2019 WASZP Games at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club - Preview
by Marc Ablett 29 Jul 2018 06:22 PDT
22-28 January 2019
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, Perth, Australia © RFBYC
With a successful European Championship now fading into the rear-view mirror the WASZP worlds attention is now firmly on the 2019 WASZP Games in Perth hosted by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club!
Enter now and pay later at bit.ly/Enter-WASZP-GAMES
The event is scheduled from the 22nd – 28th of January on the beautiful Swan River, with the wind cranking in at 18-20knots every day and flat water this will provide an incredible spectacle for sailors and spectators alike.
The Australian Nationals will be held from the 18th-20th of January as a warm up to the main event. Registration will occur on the 20-21st of January with the first ever International WASZP Slalom event held in the afternoon of the 21st. This will be held in front of the RFBYC with live commentary and live streamed around the world!
From the 22-28th Championship racing will be the focus, with 80-100 boats expected it will make for some of the most exciting high-performance racing seen. With the one-design nature of the boat it is not uncommon to see 15-20 boats bunched together at speeds of over 20knots. Another aspect that the WASZP has introduced is the final race of the event will be a Reverse Grid Marathon race where the top sailors will incur a major handicap and must chase down the boats that are down the leader board. This will not count towards the overall championship, but it levels the playing field further and provides some great entertainment for everyone in the fleet.
The WASZP has captured the imagination of the sailing public and has given foiling access to many who did not think it was possible. At the recent European Championship, we had four different heat winners, aged 14,23,38 & 42 showing that age is no barrier. To add to that we had seven female sailors compete and 22 youth sailors showing equality amongst the fleet.
Around the world there are many quality sailors getting involved in the class, especially in Australia we are seeing former Olympians and former high- performance squad members getting involved in the class, looking for a fun new challenge they can do with mates at their local clubs.
With over 620 boats in 41 countries and strong racing circuits in twelve countries the future looks very bright for the WASZP. The lifestyle that is being pushed by the brand and sailors is a key aspect to this. It is not just a sailing event, it is the whole package, you can actually have a holiday as well, bring your friends and bring your family. There is a community being built where it doesn't matter if you are first or last everyone is on the same level and the help from the top guys to the back of the fleet is fantastic to see. Socially everyone has a ball, on Australia Day during the WASZP Games organisers are planning a group trip to Rottnest Island where everyone can explore and socialise together, young and old.
So get a WASZP today, contact for any information about the boat or the up-coming events in your area. If you are looking at shipping options for the 2019 WASZP Games please get in touch, WASZP is allocating a USD1,000 subsidy for any country or group shipping their boats via container. With this in mind and the fact a 20ft Container fits fifteen boats it makes it an affordable journey at around USD300-USD400 return.
If you are in Europe there is a combined container potentially leaving from Lake Garda, please contact office@waszp.rocks for more information!
Also check out the airbnbs available for the event there is plenty of accommodation cheap for groups close to the club: bit.ly/WASZP-Accomodation
There are active demos happening around the world, so if you are thinking of taking a different journey with your sailing or want try foiling for the first time, get in touch.
www.waszp.com/events