to working very hard on her fitness in the lead-up. “I did a month solid of fitness training before this event and this allowed me to work harder.”

Sterling enjoyed the interaction with the public in the St Kilda sailing precinct, the first time in seven years the vibrant suburb has hosted the World Cup on behalf of the governing body, World Sailing. “Everybody has been so much more involved in the racing. It’s been great as an athlete having people come up and ask you questions.”

Sterling is seeking to fill the Olympic spot she secured for Australia when she qualified the country for Rio in the women’s windsurfer class.

470 Men

To the end twin brothers Alexander and Patrick Conway (AUS) remained untouchable, determined to achieve the perfect tally even though their overall win was already locked in.

“We are happy with the result because our series was about being consistent in all conditions,” Patrick said. “The lessons from this event are for us to trust our speed and our decisions on the race course. We know what we are doing is working; now we need to keep the momentum going.”

The Conways will return to training in Sydney for the next two months before they head to Argentina for the 470 World Championships.

Second overall was Thomas Klemens and Timothy Hannah (AUS) and in third, Angus Galloway and Joshua Dawson (AUS).

Formula Kite / Ric Black (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

470 Women

Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan (AUS) fought hard to keep pace with the leading men’s team in the final mixed fleet race. They finished second over the line, locking in their first Sailing World Cup gold medal and leaving silver to Sasha Ryan and Aurora Paterson (AUS). Third overall went to Pip Pietromonaco and Amelia Catt (AUS).

“Sailing in a small fleet was tricky, you have to work a little bit harder to keep your top position,” Smith said. “We are learning to work at the top of the fleet and being a team, plus risk management.”

“We’ve had a pretty tough year with illness that kept us out of the boat for a while,” Ryan added.

49er

Kiwi’s Logan Dunning Beck and Jack Simpson performed strongly in the “brutally shifty” penultimate day to set them up for the gold medal position and first international team to finish atop the Medal Race podium. “It’s a great feeling sticking it to the Aussies,” Dunning Beck admitted with a cheeky grin.

Brothers Will and Sam Phillips finished second overall and first Australian team, just one point in front of countrymen David Gilmour and Rhys Mara who led the skiff pack early in the week and ended up third in the 10 boat fleet.

Finn / Oliver Tweddell (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

Laser

Singapore’s Colin Cheng romping four-day performance pre Medal Race in the biggest Olympic division contesting the World Cup (35 boats) gave him a comfortable 13 point advantage before the fleet lined up this afternoon.

“I didn’t have too much pressure but I still wanted to go out and have a good race, and get the fundamentals right,” Cheng commented. “Everyone had up and down races and I was able to have a good buffer after stringing some good races together. Every single race all week was difficult.”

Second was Thomas Saunders (NZL) and third was Jeremy O’Connell (AUS).

Laser Radial

Australian Sailing’s Ashley Stoddart straightforwardly beat New Zealand’s Susannah Pyatt over the eight race series. “I just came back from our worlds a week ago so I was tired but warmed-up,” the gold medallist said. “I enjoyed the variety of conditions and it’s been cool having the final day where people could have a nosey.”

Third was Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR).

Formula Kite / Ric Black (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

IKA Formula Kite

Like his inaugural Sailing World Cup Melbourne, Florian Gruber’s (GER) fourth time ended with champagne spraying standing taller on the dais than his challengers. “I always enjoy the Australian lifestyle, pretty relaxed and super friendly people and I always have great experience at this event,” the gold medal winner said.

He hopes today’s win will be his last in the race board class and talked openly at the medal presentation of his vision for the foil board. “Foiling is the future; it’s the fastest thing on the water. Let’s see what the decision is for the 2020 Olympics, if it’s the race board I’ll be back in Melbourne on a race board.”

Martin Dolenc (CRO) finished second and Ric Black (AUS) third.

Sailors will now turn their focus to the 2016 Sailing World Cup Miami which takes place at the end of January 2016.

Australian and French Para World Sailing gold rush continues

An intense fortnight of competition for an international fleet of Paralympic sailors drew to a close today, Saturday December 12, 2015, with the completion of their Sailing World Cup Melbourne race schedule in light southerly winds at the top end of Port Phillip.

Athletes only had a short break between finishing the Para World Sailing Championships and commencing their World Cup campaign on Wednesday at the same venue, the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.

View highlights of the day below:
URL – https://youtu.be/v9ie2_XA8MU
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Celebrations continue for Damien Seguin of France in the 2.4mR and SKUD18 sailors Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) who added World Cup Melbourne gold to their medal haul, having snapped up the world championship title just over a week ago.

In the Sonar, Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden (AUS) made up for their disappointment of silver at the Para Worlds to defeat a competitive fleet, walking away with gold.

Meanwhile over on the St Kilda side of the bay, the top ten sailors in each Olympic class qualified themselves for tomorrow’s Medal Races on a cool but magic Melbourne summer’s day, in contrast to yesterday’s cold and ugly blast from the sou’west that blew out racing. The breeze averaged 10-12 knots S-SE and remnant confused 1.5m seas made the going bumpy.

Organisers have the option of utilising two courses for tomorrow’s Medal Races, though the second will only come into play if Mother Nature can’t provide enough reliable wind to roll through eight class finals in quick succession.

Variable 10 knot winds becoming south to south-easterly 10-15 knots in the early afternoon before easing is the forecast for Sunday December 13, 2015.

Finns are due to kick off the Medal Race schedule at 11.50 local time and the kiteboards’ start at 16:30 is the last on the program. All gold Medal Races will be broadcast live to the St Kilda Sailing Precinct stage as well as on World Sailing’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/WorldSailingTV) and there will fantastic spectator viewing opportunities from the end of St Kilda Pier.

