August 12 - 18, 2018: Issue 371

 

Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 - Denmark

Australian Sailors Secure Qualification Places For Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot have realised their dream and qualified Australia for the 49FX for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; now they commence qualifying themselves to be the team that represents Australia in the 49FX  - photo ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/AARHUS 2018

Star-Studded Sailing World Championships Set For Glorious Start In Denmark

August 1st, 2018
By By Matthew Pryor - World Sailing
Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018
Aarhus, Denmark

Aarhus, city of sails and 1,400 dreams. The countdown is almost over and after four years of preparation the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 will begin on Thursday in the Bay of Aarhus in a building wind beneath an unending sun.

With 1,400 sailors from 85 nations in close to 1,000 boats in 10 Olympic classes studded with stars old and new, the competition (August 2-12) promises to be ferocious, with epic head-to-heads in every fleet. More than 1,100 volunteers will make sure everything goes smoothly.

There is even more than medals at stake as these Sailing World Championships are the first and largest qualification regatta for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and Enoshima (sailing), with 40% of the places being decided. We could have our first Olympic qualifiers from the Finn, or 470s - the three classes to launch on Thursday - decided by Saturday. The individual sailors cannot qualify for the Olympics through the World Championships but the nations can claim their spot.

The excitement in the city and the boat parks are palpable, particularly for the Danish competitors. Even the seasoned home Olympic champions have never experienced anything quite like it. A gleaming new Aarhus International Sailing Center will bear witness to it all.

"It's amazing how big it is," Jonas Warrer, the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist in the 49er, who grew up a mile away, said. "The interest is far bigger than anything before, it's more like the Olympics, except it's happening where I grew up. Everyone is coming to Aarhus. I grew up just there, the other side of Riis Skov wood. To have your friends here watching is incredible."

Likewise for Jena Mai Hansen, a bronze medallist (with Katja Salskov-Iversen) in the 49erFX in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"I'm super-excited, this is a dream come true," Hansen said. "Denmark dreamed about this for years and we're all so happy that it finally happened. This is a city of sailors, and it's also so young. This event is perfect for Denmark and this city especially. There are not many places that would be able to be hosts like this."

The World Sailing Championships are where the future meets the past. Illustrious names from the Olympics and beyond find the next generation vying for all their tomorrows. That has never been the case more than in Aarhus 2018.

The only Olympic champions from Rio missing are Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (New Zealand, 49er) and Giles Scott (Great Britain, Finn). Sime Fantela (Croatia, Men's 470) has switched to the 49er. But the rest are here along with those who chased them onto the podium, the rising stars and those from their own countries seeking to seize the one national Olympic spot.

The plots and sub-plots will twist and turn with each race, starting with the Finn and 470s. In the Finn, the Rio 2016 bronze medallist, Caleb Paine (USA), is back on form after taking 2017 out. Jorge Zarif (BRA), who just missed out in Rio, is the form man.

Previous Worlds medallists, Edward Wright (GBR) and Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) will also be competing in Aarhus, but it will be hard not to keep an eye on Australia's Tom Slingsby, the Laser gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympics. After not quite getting an Australian America's Cup bid to fly, he has switched to the Finn after six years out of dinghy sailing. He is lighter on pounds and practice than he would like in this class of the giants, but he sprinkles the kind of stardust evident throughout the fleet.

There is more America's Cup experience in the shape of New Zealand's Josh Junior and Andy Maloney (both Finn), winners with Team NZ in Bermuda in 2017.

In the women's 470, three Olympic medallists - Hannah Mills (GBR), who took gold in Rio 2016 after silver at London 2012 - Camille Lecointre (FRA) and Fernanda Oliveira (BRA), will all be sailing with new crews. Mills, who has a new partnership with Eilidh McIntyre, picked out the Japanese and Spanish crews as particular threats. Her words also echoed those of the other champions through the boat parks.

"I tend to perform better under high pressure," Mills said. "I probably let myself off the hook a bit too much when it doesn't feel like it really matters. For Elidh and I it's good to be in this position because you hope going into the Olympics this is the position you're going to be in; that everyone wants to try and beat you and so to have it now, I think it's great experience for us as a team."

In the men's 470, Mathew Belcher & William Ryan (AUS), Panagiotis Mantis & Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and Luke Patience (GBR) are Olympic medallists and will be the ones to beat.

