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Author: kevinphillips

Matt Wearn Wins Paris Olympic Test Event Marseilles


 
Matt Wearn was the best of the Australian Sailing Team (AST) in the Olympic Test Event just concluded in Marseilles. Matt won the ILCA 7 (Olympic Men’s Dinghy) event with a second place in the medal race.
 

After the win Matt Wearn said, “It feels great. It has been a while since I stepped on to the top step of the podium so it’s nice to get it done here. Obviously, a great confidence boost for 12-months’ time, as well. It’s the first win with Rafa (new coach Rafael Trujillo Villar) too, so I think for the both of us it cements the work we have been doing together.”
 

The event aims to test the organisation and officials as well as allowing the sailors (one crew per invited country) to test themselves against the best Olympic class sailors.
 

Of the whole team performance AST High Performance Director, Iain Brambell said, “The Test Event has been a highly successful venture, as it saw five of nine Australian entries competing in their Medal Series/Races.
 

Full results are Here.
 

Of the AST’s Olympic preparations Iain said “Although we are unable to continue to directly utilise the Olympic venue in Marseilles as it houses the newly built French National Sailing Centre, our athletes will relocate two kilometres South to our mobile base at the Yachting Club Pointe Rouge. Here the team will continue to maintain their intricate exploration and connection to the waters and weather patterns of Marseille in the lead-up to the Paris Games.”
 

Iain Brambell concluded “This regatta has been an excellent practice run for next year’s Games, as well as a great litmus test for the entire team preparing for the 2023 Sailing World Championships (The Hague, Netherlands 11-20 August 2023).  The Worlds will see nearly fifty Australians competing across all ten Olympic Classes, all of whom have high hopes of confirming nation qualification spots for the 2024 Paris Olympics”.
 

South Pacific Laser Masters RQYS 7-10 July


 

The Queensland Laser Association’s South Pacific Laser Masters is always a great event. This year was no exception with the event run 7-10 July attracting 57 entries including visiting sailors from NZ, Vic, NSW and Samoa. The sailors all enjoyed the great sailing water at Morton Bay and the fabulous facilities of the RQYS at Manly.
 

Conditions were typical for a winter regatta with crisp sunny winter skies. Day 1 Friday opened with a bang as a fresh westerly gusting to 27 knots provided exhilarating rides downwind and significant damage to numerous boats and a number of skippers.
 

Lighter and more challenging conditions followed on Saturday while Sunday provided near-perfect sailing conditions with a variable 10 to 15 knot westerly. Monday dawned with clear blue skies and a light westerly that faded to a picturesque glass out.
 

The ILCA 6 fleet of 37 boats was of very high quality with three world masters champions competing. Nevertheless it was dominated by RQYS Apprentice Ben Franklin who had a clean scorecard apart from a start line indiscretion costing him maximum points.

It was a very close battle behind Ben for the next three places. In the end it was current World GGM Champion Jeff Loosemore from MHASC Sydney in second overall and only one point ahead of BSS coach Dan Blight.
 

In the 18 boat ILCA 7 fleet local RQYS GM Andrew Stransky claimed a narrow win over highly ranked Master Matt Faddy VYC NSW followed by QLA president Michael Wilson who was the 1st GGM.
 

Regatta sponsors NB Sailsports continued their generous support and all competitors were in with a chance to win some of the over $1500 worth of ICA gear including a new sail and other ILCA gear.
 

The full write up of the event is Here and all the results are Here.
 

There is some good footage of Day 1 sailing on the YouTube video Here.
 

Société des Régates Ludik Cup New Caledonia

Planning a trip to New Caledonia then you may be interested in the following invitation from Société des Régates Calédoniennes in Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie.
 

We organize a regatta, the “Ludik Cup” 9th – 13th October 2023 for Optimist and Laser with Locals, New-Zealanders and Tahitians. We have boats and equipment for visitors.
 

We would like to invite Australian people to come.
 

ILCA 6 Youth & Open Worlds – Poland


Team AUS at ILCA 6 Youth Worlds – Photo Marek Wilczek
 
Twelve Australians competed in the ILCA 6 Men’s and Women’s Youth and the ILCA 6 Open Men’s World Championships 1-9 July in Dziwnow Poland. There were 374 all up in the three events with the majority (259) in the Men’s Youth Championship.
 

Team AUS had some great learning and with three in the Gold Fleet in the huge Youth Men’s event had some solid results.
 

Coach Rhett Gowans takes up the commentary from the finals series (day 4) below.
 

“Due to lack of wind, day four was a write-off. We waited ashore for a light breeze to fill in, but it never eventuated. This gave the team a further opportunity to gel as a group.
 

Day five brought a light 5-10knot N-NE. As we missed the first day of finals, they planned on running 6 races over the next two days. Over the last two days of the regatta, as the wind got lighter, the current greatly impacted the racecourse, making it difficult to get off the line cleanly. In the Aussie fleet, big learnings were taken especially start line approach & how pivotal correctly timed trigger pulls are in a big, competitive fleet.
 

