BaCK IN Oz for ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne 2013- entries well up

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World team on 29 Nov 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne - Olympic and Invited Classes entries up across the boat park.

Back in Oz, after an exhausting 40 hour journey from Spain. Looking forward to the summer I packed my shorts. There was snow on the mountains around Madrid, just as well that I tossed in a Gill shell jacket, thinking I would not need it, having forgotten about Melbourne’s four season’s summer.

It was 10 degrees in the Victorian capital this morning but it should be a welcome 30 degrees on Sunday.

Looking forward to another landmark regatta, to see if Mat Belcher and Will Ryan can continue Mat's 18 regatta winning sequence...

One of the most interesting World Cup debuts in Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis, with three Olympic silver medals powering their Nacra 17.

Richard Gladwell from Sail-World New Zealand is flying into tomorrow, so our coverage will be detailed.
An encouraging 15 team from China spearheads excellent support from Asia at the World Cup in Melbourne.

Sandringham Yacht Club today, was abuzz with activity, entries well up on last year, 22 countries competing, entries well up on last year says Event Director and Olympic Gold Medallist Mark Turnbull

With Japan now set to stage the 2020 Olympic Games, the Melbourne event will become even more important in years ahead as Turnbull explains. 'We are very pleased to welcome the big team from China, and over coming years we will be working with them and all countries in our region to ensure that by the Japan Olympics in 2020 that this part of the world can dominate the sport.'


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The ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne Dinner next Tuesday night at Sandringham Yacht Club, is not surprisingly a sell-out, as Tom Slingsby (Oracle), Nathan Outteridge (Artemis) and Glenn Ashby (ETNZ), will join Andrew Plympton (Australian Olympic Committee) for look back at the recent America’s Cup. And World Sailor of the Year 2013 Matt Belcher and Will Ryan will be talking to event patron John Bertrand about their Rio 2016 campaign. We will bring you all the news of course.

In other news...pleased to hear that Big Fella, Iain Murray, has been as we expected has been named the Chief Executive Officer of Team Australia, the Hamilton Island Yacht Club (HIYC) challenge for the 35th America’s Cup. That is good news for the event overall as he understands the pluses and minuses of the rules of the 34th event.

Earlier in the week we reminded you that the Festival of Sail, early bird entry deadline closes on Sat night. Lisa Ratcliff reports a good response.

Now the entries have hit one hundred. Go go go, enter now!!!