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Latest News
Australian sailors to race for gold in Holland Four Australian crews will race for gold in three classes at the 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta following another day of good results in Medemblik, Holland. Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan will contest the 470 men’s medal race with Tom Burton and Matthew Wearn making the top six in the Laser class and Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin to race for medals in the Nacra 17. Sailors again faced challenging conditions in Medemblik as the temperature dropped to just three degrees on the water with a strong breeze adding to the discomfort.
On Saturday Belcher and Ryan will be out to continue their 100 per cent winning record together and extend Belcher’s unbeaten streak, which stretches back to November 2011.
The pair got off to the perfect start on Friday with back-to-back wins ensuring they would head into the medal race first overall. Belcher and Ryan won seven of the 10 races, with the points gap allowing them to sit out the third and final race of the day and still be first overall.
The point score system being used at this event sees the top six head into the final race, with their points from four days of racing being wiped and replaced with a point based on their current position. This means that Belcher and Ryan will carry one point into the race and the sixth placed French crew will take through six, which will be added to their finishing place on Saturday to determine the medallists.
“It was another good day for us today, the conditions again were very testing with temperatures of three or four degrees and rain,” said Belcher. “Today we had a lot of rain squalls come through which made the racing difficult. With large shifts and pressure differences the racing was entertaining with the committee doing a good job with what they had.
“The breeze was getting quite strong towards the end of the second race, up above 25 knots,” he said. ‘We made the decision to save our equipment and head in, It’s always a nice position to be in if you can do this. We’ll see how we end up after the medal race tomorrow.”
Tom Burton and Matthew Wearn made sure there would be two Australian boats in the Laser medal race with another consistent day of racing.
Burton will head into the final in first position following a second, a 14th and a third on Friday, while Wearn was on the move, climbing from his overnight fifth to be third overall.
Wearn was sixth in the opening race of the day, before finishing eighth in race two and second in race three and will head into the medal race just behind Burton and Andy Maloney of New Zealand.
“We started off in a bit of a softer patch today and I used some nice shifts and finished the race second,” said Burton. “The breeze picked up for the next race and after a lot of sitting around shivering we got away, I didn’t have the best of starts and ended up using my drop with a 14th. In the last race I ended up getting a third with Andy Maloney fourth, leaving me in front on the scoreboard by one point.
“Going into tomorrow I’m feeling good about how I’m sailing even though I haven’t won a race all week,” he said. “The worst outcome with this point score system happened to me last week in Garda so I’ll be trying to redeem myself from that a little, but as usual with just one race anything can happen so I’ll just try and sail well and see what happens.
“This new system places a lot of pressure on the guys leading and very little pressure on the guys behind,” he said. “So it’s about trying to minimise the risk and still take some risks at the same time because the guys behind who can still win will put it all on the line for the big prize. I’m sure there will be some frustrating moments to come tomorrow.”
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin will be out to make it a second straight medal in the new Nacra 17 class, with the pair heading into the final in fifth position.
Waterhouse and Darmanin were over the line early in race one before finishing 13th in race two and fourth in the final race of the day, securing themselves a place in the final.
“It was another tough day on the water, not only with freezing temperatures but shifty, gusty, conditions making for challenging racing,” said Darmanin. “We were happy with our overall speed today which was a good improvement from yesterday. However, we struggled to keep our heads out of the boat in the first two races, which lead to some not so good results.
“The last race was better and we got off the line nicely, had great speed and were more proactive with our strategy,” she said. “This regatta has been a great learning experience, we’ve learnt a lot about the boat in regards to what works well and what doesn’t in the choppy and windy conditions. We’re looking forward to our second medal race in the Nacra 17 with the experimental format allowing for anything to happen.”
Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis were the next best placed Australians in 15th overall, one place ahead of Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty with Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski finishing their first Nacra 17 regatta in 17th.
Elise Rechichi and Sarah Cook finished their second European 470 women’s event in eighth overall, picking up their best result of the week in Friday’s opening race, a second. Fellow Australians Sasha and Jaime Ryan were 11th overall.
