The West's Next Hobie Youth Champion

by Shauna McGee Kinney on 23 Jan 2010 Western Australian sailors are rallying around Alex Landwehr, a wonderfully strong contender for the 2009/2010 Australian Hobie Youth Championship.

Alex Landwehr, Hobie Youth Sailing Athlete

Skipper Alex Landwehr is a quiet and thoughtful 17 year old looking forward to future studies in geophysics and engineering. He modestly cannot remember when he started winning regattas, but fondly recalls learning to sail dinghies with his dad, Mark.

For years Alex has immersed himself in helping others learn sailing and he's consistently participated as an assistant coach with the junior sailors at his local club, Nedlands Yacht Club. Even casual sailors have benefited from Alex's patient manner and resourceful instruction. Alex has guided new sailors on catamaran basics at FunCats, a Perth recreational catamaran-hire.

The back-story to Alex Landwehr's National and World Youth campaign might be the real story. Alex and his crew, Jason Dawson, are moving steadily towards representing Australia as the 2010 ISAF youth multihull athletes. Alex and Jason are one of five teams competing for the one spot. They will have a cluster of regattas and travel over the next several weeks.

Starting on Tuesday, Alex and Jason will utilize the three days of racing as preparation for the next important regatta, the OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship (youthchamps.org.au) in Adelaide. The team will use the week between regattas transport their boat across the country.

From 7 to 10 Jan 2010, five Hobie youth teams will be competing at Largs Bay Sailing Club near Adelaide, South Australia and the winning team will become the Australian ISAF Youth Multihull representatives. Using the WA Nationals is valuable, because Alex and Jason's toughest competition will be the top team of Chase Lurati and Paul Darmanin from Victoria.

The ISAF Youth Multihull teams will take a different path than other ISAF Youth Sailing class representatives. The Australian ISAF Youth Multihull champions will progress to the ISAF World Championship in Turkey from 8 to 17 July 2010. In contrast, the other ISAF youth classes will continue on to the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in Aug 2010.

Come see Australia's future top sailors, athletes you might hear a lot about in the coming years. You can see part of the National Championship course from the Mandurah shoreline and two spectator boats will be on the water. Individuals and media interested in watching the races from the water should contact the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club or the Hobie Cat Association Western Australia for more information.

Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club, Organising Authority
Breakwater Parade (PO Box 219), Mandurah, Western Australia, 6210
Phone: (08) 9535 6251

http://www.mofsc.com.au/

The Hobie Youth, Women, Masters / Grand Masters and Tiger athletes started, Tuesday 29 December, and races ran through Thursday 31 December. The Series 1 National Championship was held in Mandurah and followed after New Years by the Series 2 Hobie 16 Open.