Etchell pre-Worlds

Ian Grant reports from Mooloolaba in Australia's sunshine state

It’s not very difficult to fall in love with the Queensland Sunshine Coast tourist destination of Mooloolaba.

The striking rocky headland of Pt Cartwright linked by a beautiful surf beach and the silhouette of Mudjimba Island present a place which the locals call paradise.

I guess all of the visitors have the same impression particularly if all they have to do is soak up the warm rays of the winter sun and take in some ‘Eye Candy’ as the while away the hours watching the ground swell disturb the sand when it dumps on the beach.

That scene will take on a totally different perspective tomorrow when some of the world’s best one-design yacht racing tacticians begin their ‘shake down’ trials in preparation for the most important sailing prize ever decided at this lovely location.

Even in normal times Mooloolaba is a magnet to some of the finest and fittest aquatic sporting people in the county but that will be lifted to another level over the next few weeks when the Mooloolaba Yacht Club host the 2004 World Etchells sailing championship.

The scene is set for a tremendous sailing spectacle involving a number of high profile sailors.

This World sailing championship to be decided on the testing waters off the southern Coral Sea has drawn the best of the best including Americas Cup winners, Olympic Medalists, Volvo Race sailors and World champions from a number of classes.

Special interest will focus on the battle between two of the World’s best known skippers when Australia’s John Bertrand and American Dennis Conner rekindle old rivalries as they contest the second series of the Etchells Pre-World championship regatta over the Mooloolaba Yacht Club course this weekend.

Bertrand who steered Australia II to her remarkable come from behind America's Cup win over the Dennis Conner skippered Liberty 21 years ago will need to produce a special performance to win this highly competitive championship ahead of the dual World Etchells champion Conner and several other very talented young skippers.

Conner presently ranked No1 in the World has a tremendous respect for Bertrand who beat the ace American in the recent New Zealand championship.

As expected both skippers share the World title favouritism however they could be in for a surprise when the ‘foxing’ finishes and the serious tactical sailing begins.

Both Conner and Bertrand have a personal respect for the Queensland title-winning crew of Mark Bradford, Mike O’Brien and Gary Adshead who are yet to reveal the potential and boat speed that paved the way for them to win the World title Silver Medal behind England’s Stuart Childerley in New Zealand two years ago.

The time has arrived for Oracle syndicate America's Cup triallist Bradford to put some results on the water to prove why he is held in such high regard by the two Americas Cup champions.

Local Mooloolaba skipper David Turton presently holds the class battle-flag following his 1-1-4 in the first warm up regatta last weekend which gave him the progressive lead over the Rob Brown helmed Steam Packet V and Tasmanian Andrew Hunn in Sputnik.