Sonar
A relieved Australian team of Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden finished their series with a first place after fighting off challenges from France’s Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary, and Norway’s Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen.

The Aussies began the day’s racing after spending last night with Jourdren in the protest room, which resulted in the French team receiving a disqualification. A collision between the two boats required the Australians to patch up some holes with tape in order to race today.

“We put yesterday aside and thought about today as being a new race day,” a beaming Harrison said.

Skud18 / Rolf Schrama & Sandra Nap (NED)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Thursday 10 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

SKUD18
Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) continued their golden world championship form, winning this week’s World Cup. Second was Britain’s Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell and in third, Poland’s Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki.

“In the first race we had to sail for position; we had to beat the British team to win the regatta,” Fitzgibbon said. “In the second race we were out there just have a bit of fun. This win is a vital step for us; we are trying to get in the habit of winning. It’s a really good step to see where we are leading into the Rio games.”

Check out a video of racing today below:
URL – https://youtu.be/jZ8wa7jyqk4
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2.4mR
The wind was softer today but still shifty, forcing France’s Damien Seguin and Australia’s Matt Bugg to fight it out to the end. “We had a great battle,” Seguin admitted.

He’s at the top of his game after this year winning the World Championship and all of his World Cup and EUROSAF events. “With the worlds and this event I have won my qualification to represent France at the Paralympics,” the man with the golden touch added.

Seguin walks away with gold, Matt Bugg silver and Bjornar Erikstad (NOR) completes the podium.

Olympic classes
Kites
Nothing is going to unseat Germany’s Florian Gruber, 21, in his pursuit of a third IKA Formula Kite World Cup Melbourne title. He comfortably leads the series after 15 races.

This is the last event of his racing season before heading back to Europe to join up with Ozone and KiteFoil Australia working on the development of hydrofoils. He hopes the KiteFoil Board will be the equipment choice if kites are included in the 2020 Olympic Games.

“The Formula Board is a great discipline. The foils are the future. They have more speed, more efficient on the upwind and downwind,” Gruber said.

Formula Kite / Ric Black (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

RS:X
Joanna Sterling heads into tomorrow’s Medal Race the top contender for the RS:X women’s windsurfer series after finishing the day off with another two wins to add to her near perfect scoresheet. In second place is Audrey Yong (SIN) and third Lara O’Brien (AUS).

Laser
Six nations feature in the top 10 sailors to move through to the Medal Race. Colin Cheng (SIN) leads the fleet ahead of Mitchell Kennedy (AUS) and Thomas Saunders (NZL). Cheng has a decent lead; behind him the pointscore is tight.

Laser Radial
Ashley Stoddart (AUS) is the top woman moving through to the Medal Race. She leads Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR) and Susannah Pyatt (NZL) and all have sailed consistently throughout their seven race World Cup series.

49er/49erFX
Consistent top three results for the Kiwi pair of Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson has made them 49er front-runners over the first Australian team of Will and Sam Phillips.

It’s a double-bunger for the New Zealanders in the big and smaller rigged skiffs, Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland winning the final of today’s four 49erFX races to be ahead of Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks (AUS) by a single point.

Finn, 470 Men & Women
Alexander and Patrick Conway’s (AUS) golden run continues, the talented twins winning all eight qualifying races. In second place is Thomas Klemens and Timothy Hannah (AUS).

Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan (AUS) hold the lead ahead of Sasha Ryan and Aurora Paterson (AUS) and Pip Pietromonaco and Amelia Catt (AUS) in third.

Croatia’s Josip Olujic retains the lead ahead of local sailor, Oli Tweddell (AUS).

Invited Classes

The leaders in each of the nine invited classes are: Bob Schahinger (Liberty), Kurt Hansen and Jim Cooley (29er), Alistair Young (Laser Radial Men), Thomas Needham (Laser 4.7), Nia Jerwood and Lisa Smith (420), Daniel and Nathan Van Kerckhof (Viper), Tom Wright (Open Bic), Anna O’Brien (Minnow) and Alexander Bijkerk (Optimist).

Racing in the invited classes also concludes tomorrow, Sunday.

Silver Service At Sailing World Cup Melbourne

Finn / Oliver Tweddell (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

Melbourne put the whitest cloth and the best silverware on the table for the 900 plus Victorian, interstate and international sailors on day two of the Sailing World Cup Melbourne, the first stop of the six stage series.

The morning began with the hilarity of the inaugural Opti Olympic challenge when five Australian Olympic gold medallists and other high profile sailors took on some switched on Optimist kids in a novelty race that drew a great crowd at St Kilda sailing precinct for a fun start to the day. Out of the blatant cheating, paddling, tackling on the beach and water pistols, the youth sailors cleaned up the results.

WATCH THE OPTI VIDEO HERE
URL – https://youtu.be/kf3iOLmLEbE
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When the serious competition began, sailors in the Olympic, Paralympic and invited divisions were greeted with light and cool winds and like yesterday the breeze moved into double figures as the day wore on, giving the afternoon session’s competitors 16 knots of cool SSE wind and stunning summer sunshine to play in.

Laser Radial
Susannah Pyatt (NZL) surprised herself when she popped into the overall lead after smashing out two first places in the Laser Radial. “Today was similar to what we had in Oman for the Worlds with a steady breeze and nice waves. I have done a lot of training in similar conditions.”

In equal second on the progressive results sheet after four of eight races in the series is a disappointed Ashley Stoddart (AUS) who scored two seconds on the Port Melbourne course. “I set a goal to chase Susannah down, but she did a good job to cover me on the upwinds,” Stoddart acknowledged.

Third overall is Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR).

A quarter way into their competition Australian sisters Jacinta Ainsworth, 18, and Elyse, 16, are a single point and place apart from a total fleet of 20 sailing in the women’s Olympic class boat.

