Officials expect a strong Australian and international line-up for the Olympic and Invited Classes Regatta, the Inaugural Commonwealth Sailing Championships, and the B14 National and World Championships.

In the Olympic and Invited Classes Regatta, to be sailed from 11 to 16 January and hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club, the entry list will be exceptional.

As the only Australian Grade 1 ISAF (International Sailing Federation) ranked event, and a qualifying event for the Olympics in Greece in 2004, it is anticipated that all Australian sailors aiming at Olympic selection will compete, along with a number of international sailors with the same goal.

In the exciting 49er skiff, Mark Turnbull/Nick Partridge AUS, will take on the new NSW pairing of former Olympian and world champion, Chris Nicholson with his new crew, Gary Boyd. Internationals will include Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello ITA (World Ranked 6), Ilya Ermakov/Maxim Logoutenko RUS, Kenji Nakamura/Masato Takaki JPN, with the possibility of Michael Hestbaek/Rasmus Terp Hansen DEN (WR8) and Pawel Kacprowski/Pawel Kuzmicki POL (WR9) also appearing. Dan Slater/Nathan Handley NZL, plan to make a flying visit from their America’s Cup campaign.

Sarah Blanck AUS (WR19), will head the Europe class competitors, having recently won the 109-strong World Championship in Canada. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, Sarah Macky NZL, Larissa Nevierov ITA, Lenka Smidova CZE (WR5), and hopefully Carolijn Brouwer NED (WR2), will join her.

Australia will be well represented in the Yngling class, with the winners of the Olympic Test Event in Greece, Melanie Dennison/ Caroline Aders/Fiona Herbert (WR2) taking on Nicky Bethwaite/Kristin Kosmala/TBA, with the possibility of Shirley Robertson/Inga Leask/Sarah Aytons GBR making an appearance.

Australia’s Michael Lancey and Jonathan Bonnitcha will face Jon-Paul Tobin NZL, Dominic Tidey GBR (WR5), and Sebastien Guter GER in the Mens Mistral class, while Natasha Sturges GBR (WR3), Julie Worth and Barbara Kendall both from NZL, Julien Savina FRA, Alison Shreeve AUS, head the Womens Mistral contingent.

This event marks the Australian battle for the Star class Olympic spot with multi-Olympic representatives, Colin Beashel/David Giles, along with Iain Murray/Andrew Palfrey and Ian Walker/Nick Williams going head to head.

Darren Bundock/John Forbes AUS (WR1), Silver medallists at both the Sydney 2000 Games and the Olympic Test Event, will head the Tornado group, and will be joined by Jordanis Paschalidis/Christos Garefis GRE and former Hobie 16 World Youth champions, Robbie Lovig/Josh Fugill AUS.

Anthony Nossiter, Dean McAullay and Josh Beaver will represent Australia in the Finn class against tough opponents in Sebastien Godefroid BEL (WR5),and Mateusz Kusznierewicz POL (WR3).

Featuring in the 470 Mens and Womens double-handed dinghy are Australia’s Gold Medal winners at Sydney 2000, Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell (WR2), with fellow Australians, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page (WR1) and brothers Mathew and Dan Belcher. Teams from Singapore, Cyprus, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and India will compete in both events, but Italy and Japan do not qualify for the CSC.

The return of Australia’s Michael Blackburn to the Laser class, in which he won Bronze at the Sydney Olympics, will provide good competition to other Aussies Brendan Casey (WR6), Ben Lamb and John Holroyd. Internationally, Ed Wright GBR (WR5), Diego Negri ITA (WR7) and Giorgio Poggi ITA, Roope Suomalainen FIN (WR9), Matthew Blakey NZL, Mark Powel and Russell McGovern GBR, with up to four competitors from India will take on the Australians, with Blackburn looking to ascend the ranking ladder after a period away from the class.

With a number of athletes having been away representing at such events as the America’s Cup and Volvo Round the World Race, and a number of others changing class and crew, Sail Melbourne 2003 is the first major step for many to recoup losses on their world rankings.

The International 2.4mR has also been included to enable a Paralympic Selection Event to be conducted with the same standard of quality race management that Sail Melbourne provides for all the other classes. Watch out for Australians Michael McLean, Peter Thompson and Zoltan Pegan, and at least one NZL boat.

In the junior Optimist class, which is being strongly promoted on the East Coast of Australia, a fleet of about ten boats is expected to take part. In 2004, Sail Melbourne will host the Optimist National Championships, which should build fleet numbers even more. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, over half of the sailing medallists had commenced their sailing career in the Optimist class.

Kevin Wood, Chairman of Sail Melbourne’s Management Committee, recently returned from the International Sailing Federation Annual Conference held in Cyprus and stated, `The Inaugural Commonwealth Sailing Championships should see sailors from fifteen or more Commonwealth countries vying for the medals. Paul Henderson, President of the International Sailing Federation and a Member of the International Olympic Committee, will be attending the Championships`.

A large number of Commonwealth countries are demonstrating their support for the event, with entries from Canada, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Cyprus, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. New Zealand is expected to provide up to fifteen entries and this number may even be exceeded by India, which is sending two teams. Four Fijian and two Indian crews are expected to join numerous Australian entries in the Hobie 16 class.

Approximately 35 boats are expected to contest the fourth B14 World championship, to be hosted by McCrae YC, to take place from 5-11 January, following the B14 Australian championship in late December and early January.

Six boats from the UK are on their way, with the remainder coming from NSW, Victoria and Tasmania to sail on what is expected to be breezy windward-leeward courses.

With the U.K. winning the last two Worlds, and the remnants of the past two World title holding crew combinations taking part, the Aussies will need to work hard to beat their rivals. Notably, the current World title holding crew, Shaun Barber has teamed up with Jono Pank, who steered his way to 6th place at the World Titles on Lake Garda, Italy in 2002.

Tim Fells, arguably the most consistent B14 sailor and class proponent, with a 2-1-2 record at the last three World championships, has teamed with Dave Cunningham in an effort to regain the title he won in Sydney three years ago.

Of the Australians, Richie Reynolds/Lissa McMillan, current National and NSW State champions, Paul Hansen/James Ellis and newcomers, McCrae YC Commodore and ex International 14 sailor, Guy ‘Bangers’ Bancroft and his son Rhys are tipped to make life a little difficult for the Poms. Other Aussies with ability include Abby Parkes/Sophie Hunt and Peter Ray/Gareth Wells.

A number of other classes will race at various locations in Victoria as part of Sail Melbourne, including the Australian Offshore Keelboat Championships to be sailed out of Royal YC of Victoria. Most of Australia’s top grand-prix racers will take part after finishing the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race.

Yachting Victoria’s David Staley will oversee regatta Management, with assistance from Anna Ryan and Jane Moffat Sail Melbourne’s Principal Race Officer for the Olympic & Invited Classes and Commonwealth Sailing Championships Regattas is Kevin Wilson.

All information on the regatta can be found at the Sail Melbourne website: www.sailmelbourne.com.au.

Source: Di Pearson