Finishing 49 seconds behind them, for 2nd place in Race 3, was Mark Padgett/Nick Behrans (AUS), with Gerald Ownens/Ross Killian (IRE) finishing 3rd, posting their best result to-date.

Sailing on the two-lap Olympic Trapezoid course in 12 knots from 135 degrees, Shelley Hesson/Linda Dickson (NZL) were best placed in the Womens, finishing 7th overall from Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell (AUS) and Lisa Charlson/Friederike Ziegelmayer (AUS).

With the wind dropping to 5 knots from 150 degrees, brothers, Matthew and Daniel Belcher (Qld), won their first race of the series - Race 4 today, with Nicolas Charbonnier/Tanguy Cariou (FRA) in 3rd.

The best placed in the Womens fleet for Race 4 was Marta Weores/Anna Pay’r (HUN) n 8th place.

Progressively after four races, Wilmot/Page lead convincingly with 8 points from Charbonnier/Cariou in 2nd on15 points and Belcher/Belcher on 18 points for 3rd.

In the Womens fleet, progressively, Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell (NSW) are the best placed with 36 points, but are equal 7th overall in Combined fleet, while Ingrid Peititjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA) are 2nd in Womens on 38 points, and Shelley Hesson/Linda Dickson (NZL) are 3rd with 43 points.

Racing continues tomorrow on Port Phillip Bay with two further races starting at 3.00pm.

STAR

Colin Beashel and David Giles (NSW) continued their winning streak today winning both Races 3 and 4 in the Star keelboat at the Sail Melbourne Regatta today.

Competing on Port Phillip Bay, Heat 3 was sailed in 6 knots at 175 degrees, the racing extremely close, only 16 seconds separating the top two, Iain Murray/Andrew Palfrey (NSW) posting their first top placing, finishing 2nd from R Mahesh/Nitin Mongia (IND), who earlier led the race.

In Race 4, the wind kicked in to 12 knots at 150 degrees, Ian ‘Barney’ Walker/Nick Williams (Vic) finishing 38 seconds behind Beashel/Giles, with Murray/Palfrey maintaining their consistency to finish 3rd.

Races 5 and 6 will get underway from 12.00pm tomorrow, the first race drop to come into play after Race 6 in this 12 race series.

For full results go to the official website at: www.sailmelbourne.com.au/results

TORNADO

Current World, National and State Tornado champions, Darren Bundock/John Forbes (NSW) continued their domination in the Tornado fleet at the Sail Melbourne Regatta being sailed on Port Phillip Bay.

The pair went 1-1 today, with their training partners, Iordanis Paschalides/Christos Garefis (GRE) finishing 2-2 on triangle windward return courses sailed in 12 knots at 150 degrees this afternoon. Victorian youngsters, Robbie Lovig and Josh Fugill had an excellent result, placing 3rd in both races.

Since training with Bundock and Forbes, the Greek pair, who sailed a Tornado for the first time in 1998, said they were improving all the time. Paschalides, the skipper, is a former 470 champion, representing at the 1996 Olympic Games, and coaching the 2000 Olympic 470 Greek team.

His crew, Garefis, is the oldest man sailing a Tornado for Olympic selection. At 48 years old, the fit Gym owner is a former water-polo champion, winning the Silver medal for Greece at the 1988 World championship.

Progressively, Bundock/Forbes lead with 4 points from , Paschalides/Garefis on 8, while Lovig/Fugill share 3rd place with Stephen Medwell/Brent Vaughan on 16.

The Tornados continue racing tomorrow with two races starting at 12.00pm

For full results go to the official website at: www.sailmelbourne.com.au/results

EUROPE

Things are hotting up in the Europe class with the top four women battling for supremacy at the Sail Melbourne Regatta on Port Phillip Bay.

Sarah Blanck (Vic), current World champion, won today’s Race 3 from Lenka Smidova (CZE) and Sarah Macky (NZL), with Caroline Brouwer (NED) in 4th spot.

Sailing in 8-knot winds at 150 degrees, on the one-lap windward return courses, the four have jostled each other for the top spot, each giving it a nudge over the past two days.

In Race 4, Macky grabbed her first win of the series, with Brouwer coming home 2nd and Smidova 3rd, Blanck finishing 6th, with winds increasing to 10 knots at 150 degrees.

Progressively, Smidova leads with 8 points from Brouwer on 9, Blanck with 13 and Macky 14.

Racing continues on Port Phillip Bay tomorrow with two heats from 12.00pm.

FINN

At last year’s Sail Melbourne event, Sebastien Godefroid (BEL) cleaned up in the Finn class – the rest of the fleet not able to come within cooee of the Belgian.

Today’s first result (Race 3), tells a different story altogether.

Sailing on two-lap windward return courses, in 8 knots from 135 degrees, Godefroid won the race from Australia’s representative at the 200 Games, Anthony Nossiter, but the margin was only one second, and that is about as close as it gets in dinghy racing.

The 3rd placed Pascal Rambeau (FRA) was only two seconds behind Nossiter, and Josh Beaver (WA) came home 4th only three seconds behind Rambeau.

With the two Australians keen to represent at the next Olympics, along with Paul McKenzie, this is a particularly interesting class to watch.