“It’s good that we are on the same level, over the last 12 months Elyse has really stepped up,” said Jacinta. “Being close is working in our favour.”

Laser
Twenty six year-old Rio contender Colin Cheng (SIN) qualified his country for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games last year and this afternoon he leads the men’s Laser fleet by two points from Thomas Saunders (NZL).

“This is a big year, we are putting a lot of effort into the Olympics,” said Cheng as he approaches selection for the second time having made the London team, finishing 15th. “It’s always a balance trying not to burn out when I’m full time sailing. I’m pretty happy with my fitness, though it could always be better, and it’s at a level I can purely focus on my sailing.”

Skud18 / Rolf Schrama & Sandra Nap (NED)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Thursday 10 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

SKUD18
Current world and Olympic champions Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) continued their dominance on the Hobsons course near the port of Williamstown, winning both of today’s races. Great Britain’s Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell stayed on trend with a 3-2 day to remain second overall. Third is Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki (POL).

The Netherland’s Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap, having qualified their country for the 2016 Paralympic Games at last week’s World Championship out of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, are desperate to achieve top results to go towards their national team selection. Today’s 6-4 results will require discussion with their coach Schrama admitted. “Our downwind wasn’t very good and our upwind were okay. It was great racing, but our results weren’t good.”

Other Olympic class results
Carrie Smith and Jamie Ryan (AUS) are not giving any opportunities away and lead the 470 women’s fleet with a perfect score of four wins from four. It’s the same result in the men’s 470 division that is dominated by the Conway brothers of Alex and Patrick from Australia.

Two more bullets for David Gilmour and Rhys Mara (AUS) keeps them in pole position in the 49er fleet while in the smaller rig 49erFX class Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks (AUS) also hold the top spot.

Josip Olujic (CRO) is proving a thorn in the side of local favourite and event ambassador Oli Tweddell (AUS) in the Finn class, the pair are divided by two points with three days remaining until the Gold Medal showdown on Sunday December 13, 2015.

Germany’s Florian Gruber is making merry in the consistent winds in the IKA Formula Kite division, posting another day of back to back wins in four of the six races to be leading the series by eight points.

Formula Kite / Ric Black (AUS)
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
St Kilda sailing precinct, Victoria
Port Phillip Bay Wednesday 9 Dec 2015
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

Invited classes
The fluttering of 102 tiny white mainsails as the eager Optimist sailors headed away from St Kilda Beach heralded the start of the Invited classes section of the annual summertime regatta Melbourne has hosted for seven years. Drawn from clubs across Australia and New Zealand, the junior sailors completed two opening races in perfect conditions.

Both New Zealand’s Yachting Trust Youth Team and the Australian Youth Sailing Team are among the sailors utilising the Laser Radial (men’s and women’s), RS:X, 29er and large 420 fleet competition to prepare for the Youth Sailing World Championships in Malaysia later this month.

In the background, the silky Viper catamaran fleet of Australian, New Zealand and New Caledonian entries were enjoying reasonably smooth bay conditions and low flying their way around the course with plenty of pace and salt spray flying to the delight of the photographers.

The Open Bic’s 28-boat fleet and the Minnows shared a course area, showing off to their fellow French competitors in the ideal conditions and this afternoon the 29ers, Laser Radials, Laser 4.7s and Liberty classes had their turn.

Full divisional results at http://www.sailingresults.net/site/event/143/default.html

A strong wind warning is in place for Friday for Port Phillip with forecast westerly winds increasing to 20-25 knots in the morning and by midday they could be as strong as 20-30 knots out of the west to south-west.

Check out some Adventures of a Sailor Girl from the second day of Sailing World Cup Melbourne below:
Sailing World Cup Melbourne Day 2: Hansen & Colley
Kurt Hansen and Jim Colley are using Sailing World Cup Melbourne and Sail Sydney as preparation events for the World Sailing Youth Championships. Was great to chat to them about pathways, training in their backyard at events like the Sailing World Cup, and what we can expect from the next generation.
URL – https://youtu.be/CL1u2yDA0BA
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Nations Qualify For Rio 2016 at Para World Sailing Championships

Thirteen nations have qualified for places at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition following the Para World Sailing Championships being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

Seven One-Person Keelboat (2.4mR) spots, five Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18) places and six Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar) slots were allocated to the following nations at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships:

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

One-Person Keelboat – 2.4mR
Austria
Argentina
Czech Republic
Italy
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain

Two-Person Keelboat – SKUD18
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Singapore
Spain

Three-Person Keelboat – Sonar
Ireland
Israel
Italy
New Zealand
Spain
USA

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

National Paralympic Committees have until 1 March 2016 to confirm the qualification slots they will use. Any unused slots will be reallocated by 1 April 2016. Find out more on Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification here – http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2016ParalympicsSailingQualificationSystem-%5B16640%5D.pdf

Away from the road to Rio, the competition concluded with Damien Seguin (FRA) taking gold in the 2.4mR with Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) defending their title in the SKUD18. And there were some wild celebrations in the Sonar as John Robertson, Steve Thomas and Hannah Stodel (GBR) snapped up the title.

Several athletes will remain in Williamstown for the next ten days with several crews competing at Sailing World Cup Melbourne. From thereon in it’s into 2016, Paralympic year, and sailors will have their eye on the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands along the way.

Daniel Smith

Mixed Fortunes For Aussies At Para World Sailing Championships

The highlight of today’s racing at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Australia, was the performance of Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch in the SKUD18 fleet. At the Para World Sailing Championships the pair racked up another two wins to wrap up the World title with one race still to go.

They withstood enormous pressure from the Dutch crew of Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap, clinging to a narrow lead at the beginning of the last downwind leg to cross the line just nine seconds ahead of the plucky Netherlands team.

