Tassie teenager Anna Vaughan wins heat at Laser 4.7 Worlds

by Peter Campbell on 2 Aug 2011 Teenage Tasmanian Anna Vaughan today made sailing history when she won heat nine of the Laser 4.7 Girls World Championship on San Francisco.

The 15-year-old Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania Dinghy Group and Tasmanian Sailing Academy member outsailed a fleet of 51 of the world’s best teenage sailors to become the first Australian girl to score a heat win at the worlds.

The only other Australian team winner in the regatta so far has been West Australian Ben Walkemeyer in the boys championship.

Anna is among the lightest sailors in the fleet and until now has struggled in the fresh to strong winds and lumpy seas on the bay. Her best previous result had been a 31st in heat two and her win and 29th place today has lifted her from 49th place to 39th overall. Today, the winds were lighter, but the current strong.

The 112-boat boys fleet has now been split into gold and silver fleets, but the girls are continuing to race in a single fleet, with one day’s sailing left at the St Francis Yacht Club.

Anna’s father, Michael Vaughan, who also races a Laser with the RYCT Dinghy Group on Hobart’s River Derwent, excitedly described Anna’s victory in a phonecall from San Francisco.

'As I helped her wheel the boat down the ramp this morning we discussed tactics and she said ‘I’m going for broke…if there is anyone going to be OCS’d today, it will be me.’

Anna went for the line full on, and she wasn’t recalled. Then, in a masterful tactical decision she sailed right into a bay, in flat water and less current. Her centreboard actually touched the sand before she tacked out, to find herself with just two boats ahead of her as she neared the first windward mark.

She lifted to windward of these girls, from Italy and Switzerland, to round the mark in first place and, with good downwind speed, held her position to the leeward mark.

'She then picked the less favoured mark to round at the gate and lost several places, but fought back again on the second beat to windward,' her father continued.

Again, Anna’s light weight paid off on the downwind leg and on the leg to wing mark, although still trailing the Italian and Swiss girls. On the final short beat to the finish, she picked the right angle to avoid the current and finish a clear winner.

'We have one day’s sailing left and I think Anna will follow her tactics of today,' her proud father Michael said today.

Earlier this year, Anna and her father were named co-winners of the inaugural RYCT Dinghy Group Chairman’s Cup for Anna’s determination to improve her sailing skills and for Michael’s contribution to dinghy sailing on the Derwent.

'She can outsail me, too,' Michael added, joining fellow parents in celebrating the success. 'Winning a heat of a world championship is a great feat for any sailor and I’m very proud of her effort today.'

Top-placed Australian girl is Milly Bennett (NSW) who is 13th overall, today placing 22nd and seventh. Tasmanian Sophie Chesterman is 23rd with a 25-21 result today while fellow Tasmanian Emma Barton is 35th, placing 37th and 46th today.

Four Australian boys qualified for the gold fleet with Ben Walkemeyer eighth overall, Nicholas Connor (NSW) 31st. Dylan Gore (Tas) 40th, Max Vos (Tas) 47th and Kailas Johnson (Tas) 54th.

In the Silver fleet, Nelson Brown (Tas) is 12th and Jock Calvert (Tas) 17th overall. Thirteen-year-old Jock is sixth placed among the under 16-year-olds.

