Australian sailors in action at European Championships

by Craig Heydon on 3 Jul 2013 Australian sailors have begun racing at three class European Championships, with the 49er and 49erFX Championship underway in Denmark and the RS:X event in France.

Light and shifty winds made for a challenging day on the water at the 2013 49er and 49erFX European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

The 91 crews contesting the 49er European Championship spent almost nine hours on the water to complete just two races, with the tricky conditions resulting in numerous abandonments and postponements.

Will Phillips and Rhys Mara began the regatta with a 10th place finish, before winning the second race of the day to move into sixth overall.

'It was a massive day on the water today at the 49er Europeans,' said Mara. 'We spent almost nine hours on the water and completed two races, with Will and I sitting sixth overall.'

With the 91 boats spread across three fleets the points are very close on the leader board, with four races scheduled for Wednesday to complete the qualifying series.

George Davies and Jack Lloyd ended the day in 29th position following an 18th and a seventh, with Joel Turner and Lewis Brake 39th after a 22nd and a sixth.

David Gilmour and Sam Phillips are currently 48th after a pair of 15ths, ahead of Luke Parkinson and Fang Warren in 73rd and Peter Kendall and Harry Bethwaite in 81st.

Ella Giudice and Kate Lathouras ended day one of the first ever 49erFX European Championship in fourth position, following three solid results on the water in Aarhus. Giudice and Lathouras opened the championships with a ninth, before finishing 14th in race two and fifth in race three.

The tricky conditions made life tough on the water, evident with just one crew, the leading German pair, finishing every race inside the top 10.

Haylee Outteridge and Nina Curtis are currently 14th overall with the pair finishing the day with an 18th, a 16th and a 14th. Olivia Price and Caitlin Elks are in 18th position, with Price and Elks improving with each race on day one. They began the regatta with a 36th, before finishing 15th in race two and seventh in race three. Tessa Parkinson and Chelsea Hall ended day one in 27th position following a fifth and a pair of 31sts.

Meanwhile in Brest, France, the 2013 RS:X European Championships are underway with Australia’s Joanna Sterling finishing the opening day well inside the top 10.

Sterling currently sits in seventh position after the first three races, following a fifth, a 20th and a sixth.

Fellow Australian Paris Stowell is currently 32nd, while in the youth category Tasmania’s Jock Calvert ended day one 42nd in the men’s fleet with Annalise Gilbert 18th in the women’s.

The RS:X European Championships is the final event for Calvert and Gilbert before they head to Cyprus for the 2013 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships which begins in two weeks time.