In the second race of the day, in winds that increased to more than 15 knots, it was the Polish crew of Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki who hassled the Australian all the way, but once again, Fitzgibbon held his nerve and the Polish crew trailed them by just seven seconds in one of the most exciting finishes in the series.

Their two victories today places the Australians in an impregnable position at the end of the day, with a total points score of 11 after dropping their worst score – a third. Even if they do not sail in the final race tomorrow, they cannot be beaten for the World Championship.

Trailing the Australians on the leader board are the British crew of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell, who sailed consistently today to score two thirds and now have a total of 26 points. Third is the Italian combination of Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti with 39 points. The Dutch team, with their second and seventh places today still have a chance to displace the Italians, lying just three points behind them at this stage.

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

It was a different story on the Sonar course today, where the usually consistent Australian crew of Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Jonathan Harris really struggled to find any rhythm. They experienced problems yesterday, which were mainly due to really tough weather conditions and huge swings in wind direction. Today’s racing was in stronger breeze, with lesser swings, but particularly in the second race, big seas were challenging for all crews on the windward legs. The Australians were 13th in race 9, their worst result so far, and 10th in race 10.

If conditions were hard, it certainly did not worry the British crew of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas, who came away with second and third places from today’s races to lead on the points score table with 31 points. With their worrying day today, the Australian crew loses its place at the head of the leader board but remains in a podium position with French team of Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary.

“We struggled for boat speed all day today,” said Australian skipper Colin Harrison, “Boats that were behind us at the start were beating us to the windward mark.” Coach Grant Alderson will be trying to return his team to the routines that brought them success in the early part of the regatta.

In the 2.4mR fleet, Frenchman Damien Seguin has improved at every outing. He sailed consistently early, but has been increasingly dominant in this fleet at every race. He was unflappable today despite the pressure being heaped on him in the early stages in each race, finding his way to the front by the first mark and then extending his lead to finish the day with two firsts. Australia’s Matt Bugg scored a second in race 9 and was right on Seguin’s tail for most of the race but could not find a passing lane. He was fifth in race 10. Germany’s Heiko Kroeger sailed consistently again for third and fourth placings to remain second on the leader board with 28 points, 10 behind the Frenchman.

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

Helena Lucas will rue the “U” flag disqualification she incurred on the first day. With a 10th place as her worst score, she may well have been in a podium position at this stage and has sailed consistently near the head of the fleet in every race.

Seguin can go into the final race tomorrow full of confidence with a ten point buffer over his nearest rival.

Conditions for tomorrow are forecast to be much lighter than today and racing will be followed by the presentations in the evening.

Bernie Kaaks

Wild swings at Para World Sailing Championships

Vigilance and strict observance was required on the fourth day of racing at the Para World Sailing Championships being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

With severe conditions forecast for the late afternoon, the race committee brought the starting time forward to 11:00 in an effort to beat the weather. Sailors from 31 nations racing in the three classes selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games were expecting a tough day and that is what they received.

Racing on all three courses began in wind strengths of eight to ten knots from the west. All crews noticed wild swings in wind direction. It was a day when crews had to be more observant than usual and ensure that they stayed in sync with the wind direction. Those who failed to do so paid a terrible price.

The SKUD18’s of the USA and Israeli teams were racing against the clock to replace their broken masts in time for the morning start, while Britain’s Helena Lucas had an anxious wait while a boat builder worked frantically through the night to repair a gaping hole in her boat’s transom. In the end the resources of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria based support personnel successfully managed to have all boats back in action in time for today’s first race.

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

The SKUD18 started race 7 in 8 knots of breeze from the west, with 75% of the fleet electing to hold starboard tack off the start line and favour the left of the course. The British team of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell set the early pace and rounded the top mark clear of the Italian and French crews. The Australians at this stage were some distance back in fourth place.

On the downwind leg, the Italian and British crews, working the southern side of the course, struggled to gain the upper hand while the Australians gybed away inside them. The gap between boats narrowed considerably on the next upwind leg, with the British boat maintaining control of the race. At the final rounding of the windward mark, the Australians rounded behind the British but ahead of the Italians, with a long gap back to the rest of the fleet. For a moment it seemed that the Australian boat had a chance for an unlikely win as it surfed towards the finish line in a good line of pressure on the northern side of the course while the British boat continued its steady progress on the southern side, trailed by the Italians.

When they gybed back towards the finish line, it became clear that Rickham and Birrell had actually extended their lead while Gualandris and Zanetti emerged ahead of Fitzgibbon and Tesch. It was a graphic illustration of the different wind direction on various parts of the course.

In race eight the Australians reversed the result on the British with the Italians third.

Total points scores with just three races remaining have Fitzgibbon and Tesch leading on nine points, followed by Rickham and Birrell on 20 and Gualandris and Zanetti on 26.

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

American Dee Smith had a field day in the 2.4mR fleet today, emerging with first and third placings. Although Frenchman Damien Seguin failed to make the top six in race 7, he won race eight to remain in contention, with countryman Kevin Cantin second. The fleet was spread over the whole of the last leg in the last race, an indication of the difficulty many competitors had in reading the breeze.

Seguin leads on 16 points, Germany’s Heiko Kroeger has 21 with Australia’s Matt Bugg on 33.

The Sonar race committee set their course for race 8 in a breeze close to 15 knots, but that dropped to about half that strength at the start signal. Although the Australian boat started well in the centre of the line, they were caught in disturbed air and pinned down to prevent them from tacking away.

It was a case of “beware the wounded Frenchman”, after the crew of Eric Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary were disqualified from race seven. Penalised by the on-course jury for pumping on the downwind leg, they responded with a one turn penalty instead of two and suffered the consequences. A determined crew started strongly on race eight and were never seriously challenged to take a decisive win.