Results Laser 4.7 Girls

 
Scores take into account 2  discards
 

No	Sailno	Name	Scores	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1	ITA 200480	Zorzi Cecila, 1994	15.0	5	1	1	1	1	2	1	(8)	(31)	3
2	SLO 198483	Pletikos Kim, 1994	48.0	1	3	5	6	(ocs)	6	20	3	(24)	4
3	NOR 194765	Höst Line Flem, 1995	49.0	12	2	2	7	6	(24)	9	4	7	(34)
4	NOR 198747	Herud Celine Therese, 1995	50.0	(18)	(bfd)	6	4	7	3	11	2	16	1
5	TUR 198917	Yentur Zeynep, 1995	68.0	6	6	16	2	(25)	12	4	10	12	(36)
6	GRE 183545	Fakidi Athanasia, 1996, U16	70.0	3	(bfd)	4	3	17	5	7	21	(30)	10
7	SUI 199846	Jayet Maud, 1996, U16	85.0	11	(bfd)	(31)	18	19	9	15	6	2	5
8	GRE 194857	Karachaliou Vasileia, 1996, U16	90.0	9	(bfd)	8	13	2	4	19	(26)	23	12
9	ESP 196946	Luque Gonzalez Yolanda GranCan, 1995	96.0	4	(bfd)	18	5	4	11	10	(raf)	19	25
10	ITA 193660	Liebman Anna, 1994	99.0	(41)	22	12	12	18	1	(24)	20	3	11
11	ITA 195487	Modena Camilla, 1994	100.0	15	10	(21)	20	(38)	13	2	11	21	8
12	SIN 185404	Siew Kiah Hui Savannah, 1996, U16	106.0	8	11	20	31	20	(40)	8	(45)	6	2
13	AUS 196421	Bennett Milly, 1994	106.0	19	8	(42)	11	(29)	20	3	16	22	7
14	HKG 122064	Sakai Nagisa Karis, 1994	107.0	2	14	23	8	3	18	(25)	22	17	(44)
15	CRO 182661	Kacan Antonela, 1994	122.0	21	(bfd)	(29)	28	8	15	22	9	5	14
16	BRA 197089	Silva Julia, 1995	122.0	25	9	13	27	11	14	13	(33)	10	(31)
17	BEL 201051	Van de Loock Laura, 1995	123.0	13	(bfd)	3	17	24	21	(35)	17	13	15
18	CRO 186212	Hamerlitz Anja, 1995	127.0	17	(bfd)	22	22	21	(29)	27	1	4	13
19	USA 165073	Bushnell Lola, 1995	128.0	30	5	11	9	22	(37)	23	14	14	(42)
20	SUI 197161	Van Campenhoudt Marine, 1996, U16	128.0	14	15	9	(45)	13	25	17	18	(35)	17
21	SLO 196239	Janezic Lea Dora, 1994	130.0	16	(bfd)	28	35	(39)	8	5	24	8	6
22	CRO 196187	Prtenjaca Nikolina, 1994	138.0	10	23	19	26	23	7	(36)	15	15	(27)
23	AUS 169684	Chesterman Sophie, 1994	144.0	(37)	20	14	(29)	10	19	12	23	25	21
24	GBR 199438	Asplund Johanna, 1995	148.0	23	7	30	23	16	(32)	14	19	(44)	16
25	SLO 174363	Peternelj Eva, 1995	151.0	7	18	27	(39)	15	10	28	(34)	18	28
26	USA 188912	Bryer Rachel, 1995	164.0	28	16	(34)	24	12	16	33	13	(46)	22
27	USA 164258	White Maeve, 1995	181.0	32	(bfd)	17	(46)	27	23	16	28	20	18
28	JPN 199062	Murayama Hitomi, 1994	193.0	26	(bfd)	25	49	28	41	6	(ocs)	9	9
29	USA 191985	Naughton Sophie, 1995	198.0	(44)	12	32	25	30	34	26	12	27	(47)
30	ITA 193583	Caruso Bianca, 1996, U16	201.0	31	(bfd)	15	21	26	31	(47)	46	11	20
31	ARG 159970	Zalazar Maria Florencia, 1995	202.0	24	19	26	16	34	26	31	(ocs)	(42)	26
32	USA 176237	Hughes Hannah, 1995	203.0	36	13	(47)	(41)	31	22	29	5	29	38
33	USA 194042	Weaver Hanne, 1995	213.0	(45)	4	10	10	42	(ocs)	41	42	40	24
34	JPN 196486	Kunimi Ayano, 1995	213.0	22	(bfd)	33	15	32	17	39	(ocs)	32	23
35	AUS 184674	Barton Emma, 1996, U16	221.0	27	(bfd)	7	37	40	28	32	31	(45)	19
36	ITA 196211	Frazza Francesca, 1996, U16	236.0	46	21	38	14	37	30	43	7	(raf)	(49)
37	SIN 185781	Goh Su Min Rebecca, 1996, U16	236.0	29	(bfd)	24	36	14	27	37	43	26	(45)
38	GER 181610	Edinger Nadine, 1996, U16	256.0	(48)	26	39	38	5	43	(46)	27	39	39
39	SIN 182202	Ho Airiel, 1995	260.0	20	(raf)	37	30	dne	36	18	30	37	(46)
40	AUS 184702	Vaughan Anna, 1995	263.0	42	31	36	(51)	45	(49)	38	41	1	29
41	IND 190923	Charles Shaila, 1994	267.0	(47)	28	45	32	33	35	34	25	(47)	35
42	GER 193240	Hinders Sonka, 1995	277.0	40	17	43	19	(48)	33	48	29	48	(50)
43	USA 199347	Kardek Haley, 1995	286.0	(49)	(bfd)	44	33	35	42	42	32	28	30
44	USA 198386	Mackey Sarah, 1994	290.0	(50)	29	35	34	(47)	47	45	35	33	32
45	ARG 164030	Rivas Ines, 1995	294.0	34	30	40	43	(46)	(48)	40	40	34	33
46	USA 158824	Goethe Hannah, 1995	304.0	38	(bfd)	(46)	42	36	44	21	44	38	41
47	IND 195378	Nedunchezhiyan Aishwarya, 1996, U16	304.0	39	32	(50)	(47)	41	39	30	39	41	43
48	IND 195372	Sadanandan Shweta, 1994	306.0	43	24	48	48	9	46	(51)	38	50	(bfd)
49	HKG 180992	Mascia Sofia-Marie, 1998, U16	317.0	33	25	49	50	(dsq)	38	49	(ocs)	36	37
50	ARG 146046	Varela Dasso Lucia, 1995	327.0	35	27	(51)	44	43	(ocs)	50	37	43	48
51	USA 192949	Dana Francesca, 1995	339.0	(51)	(bfd)	41	40	44	45	44	36	49	40