Aussie sailors on top for Beijing

Ben Ainslie (GB) was undoubtedly the star of the show at the successful four-day Olympic and Youth class Sydney International Regatta (SIR) organised by Yachting NSW last December 15 to 18, and sailed on Sydney Harbour, but, pleasingly, Australian sailors nominated for Beijing came away with the most medals on their home turf.

Ainslie is in a tussle with Ed Wright for British selection in the Finn class, and round one, at SIR, clearly went Ainslie's way.
The British sailor, who has two gold and a silver Olympic medal in the Laser and Finn classes, won six of the nine race series hosted by Woollahra Sailing Club.

The 30 year-old defeated Jonas Hoegh Christensen (DEN) by a whopping 17 points to claim gold.  World champion, Rafael Trujillo (ESP) took bronze on countback to rising British star, 20 year-old Giles Scott.

The best placed Aussie was Queenslander Brendan Casey sixth, who missed Australian selection for Beijing to Anthony ‘Nocka' Nossiter in seventh place. Nocka has a lot of work to do if he is to succeed in Beijing. 

Casey is in the enviable position of successfully sailing both Lasers and Finns and aims to contest upcoming events in those classes. It was suggested at SIRs he try the Olympic Star keelboat to gain Olympic representation in 2012. Food for thought.

GOLD, GOLD, GOLD
In a large international high-profile fleet, Australia reaped four gold medals at SIRs, the first going to Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby in the Tornado catamaran class. Bundock won silver at the Sydney Olympics and has won five world championships in this class, along with world titles in other cat classes.

Ashby, one of two Victorian's in the Olympic team, has won many 2006 Tornado titles with Bundock, including the Worlds, and can claim a few cat titles himself. They are hot medal prospects for Beijing.

"We are going so fast downwind and that is adding to our overall performance," said Ashby.

Beijing bound pair, Nathan Outteridge and Ben Austin, accomplished their goal by taking out the 49er class, although it came down to the final race on the last day.

"We've achieved the goal we set ourselves after winning the Australian title the week before," said a happy Outteridge.

The second top-ranked British pair of Paul Campbell James/Mark Asquith finished second, just three points adrift of the Aussies and at one stage led the series. Jorge Lima/Francisco Andrade (POR) also led the regatta and were the fancied pair until the final races. 

VICTORIAN GOLD RUSH
Australia's next gold went to Sarah Blanck in the Laser Radial, the other Victorian in the Australian Team for Beijing. Nineteen points in front of her nearest rival, Tania Elias Calles (MEX), Blanck, a former Youth world champion in the Radial, switched to the Europe, won the 2002 Worlds and went on to become her nation's top-placed sailor at the Athens Games with a fourth-place finish.

Back in the Radial, she is going to Beijing. Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn is now coaching a more poised and refined Blanck.

"Michael's teaching me heaps. I had a big think about what I wanted to achieve after being selected for the Games. I'm back on track. I feel confident," said Blanck. 

"I'm looking forward to performing well at the Worlds at Takapuna, NZ, in March," she said.

World champions in the Men's 470 dinghy, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page (AUS) did not disappoint. Following a week-long battle with two sets of brothers, the title could have gone to either of the three. It went down to the wire on the final day. 

French brothers Ben and Romain Bonnaud claimed silver, while Sven and Kalle Coster (NED) took bronze. 

"We always knew both would be tough, particularly the Bonnauds; and they were," said Page. 

Strong campaigners Ingrid/Petitjean (FRA) took gold in the 470 Women's. In 2006, the two won the ISAF Worlds, finishing second this year, and finished second at the Qingdao Test Event, in which they were third in 2007 and represented at Athens 2004. 

Silver went to Nike Kornecki/Vered Bouskila (ISR), who are ones to watch at the Worlds, their results moving upwards on the circuit. Switzerland's Emmanuelle Rol/Anne-Sophie Thilo took bronze - the two have been getting mixed results on the circuit, but appear to be on the way up.

Australia's top-ranked skipper, Elise Rechichi, did not compete, opting to nurse a back problem to be fit for the Worlds in January. Her crew Tessa Parkinson did sail. She was the envy of all when Sydney 2000 Men's 470 gold medalist Tom King came out and steered for her on one day for a third placing after having not been in a 470 since the Olympics.

OH CANADA
Top ranked Canadian, Michael Leigh, overcame many challenges to take gold in the Laser on the final day. 

Tom Slingsby (AUS) was lucky to grab silver. His chances of gold slipped when caught too close to a ferry, he was disqualified after winning the opening race. Further troubles occurred in Race Six, when making the layline, he sailed into knock and could not make the mark, dropping him from fifth to 22nd place. 

"I've come away from here having learnt a lot. I'm going faster and am looking forward to the Australian titles and then the Worlds on my home waters in February," said Slingsby. 

Bernard Luttmer (CAN) after sailing superbly throughout, and sitting in second place, dropped on the final day to third, finishing on equal points with Slingsby. Canada has a surplus of high performance Laser sailors, and along with Leigh and eight others, Luttmer will contest for the single Laser place for Beijing. 

The RS:X Sailboard Women's saw training friends Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR) and Jessica Crisp (AUS) battle it throughout for gold, the Norwegian woman had the edge and took the spoils, Crisp, heading to her third Olympics took silver.

"We were neck and neck in the last race, all the way to the finish line, it was exhilarating," said Crisp, "but my boom hit the finish boat and that was the end of my chances." New talent Alisha Kawalla (AUS) won bronze.

Patrick Pollak (SVK) won the RS:X Sailboard Men's event from Karel Lavicky (silver) and Jonathan Bonnitcha (AUS) bronze.    
  
It is pleasing to see the number of Australian Youth sailors coming through the ranks via their Youth Development Squads in the 29er, 420, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 classes. The future of Australia at the Olympics is safe. In the 29er class alone, there were 32 entries and the scores were close across the board.

WEATHER A WINNER
We always whine that the weather gods arrange great weather either side of a regatta, but give us dud conditions while the regatta is on. That was not the case at SIRs, we got everything a sailor could dream of.

Day one brought sunny skies and lovely, if shifty, nor'easterly breezes ranging from moderate to 15-plus knots. The second day was very light and shifty, giving light air specialists, and those aspiring to the Olympics, a taste of what they may face in Qingdao, the sailing venue for the 2008 Beijing Games. 

On the third day, a big shifty southerly arrived, resulting in two sailors suffering injuries (a nasty cut forehead for one and a suspected broken ankle for another) and boat damage for some.

The final day had sun and mostly moderate southerly winds; everyone appeared happy. 

"It was a great success," said a happy Brian Tyquin, chairman of Yachting NSW's organising committee.

"We've had a great variety of weather, including a light day, which will test those heading to Beijing and the regatta gave a good preview of the Olympics to come. 

"It was very pleasing to see Australia win so many medals. Their results underline the strength of Australia in competition.

"Yachting NSW is delighted with the strong competition and record entries. We had 410 entries and 550 competitors from 38 nations, the largest dinghy class regatta in NSW and one of the largest in Australia. 

"The event is continuing to build each year and we are proud to hold one of only two ISAF Grade 1 events in the Southern Hemisphere, along with Sail Melbourne, and know we will continue to attract the cream of Olympic classes to Australia in coming years," Tyquin said.

For more info, visit www.nsw.yachting.org.au