The Australians had a miserable day. Having committed to the left hand side of the course, they watched in frustration as all the favourable wind shifts occurred on the right. They could not recover and had their worst result for the regatta with an 11th place. Things went slightly better in race eight, where they finished fifth.

“It was a really difficult day out there today,” said Australian coach Grant Alderson. “The good thing is that we still hold a comfortable lead with three races remaining and are on track.”

Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

That may have been an understatement. As the last boat passed through the gate to complete the first of two laps, the leaders were less than 200 metres from the top mark ready to commence the last leg of the race. There was a similar spread in the 2.4mR fleet.

Final standings for the Sonars show Harrison, Boaden and Harris leading with 14 points, ahead of Britain’s Robertson Strodel and Thomas with 28 and Jourdren, Flageul and Vimont-Vicary on 31 after today’s disqualification.

The penultimate day of competition will kick off at 13:00 on Wednesday 2 December.

Bernie Kaaks

Collisions and Broken Masts in Wild Williamstown Wind

Broken masts, collisions and a tough old day for the sailors at the Para World Sailing Championships as Port Phillip showed its wild side on the third day of competition in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

A warm northerly breeze lured the sailors out of the comfortable surroundings of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria to their respective course areas with no sign of what was to follow.

The first race for all fleets was run in a breeze of 15 knots or so, with gusts to 20 knots and the wind direction swinging wildly in each gust. It was challenging but enjoyable sailing. In the second race however, the breeze built quickly. Strong gusts, reported at 30 knots, caught many crews unawares, with spectacular results.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

Israeli and American SKUD18 sailors fell victim to the second race gusts as their masts snapped whilst Puerto Rico’s Julio Reguero collided with the committee boat on the 2.4mR race track.

On the SKUD18 course, conditions were trying for all crews in the first race, which was won by Australians Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch ahead of their team mates Amethyst Barnbrook and Brett Pearce, with the Netherlands crew of Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap third.

In the race that followed, conditions were frightening, with vicious gusts sweeping down the course. Americans Ryan Porteous and Maureen McKinnon launched their spinnaker after rounding the windward mark, only to watch it fill instantly as a gust hit, and snap the mast neatly at the spreaders.

Soon afterwards, the Israeli crew of Hagar and Moshe Zahavi suffered a similar fate, both boats being towed back to the marina. The Australian crew, having established a good lead by the final lap, delayed the deployment of a spinnaker until after they had gybed, and kept a close watch on the Canadian boat closing in behind them. They went on to score another win, with Canada’s John McRoberts and Jackie Gray second and the Netherlands’ Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap third.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

Total points after dropping the worst are now Australia on 6 points, Great Britain on 17 and Italy on 21.

At one point during the final race, Julio Reguero (PUR) in the 2.4mR fleet was unable to keep clear of an anchored committee boat during a particularly strong gust, while down the course there were four boats in the hands of support craft. For these little boats with their low freeboard, just keeping then afloat was challenging, and bilge pumps were being used by everyone to pump out water that had swept over them in the high winds. France’s Damien Seguin showed his versatility today by winning followed by Australia’s Matt Bugg, who was third in both races. Canadian Brian Miller was third in race six.

After six races, dropping the worst, Damien Seguin leads with nine points, from Germany’s Heiko Kroeger on 14 and Australian Matt Bugg on 19.

On the Sonar course, the predicted tightening of the competition was clear when the first three boats crossed the finish line almost together, each overlapped with the boat ahead. The Australian crew of Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden started soundly in the centre of the fleet and narrowly led at the first mark from the British and French crews. During the final downwind leg, French skipper Bruno Jourdren broke away from the Australian and British boats, favouring the left as they closed on the finish line. The Australians held their nerve, and with the British boat closing fast behind them, kept the French boat out wide until they gybed back, leaving the Frenchmen to lament what might have been. The finishing order was Australia, France and Britain.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.

In much stronger conditions during the second race, the British turned the tables, leading the Australians home with the New Zealand crew of Richard Dodson, Chris Sharp and Andrew May in third place. The French boat had their worst result for the series so far, finishing eighth.

Total scores, now incorporating the dropping of each boat’s worst score, shows the Australians leading on seven points, ahead of the British crew of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas on 13 points and the French crew on 22.

With severe conditions forecast for tomorrow, teams are already discussing their strategy after today’s carnage on the race course.

Bernie Kaaks

Polish Sailors Make Strides At Para World Sailing Championships

Poland’s Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki are making strides at the Para World Sailing Championships in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia as they bid to qualify their country for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The 2015 Para World Sailing Championships is the final opportunity for sailors to seal a Paralympic Games berth and Gibes was direct when asked about her aims for the event, “I’m here to qualify for Rio 2016 and to make the Polish national sailing team. That’s the first goal and we need to achieve it.”

As one of seven teams aiming to qualify for Rio 2016 in the SKUD18 the stakes are high. Just five more places are available, meaning two teams will leave Williamstown and the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria bitterly disappointed.

Compared to the sailors around them in Williamstown, Gibes and Cichocki lack experience in the pressure pot of a world championship. In fact, they have only sailed at one event together in the build up to the 2015 Worlds, finishing 11th at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in May this year, but they have a vision, drive, determination and strong coaching that pushes them forward.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

That drive was evident on the first day of competition as they laid down a marker by taking the first race win. An eighth, sixth and sixth followed and they end the second day of competition fourth overall and in the driving seat for Rio 2016.

Not bad for a crew who only recently started sailing together as their coach, Grzegorz Prokopowicz, explained, “Monika has actually only been sailing for one year so she’s very much a beginner in some aspects but she has spent about 100 days on the water this year.”

But how did she get into sailing in the first place? “In Poland we have meetings and a sports congress for people who are disabled,” continued Prokopowicz.

