Nicholson and Boyd tough out final day to win 49er class

by Di Pearson on 18 Jan 2004 Chris Nicholson and Gary Boyd (AUS) won today’s 49er final race, and were one of only three to complete today’s final race of the Sail Melbourne Regatta.

The duo has won the series outright, and if things go according to plan, will represent Australia at the Olympic Games in Athens in August this year.

With winds increasing to up to as much as 28-30 knots, the 49er fleet was caught out, the bulk of the fleet suffering breakages, and Masato Tekaki, the Japanese crew of Kenji Nakamura, was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs.

Ben and Marcus Turnbull (AUS), young brothers from Victoria, sailed an excellent regatta, including today’s battering race, to finish their regatta in a deserved second place.

The finished just one point in front of the third placed Ilya Ermakov/Maxim Logoutenko (RUS), the first Russian crew in the history of 49er sailing to finish in a top three place at a major regatta.

For full information, results and photos go to: www.sailmelbourne.com.au