Angus McIntyre added to the tally of wins, winning Race 7 in Emerald Fleet while Ed Reid and Pat Cummin had top results in their first races of the day.
 

Day six was the penultimate day of racing, three more races were scheduled. Similar to day five, the breeze was out of the N-NE, around 5-7knots for the most part. Angus chalked up another great day, with a 2, 13, 16 to take out Emerald fleet. Xavier Bates & Marcus Sampson had great first race results. Pat & Lucas James ended the regatta strongly with improvement in Race 12. Hamish Gilsenan & Ed Reid had strong, consistent races in the Gold Fleet, with Ed being the Aussies highest placed finisher in 22nd overall.
 

Lili McAullay and Frances Beebe finished a few points apart in 46 and 47 in the 100 Women’s Youth event and they and Stewart Gifford and Myles Wilson all had great regattas, experiencing how to get off tight start lines & manage big fleets.
 

Best of luck to Stewart, Xavier & Frances in Gdynia, Poland for the Euros.
 

A big thank you to all the parents, sailors, team manager – Leigh Cummin, coach Annie Eastgate, ILCA Australia youth rep and organiser Don Elks and the ILCA and Australian Sailing for making it all possible.”
 

The event web site is Here. and the full results are Here.

12 Hour Sailing GWR Record Claim

Tom McEvoy is a 37 year old Laser sailor from the Brisbane Sailing Squadron who has applied to Guinness Book of Records for recognition of his epic 12 hour sail 120 Km from Redland Bay to Mooloolaba on 17th May. Tom’s story is Here.
 

The Guinness record claimed is for the longest distance sailed in a singled handed boat in 12hrs.
 

Possibly unbeknown to Tom and not recorded in the GWR is Michael Blackburn’s crossing of Bass Straight in his Laser on 9 March 2005.
 

Michael sailed 115 NM (213Km) in 13 hours and 1 minute. We copied the story in a post on this site Here . The full story is recounted in a video on YouTube Here.

Zoe Thompson & Matt Wearn to Represent AUS at Olympic Test Event

 
WA sailors Matt Wearn and Zoe Thompson have been selected by Australian Sailing to represent Australia at this year’s Paris 2024 Test Event, which is set to take place at the Olympic venue Marseilles from 9-16 July. Zoe produced a breakout international performance when she claimed Silver at this year’s Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta in Palma, Spain.
 

The Test Event is a major milestone on the path to Paris, with athletes competing at the Olympic venue under the same format they will encounter at next year’s Games.
 

All Olympic classes will be present at the event.

Entries Now Open for SPLM RQYS 7-10 July

With interstate travel well and truly re-established and winter weather starting to make it’s mark, Queensland Laser Association is keen to once again welcome sailors from interstate and overseas for it’s annual South Pacific Laser Masters Regatta.
 
Dates for the regatta are Friday 7 to Monday 10 July, with the SPLM Sailing Forum being held on the eve of the regatta – Thursday 6 July from 6pm.
 
The Notice of Race is available on the RQYS website Here. The NoR includes information on accommodation, charter boats and boat storage in addition to the usual details of the event.
 
The entry fee is $220 which is inclusive of the regatta dinner on the Sunday night. Entries can be placed Here.

Expression of Interest for the Sale of ClubOps (Sailor App)

ClubOps the market leader in Australia in providing applications for sailing club administration and race management is seeking a buyer who has a strong interest in sailing and who wishes to keep the business operational and growing for the benefit of the sailing community.
 
There is more information on the business and contacts Here.
 
To express interest, parties are asked to provide a short resume of capabilities before 3rd June to Michael Johannessen at peter@clubops.com.au.
 

While a buyer is being negotiated the ClubOps and Sailor system will remain a viable race management option into the 2023-2024 sailing season. This is due to its solid subscription base which allows the system to continue functioning with full capability other than the booking functions.
 

The booking function will be reactivated once supporting systems are re-established after takeover with all necessary steps currently being undertaken to ensure an expeditious sale process.

2023 ILCA Handbook Now Online


 

The  ILCA  Handbook is updated each year. The Handbook has all you need to know about the boat and the class with a report from the President, class rules, World Championship winners, sailing tips and more.

 

The 2023 version of the Handbook is now available online Here.

ILCA Australia – Appointment of a New Principal Race Officer

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Colin Dods as our new Principal Race Officer.
 
Col is passionate about providing the best race and regatta experience for sailors. His philosophy is that the racing must not only be safe, fair and fun, but that it is run professionally and in friendly collaboration with athletes, association organising committees and host clubs.
 

Col’s first event as PRO will be the 2024 Australian Open & Youth Championship at Adelaide Sailing Club.
 

Col’s sailing biography is in the press release Here.

