Vicky Blog

The first day of racing at Sail Melbourne yesterday began with strong winds and delayed races and ended with our Aussie sailors on top, right where they belong!

470 darlings Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan are sitting in first place after a perfect start to their 2016 campaign for Rio after only racing together for one week. That’s true talent for you.

Mat Belcher and Will Ryan on Day 1 of racing

Brendan Casey was back in the Finn class since competing in London and also scored two first places in his two races, while fellow Aussies Oliver Tweddell and Jake Lilley are tied for second. London 2012 representative Elise Rechichi and Olympic rower-turned-sailor Sarah Cook finished their first day of racing together third overall in the 470 women’s fleet.

Ashley Stoddart and Krystal Weir are tied for the lead in the Laser Radial class, with both beginning their regatta with a win and a second.

Krystal Weir racing in the Laser Radial class

Beijing 2008 470 women’s gold medallist Tessa Parkinson and her crew Kate Lathouras sit at the top of the leaderboard after three races in the new 49erFX class, finishing with two wins and a fourth. Women’s Match Racing London 2012 silver medallist Olivia Price is a point behind in third, sailing alongside James Sly.

While the athletes were competing out on the water, some of the best minds in the business were brainstorming industry growth and development at the 11th International Sailing Summit at Sandringham Yacht Club.

International keynote speaker and former executive director of Sail America, Jonathan Banks shared his amazing Discover Sailing success story with guests and he even told us how impressed he was with how Australia encourages kids to get involved in sailing.

The Founder of the ISS Alistair Murray commented that it was a great call to action for the sailing and marine industry to inspire growth following our country’s amazing success at the Olympics this year. I for one can’t wait to see what the future brings for our sport!

This morning there is gale force winds down at Sandringham so everyone is waiting on the edge of their seats to find out if racing will go ahead today. We are also preparing for the Official Sailing World Cup Dinner tonight – let’s hope we have a dolphin sighting like last year!

Make sure you’re following me on Twitter @VickyBoat during the week.

Sailing off,
Vicky

There was a lot going on at Sandringham Yacht Club on Day 2 of sailing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup.

Winds – or lack there of – were a bit of a trouble out on the bay, causing multiple postponements and the cancelling of RS:X, Skud, 2.4m and Access Liberty races. However despite weather troubles the Laser, 49er and 470 classes were still able to compete. 

Wind-whisperer Tom Slingsby has had a great performance in the Laser class winning every race but his second so far, in which he came a strong 2nd.

Australians are still dominating the Men’s 470 with Sam Kivell and Will Ryan in the lead by 4 points followed closely by sailing superstars Matt Belcher and Malcolm Page who are currently tied neck to neck with American sailors Stuart McNay and Graham Biehl.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Jess Crisp show all the international competitors who’s boss out on the bay today due to light winds but the good news is she’s still leading the pack by a heavy 4 points.

Laser fleet in action

Still with plenty of action taking place on the bay, yesterday’s events were about more than just competition as the International Sailing Summit took place at Sandringham Yacht Club.

Key issues raised at the summit included the importance of growing participation in the sport amongst youth and the growing potential for sailing and boating sports to achieve a greater profile both in Australia and internationally.

Some great speakers were able to offer and share their ideas on how to raise the sport’s profile.

Chairman of the Boating Industries Alliance Australia, President of the BIA of NSW and final speaker for the summit Darren Vaux finished his speech with great optimism saying, “We have a very exciting future ahead of us.”

With so many amazing athletes and sporting growth potential it really is an exciting time for sailing in Australia.

10th International Sailing Summit

We then went straight to the Official World Cup Dinner held in the amazing Port Phillip Room, where just as we sat down to begin our meals there was a sighting of dolphins out on the bay! Everyone rushed over to the floor-to-ceiling windows to gush over the gorgeous creatures, including me.

We were treated to a fabulous night of delicious food and an entertaining host in the form of ISS founder Alistair Murray, who kept guests laughing all night. Sailing legend John Bertrand and Olympian and member of the Oarsome Foursome Nick Green inspired all in the room with their tales of Olympic Games past. We also heard from Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge, who will find out if he has won the title of 2011 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year today, and the night finished off with a beautiful singing performance by Chloe Maggs of Collective Live as a tribute to our Olympians.

Tom Slingsby at the International Sailing Summit

Hopefully weather conditions will improve for Day 3 of the competition – I can’t wait to see windsurfer Jess Crisp rip up that bay!

See you all down on the water.

Sailing off,
Vicky

It was an action packed day down at Sail Melbourne with the first day of races showing close results. The weather was beautiful with clear blue skies offering perfect breathtaking views of Port Phillip Bay from Sandringham Yacht Club.

Laser class world champion Tom Slingsby finished the day on top, just scraping ahead of British rival Nick Thompson by one point. In third place comes Australian sailor Ashley Brunning who came 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in his first two races, putting him one point behind Thompson. With such close results, the competition here at Sandringham Yacht Club is fierce so far.

Laser class gets off to a good sailing start

Melbourne Laser Radial star Krystal Weir is showing good form but with such top talent has her work cut out for her, ending the day on a close 6^th with 14 total net points. Krystal has another 5 more days to battle her way onto a podium and since Sandringham is her home yacht club, hopes for her success are high.

Australian Men’s 470s are giving international competitors a bit of a run for their money with sailing teams Kivell/Ryan and Page/Belcher ending day 1 of the racing 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. It’s so great to see so much Australian talent out on the water!

New Zealand 49er crew Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are tough rivals to beat for Australian crews Phillips/Phillips and Outteridge/Jensen. The two Australian crews are fighting neck and neck with their New Zealand counterparts who are just 1 point ahead of the competition while they ended the day on a solid equal 2nd.

49er crew Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen

Jess Crisp is absolutely flying ahead of her competition ending the day on top with 3 net points.

Australia has produced some truly spectacular sailing athletes, many of who have ended the first day of competition in the top 3 in their class. However we still have another five more days of competition left so nobody is safe just yet.

Day 2 of sailing begins at noon today with Finn, 470, 49er, Laser, Laser Radial, RS:X Windsurfing, Access Liberty and Paralympic classes racing on the bay. It’s another big day of sailing with many high hopes for Australian athletes.

Also coming up today is the 10^th International Sailing Summit, with some of the best in the business heading down to Sandringham to hear speakers including Olympic gold medallist Mark Turnbull OAM, Marine Industry Chairman of the BIA Darren Vaux and Program Director of the High Performance Unit Australian Sailing Team Peter Conde. The Summit aims to drive positive change in the industry – I can’t wait to sit in and listen to the experts!

Laser World No.1 Tom Slingsby

Here’s to another day of great racing – the weather definitely won’t dampen our spirits.

Sailing off,

Vicky