Two days of 470 training tough but good, Lasers and 420's "getting themselves sorted".

Parents please note that their clothes are still clean and they still look well nourished!

And Sophie 'no blocks' Chesterman is not watching the sailing!!

Bring on the weekend!

5/12/9 - Day 1 Proper!

With difficult wind conditions, the sailors found it an interesting challenge. Rohan and Ben 'Cougar' Price followed their 470 training of the last two days with a 10th after day 1. In the Laser radials, George Jones is leading the field with Elliott 6th, Zac Pullen 15th (including a blistering 3rd in race 1), Angus 20th and Nathan 25th  - out of a fleet of 50 boats (thats all Tassie sailors in top half).

The 4.7's are in a fleet of 22 with Sophie leading the Tassie sailors 2nd after day 1 with two 4th places, Lewis 12th, Zac 'Mainsheet' Petterd 16th and Emma 19th. 

Amelia and Lucy are 7th overall in the 420's with Doug and Pat 12th after the 1st two heats.

Two sailors from Tassie I forgot (sorry) were Robbie Gough and Will Logan in their Moths.  In fact I didnt know either were there but Goughies competitors clearly do as his 3 top 4 finishes have him in 2nd overall.  Will is lying 9th in the fleet of 19, which must be a spectacle to watch!

Official Story from Sail Sydney day 1 : http://www.sailsydney.org.au/default.asp?Page=45196

As you can see the sailors are chilling out this evening and learning to cook.  Early to bed tonight before the battle resumes tomorrow. - Stef

 6/12/9 - Update from Peter Campbell (a proper Journo!) as reported in the Mercury

Tasmanian leads Laser Radials at Sail Sydney

Young Tasmanian sailor Christopher Jones is leading the Laser Radial fleet halfway through the Sail Sydney international regatta for Olympic and international youth classes.

Jones scored a sixth and third placings in Saturday’s tricky breezes on Sydney Harbour, but today was at his best in a 12-15 knot nor’easterly seabreeze to score two wins and a third.

A fleet of 47 of Australia’s top young sailors, plus international entries from Singapore, Switzerland, Ireland and New Zealand is contesting the open single-handed Laser Radial class at Sail Sydney, with Jones leading by four points from Singaporean Scott Sydney after five of the scheduled 10 races.

Another Tasmanian, Elliott Noye is 10th overall in the Laser Radials while in the smaller rig Laser 4.7 class Sophie Chesterman is 10th and Lewis Noye 11th overall midway through the four-day regatta. Douglas Shephard and Ptrick Hutton are 11th overall in the 420 class.

Well-known Hobart businessman and sailor Robert Gough is a close third overall in the spectacular International Moth blade-rider class with a consistent score so far of 4-1-3-4-4-3. Sail Sydney, which has attracted more than 200 competitors, including Australian and overseas Olympic sailors, continues on Monday and Tuesday.
 

By Peter Campbell

With three final races to sail tomorrow (Tuesday), Tasmanian George Jones and Singaporean Scott Sydney are locked in a fight to win the Laser Radial division of the Sail Sydney international regatta on Sydney Harbour.

Light 5 to 6 knot north-westerly morning breezes did not suit the 17-year-old Jones, with light weight women sailors taking out the two heats sailed.

Jones placed ninth in the first race today, notching up a sixth in race two, whereas his major rival, Sydney, had two third placings to take the overall lead from Jones, with a margin of two points.

A Sydney Harbour nor’easter came sweeping in early this afternoon and Jones is looking towards similar weather for tomorrow’s final day at Sail Sydney.

“I came in hoping for a top five result,” an understated George Jones said this morning. “I finished fourth here last year, so I expected a similar result in the fleet I’m sailing against here. There are a lot of good people here.”

In the Laser 4.7 class, Tasmanian Sophie Chesterman enjoyed the light breeze to record a second and a third, but she is still ninth overall. Lucy Shephard and Amelia Catt sailed well in the 420 class, with a seventh and a fifth in the big fleet.

Robbie Gough continued his consistent form today in the Moth class with three successive fourth placings to hold third overall.