Thousands of whales track north for the Boat-Watching season

by Rob Kothe & the Sail-World Team on 1 Jul 2014 Full results from the Etchell Worlds 2014 in Newport with John and Grant Simmer returning to the site of their historic win in Newport 31 years ago along with Dog Palfrey. They were the top Australians finishing seventh. Next up was Cam Miles, the 1999 Etchells World Champion who finished 18th.

Great photos inside from Newport.

Glenn Ashby does again at the A-Cat Europeans

The ISAF Youth Worlds are looming in Tavira, Portugal. They start on the 12th July and today we are reminded that Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen in 2004 dominated the 420 class at the ISAF Youth Worlds showing that they would be indeed a future force in one design sailing. Of course they went on to win Olympic Gold in the 49er class, London 2012. We wonder if similar parings might emerge from 2014, who might figure in Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

The whales are already heading North for the boat watching season with board riders getting way too close to them off Sydney this week. It is great to see the numbers continuing to build back to an amazing 17,000–19,000 across a whole range of species.

They will be on site for the start of the 384 nautical mile LandRover Audi Sydney Goldcoast on 26th July. The Club Marine Brisbane to Keppel Tropical Yacht Race, the 348 nautical mile race will start on Thursday 31st July, the Airlie Beach Race Week being held from eighth to 16th August, Audi Hamilton Island on 16th August, and Sealink Magnetic Island Race Week on 28th August. The whales will be there but will you? Enter now!

Who can ever forget the whales starting with the fleet in the Dent Passage during Hammo during race weeks in years gone buy and it wont be a fluke if there are many more whale photos during the Northern Series again this year.