“Peter, her crew, went to a meeting and asked, ‘who wants to go for a sail with me?’ And Monika said, ‘I would like to try sailing’. It was about a year and a half ago and then she came to us this year and told us she was ready to go.”

Gibes is wheelchair bound having been born with meningomyelocele which is a type of spina bifida but that certainly hasn’t held her up sailing in the SKUD18, a boat that can be adapted to suit the needs and requirements of severely disabled sailors.

“The wheelchair is part of her body,” said Prokopowicz, “she is in a wheelchair and cannot walk but every day Piotr and Monika work really hard on their boat. We are a young crew and we only have one year of SKUD18 experience so we watch everyone, every day and we do a lot of things from what we see and what we learn.

“Monika gets better and better each and every day.”

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

Whilst Gibes only has one year of sailing experience the same certainly cannot be said of Cichocki who clocks up 30 years of sailing know-how that includes windsurfing, multihulls and offshore racing.

A former able-bodied athlete Cichocki is relatively new to Paralympic sailing with two Para World Sailing regattas under his belt but he has a firm understanding on the sport. Cichocki sailed non-stop around the world in The Race in 2000 on-board Warta Polpharma where he finished fourth with Roman Paszke as skipper.

Sailors such as Grant Dalton, Loick Peyron, Skip Novak and Steve Fossett, to name but a few, competed in The Race but many have linked Cichocki’s time in The Race to his avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head that affects his legs.

Prokopowicz said, “Peter is a really experienced sailor. He had been sailing for 30 years with no disability but now he has problems with his legs.

“He sailed in The Race in 2000 and people think that this round the world race caused his disability as he was on the sea for three to four months. The doctors were unable to establish how it happened as well but many people do think his time in The Race affected him.”

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

It’s fair to say that Gibes and Cichocki do not let anything hinder their progression, personified by their performance over the first two days of the Para World Sailing Championships.

They have seven more races over four more days of racing remaining to see if they are to achieve their dream of simply making the Paralympic Games. If they make Rio 2016 from 100 days of sailing, how might they fare with 283 under their belt as the day by day countdown to the Paralympic Games rolls on?

Para World Sailing Championships – Aussies and Brits shine in Melbourne’s sun

In perfect conditions on Melbourne’s Port Phillip, the first two races of the Para World Sailing Championship were run today by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia. Winds were steady at around 10 knots and as cloud cover cleared all three course areas were bathed in sunshine.

Great Britain’s Megan Pascoe opened up a first day lead in the 2.4mR whilst Australian sailors in the SKUD18 and Sonar top the billing.

In somewhat of a sensation today, one the favourites in the 2.4mR fleet, Great Britain’s Helena Lucas, received a “U” flag disqualification in the first race and has a lot of work to do to work her way back up the leader board. After two attempts to get the fleet away, the race committee used the “U” flag to try to get a clean start. Even under threat of disqualification for an early start, three sailors still took them on and paid the price. Joining Lucas on the sidelines were New Zealand’s Paul Francis and Australia’s Neil Patterson.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

The leading group worked the left side of the course on the first leg, and having established themselves at the head of the fleet, did their best to consolidate their places on the remaining legs, but even within the lead group there were some major changes of position, particularly during mark roundings, where the action was every bit as cut-throat as it was in yesterday’s practice race.

Lucas’ team mate Megan Pascoe took responsibility for Great Britain however, starting well in both races to finish the day with a third in race one and a first in race two, to head the leader board in company with German champion Heiko Kroeger, who scored two seconds for the day, sailing with great consistency throughout.

Damien Seguin of France has seven points, along with Norway’s Bjoernar Erikstad. These four were prominent in both races today and deserve their position on the leader board. Australian Matt Bugg struggled, placing ninth in the opening race and eighth in the second. His team mate Peter Thompson excelled in the second race, picking the shifts well to finish fourth, but with a 29th place in race one, he is well back from the leaders.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

Others featuring at various stages, and still prominent on the leader board, are Austrian Sven Reiger, German Lasse Kloetzing, who lies one point behind Matt Bugg on 18 and Czech Republic sailor Daniel Bina a further point back.

Conditions were perfect for the SKUD18’s. Australia’s Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch began with a second place in the first race, but were dominant in race two with a good win. Their main competition will continue to come from the British pair of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell who trail them with a second and third to their credit and Poland’s Monica Gibes and Piotr Cichocki, who posted and eighth in the second race after winning the first.

In race two, the Australians rounded the first mark with a small but decisive lead, but sailing fast and deep under spinnaker, doubled their lead when they reached the gate and went on from there to a very comfortable win.

After racing Fitzgibbon said, “The first day of World Champs for us and we are trying to settle in to a long week ahead. It’s just the first day and the first race was a bit on the light side and a bit choppy and we came away with a second, which was good to settle in.

“In the second race we got a bit more wind, 12-15 knots and we got away with a win in that one, which was good. We extended on the fleet and for the first day, we’re pretty happy with where we are.”

The Australian Sonar crew of Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden had to fight hard for their two wins today.

Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.

At the top mark in race two, Canada’s crew of Paul Tingley, Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes led narrowly, ahead of the Australians and Britain’s John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas. Once again however, Harrison was able to finesse his way to the lead on the downwind leg and from there was never headed.

After two races, the Australian team leads the way with two wins. They are followed by New Zealand’s Richard Dodson, Chris Sharp and Andrew May who recorded a fifth and a second and the Israeli team of Dror Cohen, Arnon Efrati and Shimon Ben Yakov a point further back.

Scores are quite close in this fleet and give the promise of some great competition during the remainder of the regatta.

Racing is scheduled to resume at 13:00 on Sunday 29 November out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

Bernie Kaaks

Australian Paralympic Sailors Ready For World Championship Challenge

Australia’s leading Paralympic sailors are ready for the challenge that awaits them when racing starts at the Para World Sailing Championships in Williamstown, Melbourne this Saturday (28 January).

