2008 WA Optimist Championships, Mandurah wrap up

by AIODA Optimist Class Media on 29 Apr 2008 Royal Perth Yacht Club sailor Douglas Campbell sailed Pocket Rocket to a convincing win in the Western Australia State and Open International Optimist Dinghy Championships sailed at Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club over the Anzac Day Long Weekend, taking line honours in four of the eleven races sailed.

Paris Stowell representing Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club was second ahead of Sam Blackburn and Matthew Wearn. Oliver Grogono of the United Arab Emirates was second overall and recent NSW State Champion Dylan Passmore of Georges River was sixth behind Wearn.

Campbell, Blackburn and Wearn took out the Club Trophy for Royal Perth Yacht Club. Silver and bronze fleets and the full results are available at; www.aioda.com.

The 80 plus boats sailed in light to moderate offshore easterly breezes as a hit out for the 2009 Australian & Open Championships at Mandurah in January in conjunction with the Yachting Australia Youth Championships.

AIODA treasurer, Mark Stowell, commented that 'January will be a big month in Mandurah with a training clinic on Jan 2 & 3, the Presidents Cup on 4th & 5th and the Nationals between 7th and 11th. Charter boats are available, there’s plenty of affordable accomodation and the clubs facilities are extraordinary. This is probably the year the Optimist Nationals will break through the 100 boat barrier, a huge increase in a very short period.'

Western Australia boasts the largest Optimist fleets in Australia having firmly adopted the class for junior sailing. This year nearly all of the Australian Optimist Sailing Team (AOST) ventured there to test the waters prior to the 2009 Nationals. Again team sponsors OziOpti and TOLL provided boats for the team with the container arriving from the NZ Nationals held last month in Christchurch.

AOST travels to Royal Queensland for the 2008 QLD State Championships on May 17 & 18. The team then travels to Singapore in June with the Worlds team of five travelling to Turkey in July.

For further information on the Optimist Class see, www.aioda.com.