2015 Para World Sailing Championships - Tough day four

by Cora Zillich on 1 Dec 2015 2015 Para World Sailing Championships - It was a tough day in the office on day four of the 2015 Para World Sailing Championship but overall standings remain intact for Australian Sailing Team’s crews after up and down results across the fleets.

2012 London Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon (NSW) and Liesl Tesch (NSW) continue to be the dominant force at these Para World Sailing Championships and continue their lead after a third and first in today’s two races.

Australian Sailing’s Sonar team of Paralympians Colin Harrison (WA), Jonathan Harris (NSW) and Russell Boaden (WA) had a challenging day posting a twelfth and fifth but continue to lead their Sonar fleet as well.

Paralympian Matt Bugg (TAS) keeps his third place after a total of eight races and despite a seventeenth and fifth place.

After yesterday’s wild day on Port Phillip it was less windy, but variable and unpredictable conditions with massive shifts challenged the sailors once again.

With more severe conditions forecast for the late afternoon, the race committee brought the starting time forward to 11am in an effort to beat the weather.

Racing on all three courses began in wind strengths of eight to ten knots from the west. It was a day when crews had to be more observant than usual and ensure that they stayed in sync with the wind direction. Those who failed to do so paid a terrible price.

Two-Person Keelboat – SKUD-18

Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch have had a consistent series of top results with today’s third place their drop. The pair finished the day off with a race win, making it five wins across the eight race series so far.

With this result the pair also continues to hold a comfortable eleven points gap to the British crew in second place and are looking strong going into tomorrow’s (Wednesday, 2 December) penultimate day of the event.

“That was a tough day today. Different to yesterday where it was really windy but today it was very variable and massive shifts out there. The shifts were very erratic, so it was quite unpredictable. It was difficult, but that’s what we get here in Melbourne and we still enjoy it,” Dan Fitzgibbon said.

“We’re still in the lead with today’ third and first, which is good. We continue to learn from what we did today and get better tomorrow and the next day and keep getting better, that’s what we want to do.”

Australian Sailing’s second SKUD18 crew of Ame Barnbrook (NSW) and Brett Pearce (NSW) posted another two top ten results and with a fourth and ninth place in the two races of the day drop one spot from yesterday and into fifth overall.

Three-Person keelboat – Sonar

Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Jonathan Harris built their lead to 14 points over the second ranked British crew, despite having their toughest day yet posting a 12th and fifth. France sits three points behind Britain in third after the crew got disqualified in race one today.

“It was a tough day. We were preparing for a lot of wind and for the frontal system to come through earlier and we got a bit hung out on the left when all the shifts were out on right,” Colin Harrison said.

“We had a slightly better result in the second race in still quite shifty conditions and the breeze was up and down in pressure. But despite our average results today we’re still in a comfortable position. It’s still not over yet and we need to be consistently at the front tomorrow, which would help.”

One-Person Keelboat – 2.4mR

Australian Sailing Team’s Paralympian Matt Bugg defended his third place despite a tricky day and posting a fifth and 17th.

“The first race was ok for me and I put a few more points between me and the boats behind me and made a few points on the leader (FRA). But in the second race, I got away really badly from the start line and just kept doing the wrong thing and it cost me, so I rounded really deep like in the high 30’s and ended up 17th.

There are three races to go, so I have used my bad one now and have to be consistent for the last three races.”

Fellow 2.4mR teammate Neil Patterson (TAS) dropped back into 26th overall after a 32nd and 19th.

“It was a hard day in the office. The conditions were quite tricky with the wind all over the place. There was a little bit of luck to today’s racing and unfortunately I was at the wrong day of the luck. In the first race I went left and the breeze turned and I just got rolled. Tough day and it’s a bugger to drop a couple places, but we have another two days,” Neil Patterson said.

Racing is scheduled to resume at 13:00 on Wednesday, 2 December 2015 out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

It is the first time that Australia is hosting the Para World Sailing Championships and racing out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV) in Williamstown, all five crews of Australian Sailing Team’s (AST) and Squad (ASS) Paralympic boat class sailors are contesting the event and aiming to defend their 2014 Nation’s Cup win as the team prepares for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games (7 – 18 September 2016).

140 sailors from 31 nations are competing across three Paralympic events and over six days on Port Phillip, Melbourne, Australia from 28 November to 3 December. It is the largest Paralympic World Sailing Competition in the lead up to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

With less than a year out from the Paralympic Games the Australian Sailing Team is looking strong after multiple top podium finishes across the international season.

Australian Sailing crews to race at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships:

Two-Person Keelboat – SKUD18

- Daniel Fitzgibbon (NSW/NSWIS) / Liesl Tesch (NSW/NSWIS) – AST: (2), 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1 – first
- Ame Barnbrook (NSW/NSWIS) / Brett Pearce (NSW/NSWIS) – ASS: 9, (18), 5, 3, 2, 4, 4, 9 – fifth

Coach: Geoff Woolley (VIC)

One-Person Keelboat – 2.4mR

- Matt Bugg (TAS/TIS) – AST: 9, 6, 3, 2, 3, 3, 5, (17) – third
- Neil Patterson (TAS/TIS) – ASS: (41U), 30, 21, 15, 19, 18, 32, 19 – 26th

Coach: Richard Scarr (TAS)

Three-Person keelboat – Sonar

- Russel Boaden (WA/WAIS), Jonathan Harris (NSW) and Colin Harrison (WA/WAIS) – AST: 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, (12), 5 – first

Coach: Grant Alderson (WA)