In the Laser class Ryan Palk ended the week in 14th overall, with Ashley Brunning 17th, Jared West 19th and Luke Elliott 37th.
Matthew and Robert Crawford had their best day of the regatta in the 470 men’s fleet with a sixth and two sevenths moving them into eighth overall. Angus Galloway and Tim Hannah finished 13th with Alexander and Patrick Conway 15th.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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Two Australian crews back into the lead in Holland Australian sailors have retaken the lead in two classes after day three of racing at the 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, Holland. The 470 men’s crew of Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan, and Laser sailor Tom Burton, both started the first day of finals racing in second overall, but a consistent day on the water saw the two Australian crews move back into the lead in their respective classes. After strong winds limited racing on Wednesday crews were greeted by lighter conditions for day three of racing, with Belcher and Ryan getting their day off to a perfect start with a win.
In race two the pair was forced to fight back through the fleet, rounding the top mark 11th before eventually finishing third. They then finished the day as they started, with another win giving them a 10 point lead over the second placed New Zealand crew.
“Today was a good day for us, we were happy with the way that we sailed,” said Belcher. “An early morning 9.30am race start in seven degrees wasn’t pleasant but the committee managed to get three quick races in so it wasn’t too bad.
“The conditions here have been very difficult and today we saw some big shifts,” he said. “So we’re happy to come away with the scores that we did.”
Burton went into the day one point off the Laser class lead, with third and fourth close behind him, but the world number one sailed another consistent day to move back into first overall.
Burton was eighth in the opening race of the day before finishing fourth in race two and then eighth again in race three. The results have given Burton a one point lead on New Zealand’s Andy Maloney with another day of fleet racing remaining before Saturday’s medal race.
Fellow Australian Matthew Wearn remains in contention for a top six finish and a spot in the medal race, with the West Australian currently fifth overall.
Wearn finished the day with a fifth, a 22nd and a 15th to finish the day 10 points off third position.
Ryan Palk is currently 11th overall, with Ashley Brunning 15th, Jared West 21st and Luke Elliott 39th, with Elliott winning the first race of the day in the silver fleet.
The Nacra 17 fleet returned to the water after racing was abandoned on Wednesday with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin leading the way for the Australians, ending the day fifth overall.
Waterhouse and Darmanin are currently just two points off a podium position as they look to continue their medal winning form from last week on Lake Garda in Italy.
“Today was another good day with a third, a fourth and a seventh in some really tough conditions,” said Waterhouse. “We had an oscillating breeze between 10 and 17 knots and pretty flat water. We had fantastic starts and first upwind legs however today we felt as though we lacked some upwind speed.
“We’ve slipped down to fifth overall however the points are close and we’re beginning to understand the shift patterns and are pursuing answers for our speed troubles,” he said. “We’re preparing for a good day tomorrow so we can both qualify for the medal race and head into it with a low score.”
Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis are currently 14th overall, one place ahead of Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty with Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski one further back in 16th.
“We had some freezing cold conditions today in Medemblik,” said Curtis. “The racing is so tight in the Nacra fleet, today we were sailing well but our lack of experience in the boats is showing in some key aspects of the race.
“We’re happy with our progression and are handling the boat much better in the gusty conditions,” she said.
Elise Rechichi and Sarah Cook continue to hold down eighth overall in the 470 women’s class following two ninths and a sixth on Thursday.
“Elise and I are improving and sailing well, but have had a couple of mishaps and are just finding ourselves a bit out of phase,” said Cook. “Hopefully we have a good day tomorrow to finish up the heats well, we’re looking forward to our European Championships which should be a light wind venue and would definitely suit us!”
Sasha and Jaime Ryan are 11th overall, finishing fourth in the opening race of the day before retiring from the final two as they manage Jaime’s recovery from an injury.
In the 470 men Angus Galloway and Tim Hannah have moved into ninth overall following a 20th, a fourth and a sixth. Matthew and Robert Crawford are the next best placed Australians in 13th, with Alexander and Patrick Conway in 15th.
Racing continues in Medemblik on Friday ahead of Saturday’s medal races.
