Broo Premium Lager Musto Performance Skiff Worlds - Final Day

by Paul Manning on 16 Jan 2011
The Port Phillip Bay seabreeze, for which Melbourne is renowned, stayed away today until after the Broo Premium Lager Musto Performance Skiff Worlds, and then it came in and played with a vengeance.

Race 10

Following a brief postponement ashore, the AP flag was lowered at 11:30 and the competitors launched into an 8 knot southerly breeze.

Race 10 was general recalled at 12:32 with the wind at 190 degrees and 5-6 knots, and the restart went off clean at 13:16 with the breeze at 180 degrees and 8 knots.

The majority of the fleet taking the pin end of the line and heading left. This proved to be the formula for Jono Neate AUS 440 who stormed into a one minute lead at the windward mark and extended to take the win by two minutes from Aussie team mate Jonathon Newman AUS 425.

The racing, especially at the front, has been very close and Newman had Dan Ward GBR 286 and Tom Wright GBR 432 in close company, but held them both off to the finish for a well deserved second position.

Further back event leader Daniel Henderson GBR 409 and his closest rival Australia's Marcus Hamilton AUS 453 were fighting their way back up the fleet having both had conservative starts. Hamilton finished ninth and Henderson sixth. This gave Daniel Henderson the championship title.

Race 11

With the breeze freshening to 12 knots at 170 degrees, the final race of the championships started at the first attempt at 14:35.

Bruce Keen GBR 441 copied Jono Neate from race 10, by pulling clear to lead all the way and again take the win by some 2 minutes from Julian Ramm GER 443. Marcus Hamilton AUS 453 pulled through to take third place, which just dropped him from an overnight second overall to third overall by tie break with race winner Bruce Keen.

Daniel Henderson has won the Broo Premium Lager Musto Performance Skiff World Championships. Daniel started sailing in the Optimist class, but soon grew out of this and moved into the highly competitive 29er class. As with many kids of his age, Daniel soon got too big for the 29er and moved into the Musto Performance Skiff at age 17, along with his 29er mates Tom Wright and Matt and Nick Hollis.

His ambition like many youths of this age is to sail in the Olympics, but with a degree course on the go, and girlfriends keeping him busy there is more to life for this talented young sailor.

Full results can be viewed at the event results click here

Reports from previous days and the pre worlds can be found click here