Silver for Australian Cooper in the SB20 2019 French National Championship
by Jane Austin / SB20 AUS Media 16 Sep 2019 09:49 NZST
2019 French SB20 National Championship fleet © SB20 Class President
The SB20 International fleet is on notice following an impressive silver-medal performance from Tasmanian crew Brett Cooper, Darren 'Twirler' Jones and Jock Calvert (Aeolus, RYCT/DSS)). The team sailed the new charter boat to second place in the three-day regatta held in Hyeres, France, also the location of the 2019 SB20 World Championship.
The final day of sailing proved frustrating for the Australians who were sitting in second place, five points behind GBR's John Pollard (Xcellent) going into the last day of racing. PRO Jean Diaz held the fleet ashore until 1300 when the breeze finally started to fill in, but the delay dashed Cooper's hopes of three races and a chance to regain the lead. Cooper finished the regatta with silver on 25 points after a third in Race 8 and a fifth in Race 9.
Pollard, Jack Wetherell and Steve Procter had an impressive regatta and maintained their form from Cowes, where they were recently crowned the 2019 SB20 UK National Champions. After a harsh lesson in Race Three (BFD/26), Pollard sailed a disciplined regatta and showed plenty of class on the race course with a top three finish in each race bar the last, finishing on 20 points, and taking the French National title from French youth sailor, Robin Follin. Follin (Give Me Five FFV Youth) finished in third place on 35 points, an impressive performance after an 18-month break from the SB20 Class.
The French Nationals is one of two lead-up events sailed prior to the World Championship in October. While it was a good opportunity for training, the 25-boat fleet will have a lot more action on the start line when they face off in the Worlds with a fleet of close to 80 boats from six nations expected.
"The purpose of these warm-up regattas is not only to get to know Hyeres better but to get a few extra days together with each team to work on areas where they need improvement, and with the dependability of the Hyeres winds, this regatta has been an excellent training run for all," said Ed Russo, President of the SB20 Class World Council.
And this was certainly the feedback from Australian Jock Calvert who is sailing with the Aeolus team for the first time in an international event. "As a team of three, we've only sailed together a handful of times. It's been a good challenge to move forward into the bow position, and it's taken me a bit of time to master it. The boys have been great and we're all starting to really sync up and get our processes and teamwork humming," said Calvert.
SB20 Australian President Stephen Catchpool was equally impressed with Cooper's performance noting the limited opportunities the Australians have to compete against the international SB20 fleet. "I'm very excited to see Brett [Cooper} and his crew do so well in the French Nationals. Brett, along with our other Australian entries Porco Rosso (Elliott Noye), The Imp (Andrew Smith) and Essence of Athena (Anna Reid), will be a formidable presence in the Worlds. Noye has already showed his class in Portugal and Ireland and definitely has his eye on the prize in Hyeres," said Catchpool.
The French Grand Slam will be held 4-6 October and the Worlds from 19-25 October 2019.