Is a third world title on the cards for Nathan Outteridge?

by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team on 22 Jan 2011 Nathan Outteridge, from Lake Macquarie New South Wales, one of the superstars of Australian sailing is clearly freakishly talented and he spends a lot of time on the water, 300 days a year.

Nathan, who turns 25 next week, has twice won the 49er Olympic class skiff World Championship (2007 and 2009) and two weeks ago won the 2011 International Moth World Championship against a stellar field.

Now Nathan has shown he is a good chance to take the SB3 Dinghy World titles in Torbay in England, in May 2011.

In the first event at the 2011 Audi Victoria Week regatta, Nathan sailing with fellow Australian Ian Brown (the 1976 470 Olympic Bronze medallist and long time Olympic coach) and with Irishman David Cheyne, the SB3 World Council President, won the SB3 event against an impressive field.

Second place in the Audi King of the Docklands went to three times European SB3 Champion Glenn Bourke. Further back in the pack was current Australian champion Jono Shelley, who has chalked up three Cowes Week SB3 wins.

David Cheyne (IRL), a former SB3 European champion was clearly very impressed with his new skipper.

‘Nathan is fantastic, super smooth from the back. With the gusts (20-22 knots) Nathan had us going really fast. Boats were going backwards behind us. For me it seemed like a 49er but from him I think it is pretty slow, but it was a good old workout for us as a crew.

‘We are preparing for the Torbay Worlds in May. The weather could throw anything at us, it could be fairly light but you can get a big blow as well and some big waves.

‘We have an eight races series at Audi Victoria Week, the William Angliss SB3 series. Then I will set up a new boat back in Britain for Torbay.’

Ian Brown commented on the win. ‘We did better than I expected. I think we have a serious chance in Torbay.

Ian went on to say ‘these are fun little boats. Obviously I have sailed lots of other boats and it was time for a change and to get involved. After the 2000 Games I was looking after my family and lots of others things so I got out of the routine (of sailing) for around ten years. This is my re-entry in some respects.

Nathan was obviously very pleased. ‘We had a good three days of very close racing in a very tight area. For a brand new crew together, that was a big challenge. However the guys did a great job and we managed to keep out of trouble and have some good starts today and just tried to not make any mistakes.

‘Bourkey (Glenn Bourke) and ourselves had some really close racing. To have an event in Docklands like this which everyone can watch is unreal. Now we will get down to serious long course racing in preparation for Torbay.’

And how did Outteridge, Brown and Cheyne go? Eight races at Audi Victoria Week. They won all eight.

Look out Torbay, here they come!!!