Paris Marseilles Olympic Qualification Events

The 2024 Olympic Sailing will be held in the French port city of Marseilles between 28 July and 8 August 2024.
 

There will be 165 women and 165 men competing in the 10 events with 8 classes of equipment.
 

The numbers of competitors to be allocated at each of the qualifying events for each Olympic event is summarised below.

 


 

The full Olympic Sailing Qualifying process is outlined in the World Sailing document Here.
 

The full list of qualifying events, venues and dates is Here.
 

For ILCA the main qualifying events are the 2023 Sailing World Championships the Hague Men (16 places) & Women (16 places) 10-20 August 2023, the 2024 ILCA Women’s Worlds Mar del Plata ARG (7 places) 3-10 January and the 2024 Men ILCA Men’s Worlds Adelaide (7 places) 24-31 January 2024. The Oceania Qualifier event which will qualify two men and two women will be Sail Sydney 11-18 December 2023.
 

These and our ILCA events are tabulated on our Events page Here.

Eight Bells – Peter Merritt

We are sad to announce the sudden and tragic death of Peter Merritt. Peter tragically passed away on the 16th May.
 

He has been a life-long supporter of the sailing fraternity. His loss will be felt by many.
 

Peter was the valued PRO of our National & Oceania events, Director of Events for ILCA Oceania, a Life Member of ILCA Victoria and founder of sailing club and events management systems company ClubOps.
 

We send our condolences to Peter’s wife Jenny, sons Simon and Tim and mother Byrl.

Rohan Langford Appointed ILCA 4 World Youth Team Coach

Australian Sailing Qualified Coach – Tasmanian, Rohan Langford has been selected to support the
Australian team at the 2023 ILCA4 Youth World Championship at Volos, Greece.
 

Pre-regatta preparation and competition dates in Volos are 19th July – 30th July 2023.
 

Rohan has been selected by the travelling team members from the AusILCA Coaching Pool.
 

The Australian ILCA 4 team is made up of three female and nine male under 18 sailors from around Australia who qualified in the 2023 AusILCA National Championship at Georges River Sailing Club in NSW.
 

Rohan is a passionate sailor who has competed at a high level within the sport in several classes and was National Laser 4.7 Australian Champion in 2008. He has enjoyed the experience and success in the coaching side of the sport over the last 10 years.
 
AusILCA is delighted to have Rohan join the Australian team and wishes him and the team all the best for the regatta.

SOF Hyères, France

The second of the 2023 Sailing World Cup events Semaine Olympique Française (French Olympic Week SOF) concluded in Hyères, France on 29 April.

 

There were 670 entries from 60 countries sailing in the 10 Olympic classes. The event web site is at https://sof.ffvoile.fr/

 

Casey Imeneo (McCYC & SSCBC) had a great series finishing third to Canada’s Sarah Douglas and Dane Anne Marie Rindom. Mara Stransky won the medal race and finished 5th so great results for our ILCA 6 sailors.

 

The ILCA 7s were dominated by GBR’s Elliott Hanson and Michael Beckett with Elliott grasping the gold with a win in the medal race. Matt Wearn was 4th behind Cypriot Pavlos Kontides.
 

The full results are Here.
 

The Sailing World Cup events are;

 

April 3-8 – Trofeo Princesa Sofia – Mallorca, Spain
April 24-29 – Semaine Olympique Française – Hyères, France
May 31-June 4 – Allianz Regatta – Almere, Netherlands
June 17-25 – Kieler Woche – Kiel, Germany

 

 

Finn Alexander (13th) Was On a Roll in the Early Windy Races

Olympic Classes Princesa Sofía Olympic Regatta in Mallorca

Zoe pleased with her second place in La Palma

 
 

The Princesa Sofía Olympic classes Regatta kicked on last week after a slow start on Bay of Palma Mallorca. This is the first Sailing World Cup of 2023’s four regattas along with the Allianz Regatta (The Netherlands), the Semaine Olympique Française (Hyères, France) and Kieler Woche (Kiel, Germany).

 

All the top level Olympic sailors were competing with 15 months to the big event in Marseilles.

 

At the top of the hot ILCA 6 fleet new mum Marit Bouwmeester NED who is looking for a fourth Olympic medal after gold in Rio 2016, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Tokyo 2021 showed the way with consistent performances to win before the medal race was sailed. WA’s Zoe Thompson had a great series and a second in the medal race for second overall from the number two Netherlands sailor Maxime Jonker.

 

The ILCA 7s proved to be a walk in the park or a cruise on the bay for Mick Beckett GBR who won with a race to spare after a very consistent series. While daylight was second it was all very close after that with New Zealand’s George Gautrey finished next a point ahead of  Croatian Tonci Stipanovic.   Tom Saunders NZL was 5th and the best Australian Matt Wearn who finished second in the event last year was 7th.

 

The event web site is Here.