More than 140 sailors from 31 nations are in Melbourne, Australia’s sporting capital, competing across three Paralympic classes out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.

Every athlete sailing in Williamstown has overcome personal challenges and battles. London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch in the SKUD18 and 2.4mR sailor Matt Bugg have all faced tough obstacles through life changing injuries. Not one of them has let that get in their way as they seek out greatness.

Fitzgibbon suffered serious spinal injuries in 1997 which left him a quadriplegic. With Olympic aspirations in advance of his injury, Fitzgibbon swiftly moved into the Paralympic pathway as he explained, “I was a sailor before my accident and I was sailing the 420 and 470s, Sabot and all the way through. I was living the Olympic dream and I wanted to go to the Olympics.

“I was competing in Sail Sydney in 1997 and I had an accident at one of the yacht clubs there during the regatta and I had to change my focus from the Olympic dream to the Paralympic dream.

“It took a bit of time but we found a way in and developed the boat with seating and steering so I could sail the Paralympic boats. I continued my dream in a little bit of a different direction.”

Fitzgibbon and Tesch (c) Bernie Kaaks

Fitzgibbon ventured into his Paralympic campaigning with a clear vision and started in the right way by winning gold in the Hansa Liberty class at the 2004 IFDS Single-Person Dinghy World Championship (Class A).

“Setting a goal is what I have always done,” explained Fitzgibbon. “I think if someone with a disability has a goal just go out and do it. Just start and get experience and enjoy it. It’s important to enjoy sailing and surround yourself with good fun people and go out and do it. It can take a long time but be patient. I’ve been sailing all my life and it’s taken me a long time to get any good.”

Fitzgibbon was certainly good four years on from the 2004 IFDS Worlds as he achieved his dream at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games where he won silver in the SKUD18 with Rachael Cox. Four years later he realised the ultimate, by taking a convincing victory at London 2012 with Tesch.

Much like Fitzgibbon, Tesch changed course to be involved with Paralympic sailing but it wasn’t the first time she had flown the Australian flag, “I first represented Australia in wheelchair basketball when I was 20-years-old in France,” commented Tesch. “Five Paralympics in basketball later I got a gold medal in sailing from London 2012.”

Tesch competed at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 in wheelchair basketball, winning silver in 2000 and 2004 and bronze in 2008. A golden shine was missing from her cabinet but a chance spot by Fitzgibbon gave Tesch a fantastic opportunity to go for gold.

“I broke my back in a push bike accident when I was 19 and I played wheelchair basketball for five Paralympics,” said Tesch. “I was then invited to do the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race where Dan Fitzgibbon, Paralympic silver medallist in Beijing, spotted this wheelchair basketballer heading to Sydney and gave me a call.

“And now, here I am,” smiled Tesch.

Fitzgibbon and Tesch have formed a strong bond and have remained unbeaten since London 2012 and will be aiming to continue that run on their home waters in Melbourne. Tesch concluded by saying, “We’re looking forward to lining up with the best teams in the world in front of our home crowd and the event will be another great positive step in our Paralympic preparation. And no pressure on us as the defending World Champions…. well, the big target will be on our back after our Paralympic Gold medal first, then 2014 World Champion and our season so far, so watch this space.”

Australian 2.4mR sailor Matt Bugg was involved in a snowboarding accident when he was 24 which left him a paraplegic. A keen sailor before the accident, progression into Paralympic sailing was a natural step for Bugg who was exposed to the sport before he could even crawl.

“Funnily enough my first sailing experience was as a baby on my father’s 30 foot yacht,” said Bugg. “He had a boat called Humbug that he used to sail the Sydney Hobart and Melbourne Hobart races. I’ve been sailing since I was four weeks old.

“As I grew up sailing as a kid, in dinghies, I was already well and truly a sailor. I broke my back when I was 24 in a snowboarding accident and after that it was just a natural fit to go into Paralympic yachting.”

Bugg has made steady progression in the one-person keelboat event since a 16th at his first world championship in 2010. A fourth in 2013 and a fifth in 2014 has shown Bugg that he is on the right path, “My goal is to win a Paralympic medal in Rio, obviously but sailing, for me, is purely about being out on the water. I love being on the water and around it. Also yacht racing is the best kind of racing I have ever done. I love the tactical side of it and the smart side of it.”

Matt Bugg (c) Bernie Kaaks

Bugg remains a focused character, aiming to become one of the best Paralympic sailors in the world and finished with some strong tips for aspirant Paralympic sailors, “My advice to anyone with a disability that likes to look at Paralympic sailing and wants to get into it is to get on the internet, have a look on the Para World Sailing website and have a look around for local Paralympic sailing regattas that are near to where they live.

“And just come and talk to the sailors, talk to me, talk to the coaches and they will be more than happy to put you in a boat.”

Followers can head down to the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria to meet Bugg, Fitzgibbon and Tesch first hand with Williamstown racing scheduled to commence at 13:00 on Saturday 28 November.

French Sonars Out To Make It Three In A Row At Para World Sailing Championships

More than 140 sailors from 31 nations will sail across the three Paralympic sailing events at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships set to be held in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia from 27 November through to 3 December.

As the final qualification regatta for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition the stakes could not be higher across the 2.4mR, SKUD18 and Sonar fleets sailing in Melbourne. If that was not enough to increase the intensity, the quest for World Championship glory and bragging rights heading into the Paralympic year ensures the pressure cooker is turned up another notch.

Sonar teams from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece and Norway will enter the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships without the stress of having to qualify for Rio 2016. However, within the 18-boat fleet, their tension lies in the battle for the Sonar Para World Sailing title.

