Dates locked in for SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Finals
by Harry Fisher, Down Under Sail 30 Jun 2021 06:54 AEST
19-20 & 26-27 March 2022
SAILING Champions League Final day 2 © Harry Fisher
Next season's SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Finals will be held in Newcastle on 19-20 March and 26-27 March 2022 with sailors and clubs encouraged to lock the dates into their calendars.
The event returns to the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club after a successful effort last season that saw the SAILING Champions League: Asia Pacific become part of the iconic SailFest event.
This season it will be held over two weekends with the Under-22 component on 19-20 March and the Open Finals as the main event the weekend after, giving Under-22 teams a chance to compete in both events.
Clubs will also be invited from Asia, Oceania and New Zealand with the top Australian, Pacific and Asian clubs at the SCL:AP Final qualifying for the SCL World Final in Europe in September 2022.
The SCL Asia Pacific Final will also continue to be a truly gender equal event with all teams made up of two males and two females - a truly unique achievement in the sport of sailing that is leading the way for gender equality and creating a level playing field.
Last season's Final saw 10 talented teams from eight Australian clubs battle it out to be crowned the country's best, with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania team of Sam King, Chloe Fisher, Alice Buchanan and Charlie Zeeman coming away as champions.
The season also held a successful Southern Qualifier at Melbourne's Mornington Yacht Club in February, which was well supported by a number of clubs from across Victoria and Tasmania.
SCL Director Mark Turnbull said Newcastle was an ideal venue for the stadium-style racing offered by the SCL and it was an exciting prospect to be returning in 2022.
"Last season we saw some of the most spectator-friendly racing in Australia as sailors competed within earshot of the Honeysuckle Hotel and the Newcastle foreshore precinct," he said.
"The racing was cut-throat and all to play for, which is what made it so appealing to the sailors. We look forward to bringing the SCL Final back to Newcastle."
Last season's champions, the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, were a dominant force across the Southern Qualifier and Final events, taking out both regattas against tough competition.
Team skipper Sam King vouched for the short-course fleet racing format following the win in Newcastle.
"I'm a big fan of 'all sailing is good sailing', and these kinds of regattas are very different to others we usually sail in," he said.
"It's just nice to sail with a good group of mates, and to be representing at a club level compared to any other level is a whole lot of fun."
For more information about the Sailing Champions League - Asia Pacific, head to sailing-championsleague.asia.