Australia strong on first day

The 29er World Chanmpionships have begun in Australia alongside the 49ers

Young Australian sailors, Steven Thomas and Jasper Warren are marginally leading on the opening day of the 29er World Championship hosted by Sorrento Couta Sailing Boat Club.

With four races away, the West Australians had a blinder, winning three of their group’s four races, finishing fourth in the fourth race. However, due to the number of entries, competitors are sailing in four groups in the qualifying rounds, and Denmark’s Henrik Sogaard and Soren Kristensen are in second place on equal points with the Aussies after two firsts, a third and a second.

James Peters and Ed Fitzgerald (above, GBR) are in third place, just a point in deficit, with another Danish crew, and the first female skipper, Katrine Andersen and crew Rie Luxhoi in fourth place and a second Brit crew Bleddyn Mon and Tom Humphreys fifth, just one point away from the Danes.

With 67 Australian entries representing over half of the 102 boat fleet, it is no surprise to find Aussies filling out the next three places.

Nick Peate and Rhys Mara, Joe Rose and Jamie Woods and Byron White and William Ryan are sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

Four 29er groups raced on two courses starting just after 10.00am this morning. Like the 49ers, they faced 15 knot nor-easterly breezes which faded as the day went on.

The qualifying rounds of the Sail Melbourne event continue tomorrow off Sorrento, with a further four races on windward/leeward courses planned. Results are provisional pending any protests.

Results:

Pos	Helm	Crew	Nationality	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot
1	THOMAS, Steven	WARREN, Jasper	AUS	1	1	1	4	7
2	SOGAARD, Henrik Rask	KRISTENSEN, Soren Wiegand	DEN	1	3	1	2	7
3	PETERS, James	FITZGERALD, Ed	GBR	2	1	4	1	8
4	ANDERSEN, Katrine Ditmar	LUXHOI, Rie	DEN	4	2	1	3	10
5	MON, Bleddyn	HUMPHREYS, Tom	GBR	6	1	2	2	11
6	PEATE, Nick	MARA, Rhys	AUS	2	2	3	5	12
7	ROSE, Joel	WOODS, Jamie	AUS	1	4	2	6	13
8	WHITE, Byron	RYAN, William	AUS	3	3	3	5	14
9	JACOBS, Taariq	MALAN, Neil	RSA	9	2	1	4	16
10	LIU, Justin	CHENG, Sherman	SIN	6	7	4	1	18