SAP 505 World Sailing Championships Wrap

by Jordan Spencer on 3 Feb 2007
Whilst the first place had been decided, there was a big battle set to decide the minor placings in the last race at Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club in Adelaide. There were just two points between second and fourth.

The day dawned hot and the locals suggested we wouldn’t get a breeze, but the race committee put us out there and to their credit we got a good days racing. Starting in a very light sea breeze and building to wiring conditions by the end.

The race winners were Jens Findel and Johannes Tellen. They sailed in to an all the way lead, enjoying the light conditions and glad to have the Super Danes sitting on the beach. Their win helped their overall result, jumping them to 7th overall.

For the minor placings, Mike Martin and Jeff Nelson lost second and fell to 5th. They had won the pre worlds and looked to be untouchable, but being a bigger crew, the lighter winds hurt. Their two worst results were in the last two races, when the wind was at its lightest.

Moving up was Howie Hamlin and Fritz Lanzinger, they scored second on the day and second overall. Howie has won second seven times now and in his acceptance speech last night, he said ‘sometimes I am real disappointed to win second, some years I am ecstatic. This year I am ecstatic. It has been the best year of my life with the 18, winning the 14 Worlds and now second here, it’s a mighty achievement’.

Also moving up was Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh. The local lads had a good final race, with a seventh and placed third overall. A result, they too were ecstatic with. The crowd went nuts when they came up, because many realised how much work Sandy had put into the event on the administration side as well as trying to race. A difficult thing to do.

It was a great regatta. Everybody enjoyed the event and had a great time. The response of the overseas competitors to Adelaide and the generosity of the Australian people was noted throughout the night in the speeches and private conversations. So many convinced that we live in paradise here and they are right. The next Worlds are in Palermo in Italy, October 2008.