And that is just for starters. Coming up, in the 49erFX, the top four from Rio will continue their battles across the world. Four three of the helms - gold medallist, Martine Soffiati Grael, Jena Hansen and Tamara Echegoyen Dominguez - the contest takes on an added dimension, having just been facing each other offshore in the 65ft Volvo Ocean Race boats.

Meanwhile, among a deep and powerful Nacra 17 fleet still mastering the foils, Nathan Outteridge, the Olympic gold medallist in London 2012, silver medallist in Rio 2016 and latterly and America's Cup skipper with Artemis, will be in a new partnership with his sister Haylee. Meanwhile, Outteridge's old partner, Iain "Goobs" Jensen will be back crewing in the men's 49er.

And can anyone beat the formidable flying Dutchwoman, Marit Bouwmeester, in the Laser Radial?

More on the windsurfers when they start on Sunday, but this fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships will also include kiteboarding, for men and women, for the first time.

They will all be cheered on by a deeply knowledgeable crowd on the pontoon, especially for the stadium sailing courses. "They say that you're never more than 50km away from the sea wherever you are in Denmark - and that you're usually standing next to a sailor," Lars Lundov, CEO of Sport Event Denmark, said. "So, the whole of Denmark is really proud to welcome the world to the Aarhus. The 1,100 volunteers who will be helping to bring this event alive are testament to that."

"These Sailing World Championships are the result of the long-term collaboration between the Danish sailing federation, the City of Aarhus and Sport Event Denmark. Their legacy will be for the whole of the sailing world and fans both old and new. When we bid to be the hosts we said Aarhus would be the right place at the right time, now we are going to prove that."

Another proud Dane, is World Sailing's president, Kim Andersen. "To host the Hempel Sailing World Championships in my home country and in Aarhus, a legendary sailing city, is a very special feeling," Andersen said. "From the 29 August 1866, when Aarhus hosted English, Norwegian and Danish sailors in the first international competition on these waters, the city has become a renowned venue, regularly hosting youth and elite competition.

"Over the next two weeks, Aarhus will come alive once again with the sights and sounds of world class sailors, the stars of the sport and I look forward to seeing everyone on the water."

Let the Championships begin.

World Championships Day 8: Olympic Qualification Lifts Spirits After Late Stumbles

Friday August 10th, 2018
by Australian Sailing Team
Australian crews at opposite ends of the experience spectrum have secured qualification places for the Tokyo Olympics, despite moderate fortunes on the final day of racing in their respective classes at the World Championships in Denmark.

470 experts Mat Belcher and Will Ryan were focused on the positives after a challenging week at Aarhus, pleased they’d achieved their main objective of ensuring a quota position, but philosophical about their 5th placing overall.

Similarly, young 49erFX pair Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot were unable to capitalise on their hard work throughout the regatta to be among the medals, but could be content in the aftermath at having made sure Australia will be offered a spot in the class for 2020.

Belcher and Ryan, the 2014 World Champions and Rio Olympics silver medallists, were only occasionally at their dominating best during the regatta, but the the most important hurdle was cleared without much drama.

“It’s been a challenging week for us. But the positive side is that we got the country qualification and learnt some pretty good lessons here. … We look forward to improving on that position for next year,” said Belcher, who won Olympic gold at London in 2012.

“We finished 5th overall, 4th in the [medal] race itself. We had an opportunity to medal. It was pretty close on points and quite a difficult race. … We slipped back a position, but finished 4th in the race. So it was just one of those weeks, I guess.”

Crew Ryan suggested the result would act as an inspiration to keep working hard.

“It’s been positive in that this was the first chance to qualify for the Olympics and we’ve done that now. I think that’s a step in the right direction and now we can really focus on that and pinpoint the events we need to look at,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of things that we can improve on and, ultimately, that’s why we’re doing this, to try to be better, and I think we’re in a great spot to try to capitalise on that going forward.”

The pair’s next assignment is the World Cup Series event in September at the home of the 2020 Olympic regatta.

It was a closer call for Bryant and Wilmot who, after storming into 2nd place the previous day, dropped to 11th and will miss the medal race on Friday. Nevertheless, with the top eight 49erFX nations gaining qualification for Tokyo, the teenagers did exceptionally well to ensure an Australian boat will be offered a spot.