Full results and live tracking can be found at www.deltalloydregatta.org.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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Strong winds limit racing in Holland Strong winds have made for a challenging day for sailors and officials alike at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Holland. After an opening day of mainly light conditions crews in Medemblik were greeted with 25 to 30 knot winds on Wednesday, limiting the amount of racing possible.
The first Australian crews did not hit the water until 5pm, after waiting four hours for the breeze to drop, with Australians in action in the 470 and Laser classes.
After dominating the opening day with three wins from three starts Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan had a tougher day two, with an eighth and a six from the day’s two races. The results mean that the pair are currently second overall, two points behind the leading Croatian crew.
“It was a long day today as we were postponed for four hours until the wind finally dropped below 25 knots,” said Belcher. “Once we finally got racing Will and I didn’t have the best of days. In the first race we were over the line early at the start and decided to go back so were left playing catch up for the rest of the race.
“The only issue then was that the races here are only 25 minutes long and you just can’t catch up that distance with such short races,” he said. “The second race wasn’t great either but that’s sailing for you. We felt that we got a sailing lesson from the fleet today and that’s why we love the sport, there’s always something to learn.”
Fellow Australians Matthew and Robert Crawford had two top eight results on Wednesday to move into 10th overall, with Angus Galloway and Tim Hannah 12th and Alexander and Patrick Conway one place behind in 13th.
Racing was tight in the Laser class late in the day, with the fleets not returning to shore until after 7pm. A number of Australians were again in the mix with Tom Burton and Matthew Wearn both in the top four after the opening five races.
Burton is currently second overall, one point behind Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic after finishing second and sixth in the day’s two races.
Wearn is four points further back in fourth after winning the opening race of the day and finishing 10th in race two.
Ashley Brunning has moved into eighth overall after a sixth and a second, with Ryan Palk now 12th. Jared West is currently 20th with Luke Elliott in 40th after recording his best result of the week, a fourth in the final race of the day.
Elise Rechichi and Sarah Cook are eighth overall in the 470 women’s fleet following a pair of ninth place finishes. The 25 knot breeze was the strongest the pair had raced in so far in Europe, after relatively light winds at their first event in Italy.
Sisters Sasha and Jaime Ryan are currently in 11th after finishing eighth in race one and then not finishing race two.
Racing was cancelled for the day for the Nacra 17 fleet due to the strong winds, leaving Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin third, Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis 14th, Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski 15th and Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty 17th.
The Finn class completed three races on Wednesday but Australian Oliver Tweddell did not take to the water due to illness.
Racing continues in Medemblik on Thursday with an early start planned to catch up with the race schedule.
Full results can be found at www.deltalloydregatta.org.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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Australian sailors in front on day one in Holland Australian sailors have made a strong start to the 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands, with four crews ending the opening day of racing inside their respective top threes. Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan finished the day with the perfect scorecard, three wins from three starts, to lead the 470 men, with Tom Burton first in the Lasers and Matthew Wearn third, while Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin are third in the Nacra 17. Rain, fog and low temperatures made for a challenging day on the water at round two of the new EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup, but it certainly didn’t slow Belcher and Ryan down who continued their winning start to their Rio 2016 campaign.
The pair’s three wins from three starts have given them a seven point lead over New Zealand’s Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox with the third placed Croatian crew a further four points behind.
“It was nice to get the racing underway today,” said Belcher. “Although the temperature was below 10 degrees and raining we were able to get three quick races completed in the 10 to 15 knot breeze.
“It was a good day for Will and I, managing to win three from three,” he said. “It’s going to be a long event this week, with 12 races scheduled which will then only count for one place heading into the medal race, but Will and I are very happy with where we’re at with our development as a team.”
Tom Burton showed that consistency pays off in the Laser fleet, with a day of top three finishes leaving him at the top of the table, four points clear of local sailor Rutger van Schaardenburg, with fellow Australian Matthew Wearn one point behind in third.
“Today was a good day for me, we had pretty tough conditions with the breeze being very patchy and shifty,” said Burton. “I caught up well in the first race to pull back to finish third and then sailed a consistent day, finishing with a second and a third.
