Strike
One To Shuwalow At Hobie 16 Australians
Tim
Shuwalow/Cameron Hooper finished second in Race
1 and won Race 2 to take the lead at the Hobie
16 Australian and Asia Pacific Championships on
Port Phillip Bay.
Despite
racing being postponed on parts of Port Phillip
today, due to excessive winds, the Hobie 16 Australian
and Asia Pacific Championships got underway at
Port Melbourne Yacht Club in very gusty and shifty
westerly winds.
Organisers
got two races away at the Sail Melbourne event
that in part is the Australian qualifying series
for the 2005 Hobie Worlds in South Africa in October.
In
an international fleet from Australia, New Caledonia,
Tahiti, Hong Kong, Peurto Rico and Japan, which
included three newly crowned champions; Hobie
Tiger Australian Champions Darren Bundock/Alex
Goltz (AUS) and World Hobie 18 Champions Brad
Sumner/Belinda Walkom, neither of whom finished
in a top five position, racing was hard and few
escaped a breakage or spectacular capsize.
There
were plenty of capsizes, thrills, spills and broken
gear as the winds got up past the 25 knot range,
forcing some of the 45 boats taking part to retire
from racing. In fact, Olympian and world champion
in multiple classes, Darren Bundock had a swim
in the second race, with winds averaging at 20
knots but gusting to 28.
The
leader, Shuwalow, who finished fifth at the 2004
Hobie 16 Worlds in Mexico, got of the start line
well to extend his lead throughout the race.
Second
overall after two races, Darren Smith/Natalie
Hill (the 2000 Australian Hobie 16 champions),
won the first race, but finished fifth in the
second. Sebastian Eyssartier/Maxine Cardarelly
(FRA) are third overall after sixth and third
placings.
Racing
continues tomorrow with Acting Victorian Premier,
John Thwaites, taking time out of his busy schedule
to take to the water to view racing. The Victorian
Government is a major sponsor of Sail Melbourne.
Provisional
top five results:
1
Clown Racing T Shuwalow/C Hooper (AUS) 3
2
Blew By You D Smith/N Hill (AUS) 6
3
NA8 S Eyssartier/M Cardarelly (FRA) 9
4
Hobiecat (Aus) B Sumner/B Walkom (AUS) 10
5
NA9 B Pelen/E Carpin (FRA) 11
For
full results go to the official Sail Melbourne
website: www.sailmelbourne.com.au
By
Di Pearson – Sail Melbourne – phone:
0410 792 131
