A wet and variable day saw invited classes start their Sail Melbourne campaigns on day three of the 2024 event, with sailors in Olympic classes once again taking to the water in their battle for minimum points.

Local sailor Alison Weatherly (Bellerive Yacht Club & Royal Brighton Yacht Club) won three from three races today in the Hansa 303 class, noting she was inspired to sail at the regatta for multiple reasons.

“My friends are one of the main reasons I’m inspired to come back year on year,” said Weatherly. 

“Sail Melbourne is acting as our 2024 Australian Para Sailing Championships, so that was another reason in itself.

“For the para sailors, this regatta can sometimes be a tough event due to the length of time we’re on the water and the ruggedness of the conditions.

“We all know what to expect so we’re all pleased for ourselves and each other when we can go out there, enjoy ourselves and come back to the hard stand all in one piece.

“Out on the water, we’re all the same. In the future I’d like to see even more para sailors on the water and see our classes grow,” she said.

In the 29er class, Victorian twins Miles and Henri Levenspiel (Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club) finished the day on top despite going for a swim during the first race. 

“We went pretty well today, we had a bit of a capsize in our first race but managed to bring it back and finish in third. Our last two races were better,” said Henri.

“The waves were nice on the downwind and catching them was fun. 

“We’re working on the little stuff at the moment, including communication and working through our jibes and tacks, so it was a good day to be out on the water.”

Miles agreed, noting it was a good first day of racing.

“We have a pretty big fleet right now which is great, it’s fun to race against so many people,” he said.

“It’s good to see more and more people sailing a 29er, it makes for really exciting racing.”

For many sailors, including Cleo Paterson (Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club) who is leading the girls Opti Open fleet after three races, the conditions made for an exciting day on the water.

“In the morning it was really light and raining but in the afternoon the wind picked up a bit more which was fun,” said Paterson.

“My favourite thing about Sail Melbourne so far has been how many boats are in the fleet and how competitive the racing has been. 

“This is my first time at Sail Melbourne and everyone here is new to me, so it’s been fun making new friends, everyone has been really nice,” she said.

Sail Melbourne is taking place at Royal Brighton Yacht Club from November 28 to December 1 and is proud to be supported by the Victorian Government’s Significant Sporting Events Program.

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