“After a week of a one sided race track in Garda it’s nice to come here, aside from the cold and rain, with the racing a bit more exciting and the conditions today definitely made for some good close racing,” he said. “Tomorrow and the rest of the regatta looks to be windier so I’m sure there will be some good hike-offs.”
West Australian sailor Matthew Wearn ended the day third following three top seven results, with a fourth, a seventh and a second leaving him five points behind his fellow Australian.
Ryan Palk is currently 13th, after a 16th and an 11th in the first two races Palk got into his groove in the final race of the day, crossing the line second. Jared West is in 15th, one place ahead of Ashley Brunning with Luke Elliott 58th.
In the Nacra 17 class Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin sit third overall after a second and a pair of sevenths.
“Today was a solid day for Lisa and I, we’ve laid a solid foundation to work on for the rest of the regatta,” said Waterhouse. “It was also a day of missed opportunities, we worked hard on our starts and rounded the top marks in great positions but both boat handling and tactical errors cost us podium places.
“We really excited for tomorrow as the forecast looks fresh and we’re looking forward to getting the boat up on the foils,” he said.
Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis are currently in 14th position, one place ahead of fellow Australians Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowksi who are competing in their first Nacra 17 event.
“We had a solid start to the event today and are happy with our progression on the tricky conditions,” said Curtis. “We’re looking forward to improving our skills over the event, the fleet here is very strong and we’re hoping that the close racing will fast track our development in the new class.”
Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty ended day one in 17th position after finishing 14th in race one, 16th in race two and then unfortunately being forced to retire from race three due to boat issues.
Elise Rechichi and Sarah Cook are in seventh position in the 470 women’s class, with this week’s event just their second in Europe together. The pair began the day with a sixth, before finishing ninth in race two and sixth in race three. Fellow Australians Sasha and Jaime Ryan are currently 11th.
In the 470 men Angus Galloway and Tim Hannah are 10th overall, with Alexander and Patrick Conway 12th and Matthew and Robert Crawford 13th.
Oliver Tweddell is 20th overall in the Finn fleet, beginning the event with a 16th and an 18th, before being forced to retire from race three as he’s currently unwell.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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Queensland sailor encourages son to sail and wins a trip to Turkey A Queensland sailor will be packing his bags after winning a trip to Turkey after getting his son involved in sailing. Stephen Holden won Yachting Australia and Mariner Boating Holidays’ “Member get Member” competition, after signing his son to become a new member of the Tweed Valley Sailing Club.
To enter the competition, current club members enrolled family or friends as first time members, and the Holden’s will be joining the Mariner Boating Lycian Coast Yacht Rally, taking place in September this year. “I enrolled my nine year old son Zachary in the club, enticing him to become more involved in sailing, and never dreamt that I would actually win this competition,” said Stephen. “I’m delighted to be able to invite my Dad to join me, as it was he who introduced me to sailing over 40 years ago.
“I’ve chartered and sailed in the Dodecanese many years ago and loved it. I’m very excited to be going back to the area after such a long absence, and especially to go into Turkey to the Lycian Coast which I have never visited before. Thank you, Yachting Australia and Mariner Boating Holidays for this amazing adventure I get to share with my Dad,” he said.
The “Member get Member” promotion was part of Yachting Australia’s Discover Sailing drive to engage club members to increase Club memberships, which Yachting Australia’s Sport Development Director Ross Kilborn said is a big part of this new participation program.
“This was a terrific opportunity and incentive for people who are already involved in sailing to share their love of the sport and demonstrate that sailing is fun, friendly, accessible and affordable to all,” said Kilborn. “We’d like to thank Mariner Boating Holidays for joining our passion to further grow sailing as a sport in Australia and wish Mr. Holden a great time at the Rally.”
Trevor Joyce from Mariner Boating Holidays said that they are thrilled that a father/son team will be enjoying the rally in Turkey.
“We’re pleased to have been part of this promotion, to further promote and grow sailing, and would like to congratulate Mr. Holden on having won. We are sure this rally will be an amazing experience and something he and his father will always remember.”