Each team, minus Greece, will be on the Melbourne startline and each team has the capabilities and experience to put together a good series of races to claim the title.

France’s Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary come into the event with the favourites tag well and truly pinned on them after they won the 2013 and 2014 world championship titles.

Within French culture there is a saying, “Jamais Deux, Sans Trois”, which directly translates to ‘never two without three’. If that is the case then expect the French trio to be victorious in Melbourne but they won’t be resting on their laurels as Vimont-Vicary explained, “We are the world champions so of course we want to keep our title, but even though we are world champions and respected by the others, of course they want to fight us.

Helm: Daniel Fitzgibbon / Crew: Liesl Tesch (AUS)
Racing -Day 4 / SKUD 18
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
Sandringham Yacht Club
Thursday 11 December 2014
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

“For the moment we are focused on the World Championships but we know in the months ahead that Rio is the most important competition, although we have to be in the moment.”

Canada’s Paul Tingley, Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes finished second to the French team at the 2014 Worlds and will be strong contenders in 2015. Helm Tingley is one of the most successful Paralympic sailors competing in any Melbourne fleet. He won bronze at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in the Sonar before taking the Sonar IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship title a year later. He finished seventh in the Sonar at Athens 2004 before progressing into the 2.4mR.

Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games gold followed and two years later, racing against able-bodied sailors, won the Open 2.4mR World Championship. He continued in the 2.4mR through to London 2012 where he finished fifth before moving back into the Sonar.

With Campbell and Lutes, Tingley’s progression has been gradual. Bronze at the 2013 and 2015 Sailing World Cup Miami regattas and a second at the world’s last year show their steadiness but in a field of Paralympic hopefuls, they have an opportunity to lay down an indicator with less than one year until Rio 2016.

Australia’s Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden finished third at the 2014 Worlds. Racing on their home waters, they have the ideal opportunity to make their mark and confidence could not be higher for the Australians. They took gold at the 2015 Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, The Netherlands in a fleet that included the French world champions before following it up with further victory at Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland.

French Sonar Team

Further contention for the top spots will come from London 2012 silver medallists Jens Kroker, Siegmund Mainka and Robert Prem (GER), bronze medallists Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Kristiansen (NOR) as well as the experienced British team of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas (GBR).

Six Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places are available at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships with nine teams vying for one of those spots.

Teams from Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Spain, USA and the US Virgin Islands will be on the start line aiming to reach Rio.

Racing in the Sonar is scheduled to commence at 13:00 on Saturday 28 November.

Australians To Spearhead SKUD18 Pack At Para World Sailing Championships

The 2015 Para World Sailing Championships will see 142 sailors from 31 nations compete across three Paralympic events in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia from 27 November to 3 December.

World Championship titles and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places are at stake with racing taking place out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. A number of Paralympic medallists and World Champions make up the starters in the 2.4mR, SKUD18 and Sonar fleets.

London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesel Tesch (AUS) will spearhead the 18-boat SKUD18 fleet in Melbourne and come into the event on an unbeaten run. After a short break following London 2012 the pair were back in the SKUD18 at the 2014 World Championships in Nova Scotia, Canada where they took their first world title together. Since then, the pair have been a mainstay at the top of the podium in the last 12 months winning gold at Sailing World Cup Melbourne and Miami as well as the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, the Netherlands.

Sailing on home waters, holding an unbeaten run, the odds look heavily stacked in the Australians favour and Tesch remained confident, “Melbourne is one of our favourite waterways in the world and the event will be another great positive step in our Paralympic preparation. And no pressure on us as the defending World Champions…. well, the big target will be on our back after our Paralympic Gold medal first, then 2014 World Champion and our season so far, so watch this space.

2.4mR Para Worlds fleet set to be most decorated in Paralympic Sailing history

“It’s absolutely fantastic to have the Worlds Championships here in Australia and it’s quite an honour to have it on beautiful Port Phillip. It will be the chance for Australians to have a look at top level, fantastic racing.

“Hopefully we’ll get some fans to come out and see some great Paralympic sailing out here for the first time. It would be nice to get some Melburnians to come out on the accessible boats, to come and have a look and hopefully also to get some Paralympians from other sports out, to come and see one of the best sports.”

Of the 18-teams in Williamstown, just four remain together following the London 2012 Paralympic Games and that experience could prove vital in Williamstown.

Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) are the most decorated SKUD18 sailors in the fleet and hold five world titles, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 as well as London 2012 bronze. In recent times they have played second fiddle to the Australians but in Fitzgibbon and Tesch’s backyard, there is no better arena to beat them on the Road to Rio and they will be up for the challenge.

Italy’s Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti remain together following London 2012 and will be pushing for the podium. Singapore’s Jovin Tan and Desiree Lim also retain their partnership and whilst they’re capable of a podium finish, Paralympic qualification will be their main focus after they opted out of sailing at the first qualifier.

At the 2014 World Championships Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and the United States of America qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition. As host nation, Brazil are guaranteed a spot on the Rio 2016 meaning that five remaining places are up for grabs at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships.

Helm: Daniel Fitzgibbon / Crew: Liesl Tesch (AUS)
Racing -Day 4 / SKUD 18
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
Sandringham Yacht Club
Thursday 11 December 2014
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

Seven nations head to Melbourne with expectations of taking one of those five places which will make for an interesting week across the 11 race series.

Paralympic experience from Israel’s Zahavi Hagar, New Zealand’s Tim Dempsey, and Malaysia’s Nurul Amilin Balawi could play key as they sail with new crews for the 2015 Worlds but teams from Spain, Netherlands, Poland and the experienced Singaporeans will ensure a stern test.

The SKUD18 fleet will start racing at 13:00 local time on Saturday 28 November and will conclude racing on Thursday 3 December.