Chris Steele (NZL) is 2007 Optimist World Champion

by Opti media on 4 Aug 2007
Chris Steele of the Wakatere BC near Auckland, is the 2007 Optimist World Champion, the first time the event has been won by a New Zealand sailor.

Chris, and Logan Dunning-Beck in 9th place, are both from the same club as 2004 silver medallist Paul Snow-Hansen who last week took silver in the 29ers at the ISAF World Youth Championship. Combined with Carl Evans who had two top-20 results at Optimist Worlds and became the youngest ever 420 world champion there is clearly a great group of NZL sailors reminiscent of Jim Saltonstall's 'ferrets' of the early '90s.

And they are not all male. New Zealand's Alexandra Maloney finished off a fine consistent series to take over-all bronze and the girls' prize well ahead of Lara Vadlau (AUT). Rachel Lee (SIN) had a superb 5/6 to snatch girls' bronze. Not surprisingly New Zealand won the Miami Herald Trophy for the best team aggregate score.

On this sixth and final day of the championship the race committee managed two races in relatively light 8-12 knots, leaving the series complete at 13 races.

Benjamin Grez of Chile started the day with the the handicap of a low second discard and could do nothing once Steele kept his nerve. Silver is however a great result for a relatively small and remote fleet. 2006 champion Julian Autenrieth (GER) showed great character to fight back from his disastrous OCS/34/39 in the earlier light weather races to finish fourth.

There were some notable results lower in the fleet. Austria not only had Lara in 10th place and Benjamin Bildstein in 15th but also all its sailors in the top 100. Caribbean results continue to improve with Ian Barrows (U.S.V.I.) in 12th place, Ivan Aponte of Puerto Rico in 17th and Ard van Aanholt from Curaçao making the top 50.

Of the 13 races five have been in light winds and the remainder in stronger stuff, including one race where 32 knots were recorded. This regatta has been one of the best tests of all-round skills in a long time . . . . possibly the best since the last time we visited Sardinia.

Optimist Worlds - Final leading positions (251 entries)

1 NZL 4010 STEELE CHRIS M Wakatere Boating Club 62 pts
2 CHI 284 GREZ BENJAMIN M Yates Algarrobo 68 pts
3 NZL 4256 MALONEY ALEXANDRA F Murrays Bay Sailing Club 91 pts
4 GER 11861 AUTENRIETH JULIAN M Bayerischer Y.C. 96 pts
5 BER 1023 ANFOSSI JAMES M RHADC 112 pts
6 GRE 1231 TSIBOUKELIS ADONIS M IOPOR 117 pts
7 FRA 1873 PELISSON SACHA M Y.C. de Cavalaire 123 pts
8 GRE 1229 BAKATSIAS TPIADAFILLOS M IOPOR 130 pts
9 NZL 4232 DUNNING BECK LOGAN M Wakatere Boating Club 132 pts
10 AUT 1004 VADLAU LARA F K.Y.C. Klagenfurt 135 pts
11 TAH 873 PORÉE NICOLAS M Y.C. Tahiti 140 pts
12 ISV 8008 BARROWS IAN M St.Thomas Y.C. 140 pts
13 DEN 8174 BONDE JES LYHNE M Kolding Sejlklub 144 pts
14 PER 280 RENGIFO MATIAS M CRL 146 pts
15 AUT 919 BILDSTEIN BENJAMIN M Y.C. Bregenz 147 pts
16 ECU 118 MARTINETTI JONATHAN M Puerto Lucia Y.C. 148 pts
17 PUR 859 APONTE IVAN M Palmas Academy 149 pts
18 MEX 516 ORTIZ VIVAS FEDERICO M Club Nautico Avandaro 150 pts
19 NOR 3527 FASTE HARALD M Drøbaksund S.F. 156 pts
20 FRA 9393 MAZARD MAXIME M S.R. Caledonienne 157 pts
21 BRA 3083 SWAN LUCAS M Iate Club Do Riu De Janeiro 162 pts
22 FRA 777 THELIER YVAN M Y.C. Guadeluope 163 pts
23 ITA 6983 TITA RUGGERO M 13 - 0354 - S.Velica di Barcola - Grignano 170 pts
24 ITA 6741 CERRI OLMO M C.V. Pietrabianca 172 pts
25 CRO 978 BOTICA ANTE M J.K. Trogir 176 pts
26 SIN 111 LEE RACHEL F SAFYC 176 pts
27 ARG 3053 ROLDAN TOMAS M CNSI 177 pts
28 ESP 1180 MAS-DEPARES SANTI M Movistar 177 pts
29 CRO 963 PLENKOVIC BARTUL M J.K. Helios 184 pts
30 GBR 5556 SPARKS PHIL M Royal Lymington 184 pts
31 MAS 43 MOHD ASRI MUHAMMAD NAZRIN MUIS M Malaysia Yachting Ass. 186 pts
32 GBR 5559 GRANT JAMES M Restronguet 188 pts
33 PER 284 ZIMMERMANN STEPHANIE F CRL 192 pts
34 NZL 4235 TURNER JAMES M Murrays Bay Sailing Club 193 pts
35 ITA 7155 CAPUTO ROBERTA F RYCC Savoia 193 pts
36 DEN 8105 KIRKETERP KRISTIAN M EGAA 195 pts
37 TAH 899 HORVATH LASZLO M Y.C. Tahiti 197 pts
38 JPN 3025 TANAKA KOKI M Hyogo Y.C. 207 pts
39 SIN 115 KAN RUSSELL M SAFYC 210 pts
40 GER 12112 MARTEN JENS M Segelclub Eckernförde 215 pts
41 FRA 1842 QUIROGA PIERRE M Y.C. Londais 217 pts
42 ISV 189 COYLE ALEXANDER M St.Thomas Y.C. 218 pts
43 SWE 4205 LUNDQVIST OSCAR M KKKK 221 pts
44 ITA 6872 BERNARD MATTEO M Bracciano Sailing Team 224 pts
45 AUT 802 HUSSMANN LUKAS M Y.C. Breitebrunn 225 pts
46 ITA 7239 CUCINOTTA CARLO M CTV Messina 229 pts
47 DEN 8093 TOBIASSEN BALDER M Kerteminde Sejlklub 230 pts
48 ARG 2979 CONTE-GRAND ALEJO M YCO 236 pts
49 AHO 11 VAN AANHOLT ARD M Youth Sailing Curaçao 236 pts
50 USA 14770 POTTS PEARSON M Sothern Y.C./Ney York Y.C. 237 pts

Event website - http://www.sailingsardinia.it/2007bis/optresults.htm