The Discover Sailing website, www.discoversailing.org.au has been designed for people new to sailing and incorporates non-technical explanations and several videos about how to get into sailing and what Clubs offer.
For further information on holiday offers from Mariner Boating Holidays visit http://www.marinerboating.com/
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Australian sailors head to Holland for next EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup round Racing begins at the second round of the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup in Medemblik, Holland, later today with Australian crews in action in six classes. The Delta Lloyd Holland Regatta has traditionally been a successful event for Australian sailors, with the team winning 12 medals in Medemblik over the last four-year Olympic cycle. While a smaller team than some previous years has made the trip to Holland in 2013, Australian sailors will be in medal contention in a number of classes.
Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan will be out to continue their impressive winning streak in the 470 men’s class, having claimed victory in all six regattas they have contested together, including three ISAF Sailing World Cup events. Belcher’s winning run now stretches back to November 2011, a feat which is even more impressive when you consider it includes two different crews, an Olympic Games and three World Championships.
The pair has spent some time apart over the last few weeks, with Belcher returning to Australia to be with his pregnant wife and complete a university exam while Ryan remained in Europe.
“We’re feeling relaxed after some time out of the boat,” said Ryan. “We have a busy schedule so it’s nice to have a bit of a change, plenty of off water work and time in the gym. It’s great to get back in the boat, even if it’s pretty cold over here.
“It’s hard to believe that we’ve already been together for six months, it’s been great sailing with Mat and Victor,” he said. “Mat still buys me coffees so I’d say that we’re still in the honeymoon phase! The time together has helped us improve our sailing a lot, we also beginning to feel that we can predict the other person much better which makes the relationship more comfortable.”
Six Australians will contest the Laser class, including current world number one and medallist at the last three ISAF Sailing World Cup rounds, Tom Burton, bronze medallist from last week’s EUROSAF Garda event Ryan Palk, Ashley Brunning, Matthew Wearn, Jared West and Luke Elliott.
Burton almost led from start to finish in Garda, falling foul of an experimental scoring system which made the final race almost winner takes all, the same system which will be used this week.
“In Garda I felt I sailed well the whole regatta,” said Burton. “Even on the last day I thought I sailed quite well, although I made one or two critical errors which in the end cost me the regatta with this experimental point system. I definitely took some positives away and hopefully can work on some more things this week.
“We’ve got a slightly smaller fleet for this regatta but I think all the main players are here so it won’t really feel any different and I need to be sailing well again to be at the front of the fleet,” he said.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin won Australia’s first medal in the new Nacra 17 class in Garda last week, a silver, and will be back in action in Holland. They’ll be joined in the Nacra 17 fleet by three other Australian crews, Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis, Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty, both who also raced in Italy, and Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski who are making their debut in the class this week.
Waterhouse said that the silver medal in Garda shows that himself and Darmanin are heading in the right direction in the new mixed multihull class.
“We were very happy with our result in Garda, it was nice to see the improvement as the last month has been hard work getting our skills and the boat race ready,” said Waterhouse. “It was nice to get out and race at the front of the pack again and focus more on trying to win race rather than catching up.
“We’re really excited about this regatta as we have a top quality fleet entered and the weather forecast looks like we’ll have some challenging wind and waves thrown at us,” he said.
Nina Curtis, who won silver alongside Olivia Price and Lucinda Whitty in the Women’s Match Racing at the London 2012 Olympic Games, said that she was enjoying the challenge of sailing in the new class with Josh McKnight.
“Garda was a great place to kick off our Nacra 17 campaign, the water is flat and the wind was great,” said Curtis. “We leant a lot about the boats and each other in a short space of time, ticking off a lot of goals and improving throughout the regatta, we couldn’t really ask for more.
“Nacra racing is so different from Match Racing,” she said. “It’s fast and the boats are a real handful in windy and wavy conditions. I’m having so much fun developing my skills and learning on the run, I’m really excited for the next regatta and then our World Championships.”
Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty also made their Nacra 17 debut in Garda, quickly getting up to speed with the new boats.
