| Entries
pour in for Sail Melbourne 420 Nationals and Worlds
Already
over 80 international entries have been received
for the 420 Open and Womens World Championship,
and over 90 for the Australian National title to
be sailed as part of Sail Melbourne2004 to be hosted
by Mornington Yacht Club, in Victoria.
Organisers,
Yachting Victoria, are pleased with the large number
of early entrants for the World Youth double-handed
dinghy class that is a stepping-stone to the Olympic
470 class.
‘This
will be an exciting event with some close racing
in big fleets. We expect the international and interstate
sailors will all enjoy the sailing conditions on
Port Phillip, the hospitality of the Mornington
Yacht Club, and the relaxed summer holiday atmosphere
of the Mornington Peninsula’, said Yachting
Victoria’s Sail Melbourne Regatta Manager,
David Staley
Internationally,
entries have come from Italy, Japan, New Zealand,
Greece, Germany, Singapore, Croatia, Switzerland,
USA, Argentina, Brazil, France, Belgium and Great
Britain.
Australian
entries for the National title include the current
ranked No.1 in the World 470 pairing of Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm
Page, competing in these titles to enhance their
Olympic prospects.
They
will face the current World champions Nathan Outteridge/Ayden
Menzies who will defend their title, brother and
sister skippers in Joshua McCall/Ben Callard and
Renee McCall/Sarah Lawrence, along with Mark Patterson/Edward
Alder and Sophie Patterson/Tim Rechichi. Rechichi’s
sister Elise, and her crew Tessa Parkinson, who
finished 1st at the 2003 ISAF Youth Womens Worlds,
will also be on the start line, as will the top
ranked Victorian pair of Tom Chisholm/Jonathan Neate.
As
host nation, the top top14 placegetters in each
of the Open and Womens divisions will earn a place
at the Worlds. The other Nations are capped at seven
places in each division.
Internationally,
entries have come from Italy, Japan, New Zealand,
Greece, Germany, Singapore, Great Britain, Croatia,
Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland and the USA. The
Open Division line-up includes World ranked 3, Lucas
Calabrese/Martin Sans (ARG), ranked 5 Scott Kennedy/Jake
Bartrom (NZL), 6 ranked Jaro Furlani/Daniel Piculin
(ITA) and 7 ranked Matija Longin/Pavle Kostav (CRO).
In
the Womens fleet, watch for World ranked 4, Liying
Toh/Ching Lee Tok (SIN), ranked 7, Emmanuella Rol/Anne-Jophie
Thilo (SUI) and ranked 9, Olivia Powrie/Sarah Bilkey
(NZL).
The
large entry for the 420 events, to be sailed from
December 26 through to January 11, have been helped
along by the generous support of P&O Nedlloyd
and Schenker Australia in providing containers and
shipping at a minimal cost to Sail Melbourne competitors.
Mornington
Yacht Club, having hosted events of this magnitude
before, including the Europe Worlds in 1999, will
be a great venue for this event. Approximately 120
boats are set to take part in the Worlds, with up
to 150 for the Nationals and Mornington 420 Regatta.
International 420 Class President, Nino Schmueli
from Israel, will officiate as the Class Technical
Delegate.
A
picturesque location on the Mornington Peninsula,
Mornington is a family club one hour’s drive,
or four hour’s sail, south-east from Melbourne’s
CBD, and club officials are looking forward to welcoming
their visitors
Local
conditions make for interesting tactical sailing,
with south-westerly winds dominating, Mornington
is known for its stiff breezes and flat water, giving
420 sailors a lot to look forward
For
further information on this and all Sail Melbourne
events, go to: www.sailmelbourne.com.au |
