2013 Nacra 17 World Championship - Australian crews prepare

by Craig Heydon on 22 Jul 2013 At the Nacra 17 World Championship Australian crews are preparing for the first ever race which begins in the Netherlands on Monday.

The Nacra 17 is one of two new classes added to the sailing competition the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with the first World Championship for the mixed multihull taking place in The Hague.

Four Australian crews will contest the largest event in the class’ short history, with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis, Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty, and Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski all set to be in action.

Sydney cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have been the most successful of the Australian crews so far, finishing with silver at two of the five regattas they’ve contested in the class, making the medal race at a further two events.

'Our preparation for the Worlds has gone to plan and we’ve had some really good results over the last few months, including two silver medals at EUROSAF events,' said Waterhouse. 'Now that we’ve put some hours away on the boat we feel a lot more comfortable and have been able to push the limits a bit harder. However we don’t want to be complacent at this event as most teams have had more time on the boats than us.

'It would be fantastic to end on a high after such a great European season however it’s sailing and you can’t expect anything,' he said.

Josh McKnight and Nina Curtis are back racing in the Nacra 17 for the first time since May, with Curtis also competing in a number of 49erFX regattas this year.

'Josh and I have spent the last six weeks in separate pursuits, with Josh doing some sailing in his Moth back at home while I’ve been sailing the 49erFX with Haylee Outteridge,' said Curtis. 'It’s been great to get back into the Nacra, we’ve been training with the Australian squad now for a couple of weeks and it’s been very productive.

'Josh and I are seeing the boat with fresh eyes and have enjoyed being experimental in our lead up to the Worlds,' she said. 'We’ve learned a lot and are very excited to put this into practice when we start racing.

'The lineup of sailors here is very impressive,' said Curtis. 'There are world class sailors here from all avenues of the sport. Josh and I are very excited to lineup with the fleet and learn as much as possible during this regatta.'

Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty will contest their fifth Nacra 17 event together this week, with the pair having a best finish so far of eighth in Weymouth last month.

'We’ve had a few days to get used to sailing here, the conditions are quite different to most of what we’ve faced so far this season with plenty of current and some bigger North Sea waves which make negotiating the beach break on the way in and out a little interesting,' said Whitty. 'After about 30 days in the Nacra we’re getting used to how the boat behaves, the racing is fast paced and physical, especially when the breeze and sea state gets up.

'We feel that the Worlds will provide a good opportunity to see who is doing well and to gain some valuable information on the class,' she said. 'We’ll be racing hard and trying to put together what we’ve learnt over the last two months in Europe. It’s great to have all of the key teams at one place competing.'

The 2013 Nacra 17 World Championship will be the fourth regatta in the class for Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierbowski, with the pair finishing 16th, fifth and 11th in their first three events.

Racing begins in The Hague on Monday, with the 2013 Nacra 17 World Championship continuing until Saturday.

For more information on the Australian Sailing Team visit the team website.