The world’s No. 1 ranked pair, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page (NSW), won the first race of the day on the triangle windward return course in 12-knot breezes.

Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA) the world-ranked 10th female pair, outsailed the rest of the mixed fleet to finish in 2nd place from Nicolas Charbonnier/Tanguy Cariou (FRA) in 3rd and brothers Matthew and Dan Belcher (AUS) in 4th, with Lisa Charlson/Friederike Zieggelay (AUS) in 5th spot in front of Gold Medal winners from the Sydney Olympics, Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell.

In the second race of the day on an Olympic Trapezoid course in 12 knots, it was Charbonnier/Cariou 1st from Gabrio Zandona/Andrea Trani (ITA),world-ranked 10, in 2nd place and the Belcher brothers in 3rd place from Wilmot/Page.

Progressively, in the Mixed fleet, Charbonnier/Cariou lead with 4 points from Wilmot/Page on 5 points and Belcher/Belcher getting of to a great start in 3rd place with 7 points.

The Mens fleet placings remain as thus.

In the Womens fleet, Petitjean/Douroux lead with 12 points from Armstrong/Stowell on 15 points and Charlson/Ziegelmay on 18 points.

Racing resumes on Port Phillip Bay tomorrow in this 12 race series.

FINN

Australia’s Olympic representative at the Sydney 2000 Games, Anthony Nossiter, today grabbed 1st place in the first race of the Finn Mens Single-handed Dinghy at the Sail Melbourne Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta on Port Phillip Bay.

Nossiter beat Sebastien Godefroid (BEL), the former world-ranked 2, but now ranked 5, to take the lead in the class.

Melbourne’s Paul McKenzie finished 3rd from Pascal Rambeau (FRA), with Christoph Burger (SUI) in 5th place.

However, in Race 2, Godefroid came back to win from Nossiter, with Rambeau in 3rd place. Josh Beaver, 22 year-old hopeful from Perth came in 4th, with McKenzie 5th.

Overall, Nossiter and Godefroid are tied for 1st on 3 points each, with Rambeau in 3rd on 7 points.

Racing in the 12 race series continues tomorrow on Port Phillip Bay.

EUROPE

Ranked No. 5 in the world, Lenka Smidova (CZE), won the first of the Womens Single-handed Dinghy class races from the No. 2 ranked Carolijn Brouwer (NED) at the Sail Melbourne Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta on Port Phillip Bay today.

Hosted by Sandringham YC, the series consists of 12 races, of which two were sailed today on triangle windward return courses.

Current World champion, Sarah Blanck (Vic) finished in 3rd place in 11-knot breezes at 215 degrees.

With a wind shift to 185 degrees and a drop to an average 10 knots of wind, Brouwer posted her first win of the series in Race 2, switching places with Smidova, who finished 2nd, with Blanck once again 3rd.

Progressively, Smidova and Brouwer lead with 3 points apiece, and Blanck is 2nd with 6 points.

Racing in this class got underway at 3.00pm this afternoon and will continue tomorrow with a further two races on Port Phillip Bay.

YNGLING

Proponents of the Yngling keelboat, making its debut at the 2004 Olympic Games, 72 year-old twin sisters, Pat and Joyce Warn with young crew, Tneal Kawala (NSW), have shown the younger girls what it is all about, winning the first race and placing 2nd in the second race of the Yngling class today.

What makes this story more interesting is that they beat both two Olympic hopefuls, Nicky Bethwaite/Kate McHugh/Kristin Kosmala (NSW) and Melanie Dennison/Fiona Herbert/Caroline Aders (Vic), the latter ranked No. 2 in the World.

With the breeze at a constant five knots on Port Phillip Bay, the Warn’s, who turn 73 in March, are the biggest stalwarts of the class, and were recently made Life Members of the International Yngling Association and of their club, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in Sydney, for their services to the Yngling class and to sailing in general.

Speaking after their win, skipper Pat said, ‘we are ecstatic, we sailed our own race, the weather was really good to us, and Tneal called the wind shifts really well today, and that really helped us.’

Her sister, Joyce added, in the second race we were lying 3rd, but a good wind shift came through and we were on the right side of the course, so that helped us.’

Bethwaite, who placed 2-1 today, and now ties with the Warns for 1st place, was thrilled for the sisters, ‘yes, they sailed brilliantly in the light shifty airs, and good on them, they have always been great competitors.’