Race 4 was sailed in 8 knots at 165 degrees on Port Phillip Bay today, Paul McKenzie (Vic) excelling in the lighter air to get the better of Pascal Rambeau (FRA) and Sebastien Godefroid (BEL).

Up-and-coming talent, 22 year-old Josh Beaver (WA), is having a consistent series with two 4th placings today. He is keen to better his result and go home at the top of the Aussie pile.

Provisional progressive scores have Sebastien Godefroid in front with 7 points from Anthony Nossiter and Pascal Rambeau 3rd with 12 points.

Race Officials from Sandringham YC will send the Finns on two further races tomorrow starting at 3.00pm.

49er

Chris Nicholson/Gary Boyd (NSW) sailed faultlessly today to win all three races sailed on the 49er two-lap windward return courses to effortlessly lead the series on Port Phillip Bay in the Sail Melbourne Regatta hosted by Sandringham YC.

Nicholson said today, ‘we are happy with how we are going, our form is improving.’

He and Boyd have, in the past, sailed independently in the 49er class, but some time back sailed an18ft skiff together, so have not had any trouble pairing up again, even though they only started their campaign three months ago.

Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello (ITA) scored a 2-7-2 result to currently place 2nd overall from Olympic hopefuls, Mark Turnbull/Nick Partridge (Vic), who finished the day with a 5-6-7 result.

Seasoned 18ft skiff sailors, John Harris/Euan McNicol (NSW), had a good Race 4, finishing 3rd, but was an OCS in Race 5 and finished 8th in Race 6.

Harris has been virtually unbeaten for the past two years in the 18ft skiff, his worst result a 2nd at the 2002 World Championship. Winning the 2002 29er World title was McNicol’s standout, but he also has great results in the 18ft skiff.

Only 58 seconds separated the first three finishers in Race 4, making for exciting racing in near-perfect conditions with10 knots of breeze at 160 degrees, nice flat seas and a blue sunny sky.

Young Victorians, Ben and Marcus Tardrew performed well today also, scoring 10-2-6 result. As Nicholson pointed out today, ‘they are our future, they have a lot to give.’

With the Olympic spot wide open in this class, a number of Australian competitors have the talent to take them on to the 2004 Olympic Games.

Ilya Ermakov/Maxim Logoutenko (RUS) are having a great series also, with a 12-3-5 result tody to lie 5th on points progressively, while Denis Jones/Simon Sutherland (WA) scored 3rd place in Race 6, the heavier crew is better in windier conditions.

Gabriel Wicke/Wolf Jeschonnek (GER) put in a good effort to finish 4th from Emmett Lazich/David Mann (NSW), the latter pair given a DNC for yesterday’s three races for failing to sign on prior to racing, costing them dearly.

Sailed in the same conditions as the first race today, the times were not so close, with Nicholson/Boyd beating their nearest rivals by a margin of two minutes.

With one race drop after six races, Nicholson/Boyd lead on 6 points from Sibello/Sibello with 16.5 and Turnbull/Partridge on 17, with racing continuing tomorrow.

2.4 METRE

In a nearly all-Australian cast, Michael Leydon and Stuart Shimeld lead the first day of racing in the 2.4MR class at the Sail Melbourne Regatta.

Eight boats are contesting the 2.4MR’s, of which seven are Australian entries with the loan New Zealand entry of Andrew May.

Michael Leydon won the first one-lap windward return race from Stuart Shimeld and Peter Thomson in 8 knots of breeze at 150 degrees.

Zoltan Pegan (NSW), who was expected to be a top performer, finished last in Race 1, but reversed that situation by winning Race 2 from James Thompson and Stuart Shimeld, with Leydon 4th.

Progressively, after two races, Leydon and Shimeld lead with 5 points each from Thompson.

Racing continues tomorrow at 12.00pm with two further races in the 10 race series.

420

Kate Woolley/Daniel Farthing (AUS) lead the Youth 420 class, which started its racing in the Sail Melbourne Regatta today on Port Phillip Bay.

As the only finishers in Race 1, and the winners of Race 2, Woolley/Farthing lead with 2 points from Mithu Nahak/Thimiti Srikanth Chatu (IND) with 7 points and James Dyer/Danielle Pascoe with 8 points.

Bhavana Chiranjay/Lucky Bisht are currently in 4th place with 9 points.

Today’s heats were sailed on Olympic Trapezoid courses in 10 knots at 150 degrees.

Racing continues tomorrow at 12.00pm with two further races.

29er

The first two races of the 29er skiff class were sailed today on Port Phillip Bay in the Sail Melbourne Regatta.

Sailing as part of the Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta hosted by Sandringham YC, the 29er’s, which is an all Australian affair, had their first taste of two-lap Trapezoid courses in 10 knot winds at 150 degrees.

James Tudball/Matt Williams won both races today, with Clint Marshall/Ty Marshall coming home 2nd in Race 1, with David Kamer/A. Kamer 3rd.

In Race 2, it was Lucian Francis/Wulf Wilkens in 2nd and Kamer/Kamer 3rd.

Progressively, Tudball/Williams on 2 points leads from Francis/Wilkens and Kamer/Kamer with 6 points each.

Racing continues on Port Phillip Bay tomorrow with two further races starting at 12.00pm.

Source: Di Pearson