2013 International Cadet World Championship - Strong tides on day 1

by Troy Croft on 13 Sep 2013 2013 International Cadet World Championship - We planned to have three training days, get through the measurement process then a day off before the regatta began, hosted in Nieuwport Belgium. That first day on the water was a real eye opener, the tide was extremely strong.

There was no swirls or tell-tale signs, it was like sitting on a big moving carpet (a phrase I am sure the kids got sick of hearing over the following days),with the tide running at three to four knots one way, stopping briefly and then running just as strong the other way.

It was very hard to achieve anything other than to get the kids to sail around getting the 'vibe' of the place. We did some practice starts which were interesting; at one start the sailors had to set spinnakers to stay behind the line as the tide carried them up the course. But as fellow coach Shane Hughes noted 'let’s keep it up and let them recognise the impact'.

The following two training sessions we had worked out tide times and were able to get in some really good sessions in. Lots of starting, boat-speed testing and drills saw the sailors becoming naturalised quickly.

Back on shore the parents and shore support were busy; the Australian container flanked the boat park area and had seen certain embellishments. A covered recreation area had been built on the back of the container complete with awning, table and chairs, flag pole and most importantly an ice box. A CD had been specially prepared and the strains of Aussie tunes filled the air Hey True Blue, Khe Sanghe and C’mon Aussie C’mon were amongst the favourites, particularly the latter amongst the junior crews. It became quite a meeting place and at various stages most of the other countries availed themselves of the premises.

Over the regatta we saw some great results.
Darcy Baranowski/ Dominic Randall were the success story of the regatta. They started the regatta with incredible consistency, in their first 5 race their worst result was a sixth, on the third day an 11th in the morning race saw them still in second place. In the afternoon they were leading the seventh heat by over 80 metres and extending with the race 75% over. A broken mainsheet saw them 'back-bottle' and after jury rigging the sheet to finish the race in 23rd they had slipped to third.

A win would have seen them going into the lay-day break with a seven point lead and virtual surety of a podium finish. Going into the last day we had a good steady 18 knot breeze and the boys in 'Brothers in Arms' showed their mettle with a win and a second to leap back up into equal third, dropped to fourth on a count back.

Liam Robinson and Nathan Field finished off a great year in cadets (including a second in Australian Champs) with a solid 17th place. After a sluggish start they recovered well and in fact won the award for the most improved over the course of the regatta. Liam had literally outgrown the class and his placing is testament to his skill. As the heaviest crew that was competing, to do so well in light airs and marginal surfing conditions is exemplary.

Emily Goodfellow and Emma Kelly also had a good solid regatta with a 20th overall. These two are a relatively new combination that is improving quickly. Looking at home in the front pack of the fleet on a regular basis. They had some really good races with single digit finishes in a few.

Sam Tiedeman and Hugo Allison (current Australian champs) finished a very good 10th. Sam Abell and William Cooper 15th and won the trophy for the best skipper under 15. Sam Bailey and Laura Cooper were 21st with Oli Burnell and Issi Declerc 27th.

Thomas and Sophie Alexander were incorporated in the Australian team to compete in the Promotional regatta run in conjunction with the worlds. They won this in style with a string of firsts and rarely off the podium. Another crew to watch in the years ahead!
All Australian boats finished well in the 67 boat fleet.

I know that I speak on behalf of all the attendees when I thank the Yachting Victoria and sixth Fleet and members for their amazing support. I know that everyone involved was blown away by the backing they received and the kids very appreciative.