“I’m really enjoying sailing the Nacra,” said Whitty. “We gained a lot of knowledge racing on Lake Garda and are looking forward to this week in Medemblik with a lot more teams on the water.”
Beijing 2008 gold medallist Elise Rechichi and two-time Olympic rower Sarah Cook will be back in action in the 470 women’s class as they continue their first European season together. The pair, who have only been sailing as a crew since the end of 2012, took a lot of positives away from their first event in Garda, including winning a race against the current Olympic champions.
Joining Rechichi and Cook in the 470 women’s fleet will be sisters Sasha and Jaime Ryan. Three Australian crews will be joining Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan in the 470 men, Alexander and Patrick Conway, Matthew and Robert Crawford and Angus Galloway and Tim Hannah.
Oliver Tweddell will be out to continue his strong start to the year in the Finn class, while Annalise Gilbert will contest the RS:X women.
Full results will be available at http://www.deltalloydregatta.org/, along with live race tracking.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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Silver and bronze for Aussie sailors on final day in Italy Australian sailors have won a silver and bronze medal on the final day of the EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup on Lake Garda in Italy, including the country's first medal in the new Nacra 17 class. Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin won silver in just their second event in the new mixed multihull Nacra 17 class, with Ryan Palk claiming bronze in the Laser class.
Waterhouse and Darmanin started the day third overall, winning the final race to take the silver medal, with Austria winning gold and Italy bronze.
“The medal race went really well today, it was a nice short course and about 12 knots of breeze which allowed us to two trapeze around the course, both upwind and down,” said Waterhouse. “The goal was to hold onto a medal position and put ourselves ahead of the two boats in front of us on the scoreboard.
“We had a great start and sailed our strategy up the first beat and rounded in the lead,” he said. “We were overtaken by the regatta leaders on the downwind but clawed them back on the second upwind.
“Despite our best attempts to slow the Austrians down on the final leg to get a place in between us it wasn’t to be, we won the medal race but finished second overall,” he said. “We’re very happy to have achieved all of our goals this regatta and many lessons were learnt, we’re off to Holland next week to take on a very competitive fleet and are looking forward to more racing and training in the coming weeks.”
While Waterhouse and Darmanin may be new to the Nacra 17 class they have a long history in multihull sailing with success across a number of classes, including a gold medal together at the 2009 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships.
In the Laser class Ryan Palk won bronze, with his fourth place in the final race enough for him to hold onto his overnight third and take the final place on the podium, behind New Zealand and France.
Fellow Australian Tom Burton started the day first overall but with an experimental point score system that did not reward Tom’s consistent sailing throughout the regatta, the top six boats were bunched right up. His sixth place in the final race saw him slip to fifth overall.
“The final race was super tight, the experimental point scoring system used here put everyone so close that you couldn’t afford to protect one boat,” said Palk. “I had a good first beat to lead around the top mark but got into some tight battles with the French boat to be third at the bottom.
“From there Tonci Stipanovic from Croatia, Tom Burton and myself started battling at the head of the fleet with some great, tight, racing between the three of us in the building Ora lake wind,” he said. “It looked like it was going to be a three-way battle between us but then right at the top mark the other three boats came in on a very good shift and stole the lead away.
“It then turned into a race to keep a podium position and I was able to pass Tonci on the last run and keep my third. Even though there were only six boats in this race the points were so tight it was hard to protect one person,” said Palk. “In the end I’m happy to have sailed as well as I did to keep the bronze but it was certainly a little frustrating to be so close to the win and have it slip away.
“My teammate Tom sailed a great week as well and it’s harsh to lose it like that on the last day off essentially what was one shift but that’s what you get with this point system,” he said. “I’m feeling good now after what was a tense week with all kinds of conditions and am happy to be sailing well and more consistently and am taking it all in and learning heaps every day.”
Next stop for Australian sailors is the Delta Lloyd Holland Regatta in Medemblik, beginning on May 21.
Full results from Garda, including the Australians who finished racing on Saturday, can be found here.
For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au and follow the Team on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AusSailingTeam.
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