Dennison and crew, who are in 3rd place after two races, did not have one of their better days, but there is plenty of time to catch up. They finished the day with a 3-4 result to lie in 2nd place.

Racing continues on Port Phillip Bay tomorrow in this 12 race series.

STAR

Colin Beashel/David Giles (NSW) showed their dominance in the first Star keelboat race today out of Sandringham Yacht Club on Port Phillip Bay.

Beashel, who has represented at Olympics on five occasions, and Giles, who has represented three times, won the Bronze medal at the Games in 1996.

The pair is on the comeback trail following a layoff after the Sydney 2000 Games.

Ian ‘Barney’ Walker/Nick Williams (Vic), winners of last year’s event, finished in 2nd place, only 20 seconds behind the leaders.

Andrew Hunn/Michael O’Brien (Tas) finished 3rd from Rod Hagerbols/Will Finlay (USA), followed by former 18ft skiff supremo, Iain Murray/Andrew Palfrey (NSW).

Race 2, and it was Walker/Williams, from Beashel/Giles, Walker saying, ‘Beasho led at the start, but we caught them up and beat then by a whole foot! We had a not too bad day, we have been training for the past two months, but you can’t afford to make a single mistake with Beasho, he’s too slick.’

In 3rd place once again, were Hunn/O’Brien, leaving Beashel/Giles and Walker/Williams tied for 1st place with 3 points each, and Hunn/O’Brien in 2nd with 6 points.

With a number of Australians contesting this regatta, and vying for the Olympic spot, this series is of vital importance.

The Sail Melbourne Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta is the only Grade 1 ranking event in Australia, giving vital points to competitors – National and International, campaigns.

This 2003 Regatta will also count as an Australian Olympic selection event for all Olympic classes excepting the Laser.

Racing continues tomorrow on Port Phillip Bay in this 12 race series.

TORNADO

Current World champions, Darren Bundock/John Forbes (NSW) won the first race of the Tornado class at the Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta today.

Looking extremely relaxed, the dynamic duo beat their training partners, Iordianis Paschalides/Christos Garefis (Greece) by a margin of just over four minutes.

Nigel Williams/Jeremy Stephenson (NZL) came home 3rd in light five-knot breezes on the triangle windward return course.

Although the winds were light on Port Phillip Bay, the Tornado’s still looked spectacular, particularly going downwind under spinnaker.

Race 2 was sailed in 7-knot breezes at 210 degrees, Bundock/Forbes winning from Paschalides/Garefis again, with Stephen Medwell/Brent Vaughan (AUS).

Racing resumes tomorrow in this 12 race series.

49er

With his arm still bandaged from a slight fracture, Gianfranco Sibello crewed for his brother Pietro, to win the first race of the Sail Melbourne Regatta in the 49er skiff today.

Ranked 6 in the World, the brothers had no trouble on the one-lap windward return course on Port Phillip Bay, in the light 5-7 winds at 205 degrees, in the first race to show their dominance over the rest of the fleet.

Conditions for the opening day of the Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta being hosted by Sandringham Yacht Club, were as good as it gets, even If the breeze was a little light for the 49ers, it was otherwise beautiful; flat seas, blue skies and sun.

Emmett Lazich/David Mann (NSW) showed they still had what it takes, finishing 2nd, despite not having raced regularly in the class of late.

New Australian champions, Chris Nicholson/Gary Boyd (NSW) finished 3rd, with Mark Turnbull/Nick Partridge 4th (VIC) and John Harris/Euan McNicol (NSW) 5th.

Changes occurred in the second race, which was sailed in similar conditions to race one, although the breeze had shifted to 235 degrees on flat seas.

Melbourne’s Olympic Gold medallist in the 470 class, Mark Turnbull, with crew, Nick Partridge, won the second race from Ilya Ermakov/Maxim Logoutenko (RUS), with Nicholson/Boyd 3rd.

In the third race of the day, in 7 knots of breeze at 205 degrees, it was Nicholson/Boyd 1st, Turnbull/Partridge 2nd and John Harris/Euan McNicol (NSW) 3rd.

At the end of Day 1, Turnbull/Partridge and Nicholson/ Boyd lead with 7 points each from Harris/McNicol with 12 points.

Racing resumes on Port Phillip Bay tomorrow in this 15 race series.

Source: Di Pearson