“Since we’re still quite new to the class, I feel like the stress did get to us a little bit,” Bryant said before being certain they’d secured the qualification.

“Usually we’d be quite fine with it and be able to deal with it. But when we weren’t able to concentrate on exactly what we were doing, some of our manoeuvres and technique went out the window. So it wasn’t ideal. When it comes to us naturally, after a lot more hard work, I think we’re going to do just fine.”

There was great news for Australia in the Nacra 17, where Nathan Outteridge and Haylee Outteridge scored 1, 3 and 5 in gold fleet racing to rocket up to 1st place. The opening finals race was a 1-2 for Australia, with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin slotting in, before ending up 6th overall. Three further finals races are scheduled for tonight (AEST) before a medal race on Sunday.

All eyes will be on the Laser fleet next, however, where Matt Wearn (2nd) and Tom Burton (6th) are in the hunt going into their medal race tonight (AEST). Wearn is just 4 points behind leader Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus. Finn Alexander finished off his regatta on a high note with a Race 10 bullet. All five Australian Team and Squad members in the Laser class will finish inside the top 20.

This is the fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships. The event is held every four years.

The previous World Championships were held at Cadiz, Spain (2003), Cascais, Portugal (2007), Perth, Australia (2011) and Santander, Spain (2014).

Australia won four medals at Santander: Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (gold 470M), Tom Burton (silver, Laser), Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (bronze, 49er) and Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (bronze, Nacra 17).

At the past three Olympic Games Australian sailors won five gold medals and four silver medals.

HOST SITE - www.aarhus2018.com

RESULTS

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AUSTRALIAN TEAM AND SQUAD RESULTS

Laser

Matt Wearn – 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 1 Gold Fleet 3, 9, (14), 13 – 2nd

Tom Burton – 1, 5, 6, 1, 2, 27 Gold Fleet 11, 5, (DSQ), 19 – 6th

Finn Alexander – 6, 7, 5, 40, 16, 14 Gold Fleet 10, (BFD), 18, 1 –13th

Luke Elliott – (13), 1, 2, 6, 3, 1 Gold Fleet (48), 21, 29, 45 – 15th

Mitch Kennedy – 8, 10, 22, 3, 4, 5 Gold Fleet (42), 25, 27, 11 – 16th


Laser Radial - completed

Zoe Thomson – 28, 15, 4, 24, 5, 30 Gold Fleet 35, (59), 52, 35 – 43rd

Elyse Ainsworth – 21, 27, 28, 23, 22, 38 Gold Fleet 34, 20, (54), 18 – 44th

Mara Stransky – 27, 34, (43), 41, 41, 12 Silver Fleet 11, 5, 12, 18 – 62nd


49er

David Gilmour/Joel Turner – 5, 1, 15, 14, 2, 23 Gold Fleet 13, 7, 10, (29) – 16th

Will Phillips/Iain Jensen – 3, 19, 6, 1, 6, 12 Gold Fleet 9, 19, (24), 19 – 20th

Lachy Gilmour/Ryan Donaldson – 20, 13, 7, (26), 14, 7 Silver Fleet 2, 2, 11, 22, 9, 11 – 35th

Kurt Hansen/Harry Morton – 15, 27, 18, 18, 17, 18 Silver Fleet 6, 25, 18, 16, 7, (BFD) – 73rd


49erFX - completed

Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 7, 13, 14, 1, 9, 2 Gold Fleet 2, 13, 5, (28), 28, 26 – 11th

Amelia Stabback/Ella Clark - 5, 5, 13, 12, 17, 9 Gold Fleet 19, (28), 21, 19, 12, 11 – 21st

Tess Lloyd/Jaime Ryan – (21), 20, 18, 17, 8, 15 Silver Fleet 13, 5, 1, 6, 1, 7 – 32nd


Nacra 17

Nathan Outteridge/Haylee Outteridge – 5, 5, (13), 5, 8, 3, 7 Gold Fleet 1, 3, 5 – 1st

Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin – 5, 4, 3, (BFD), 4, 5, 5 Gold Fleet 2, 27, 14 – 6th

Paul Darmanin/Lucy Copeland – 20, 14, 5, 20, 5, 17, 20 Gold Fleet 12, 17 (29) – 25th

Conor Nicholas/Hayley Clark – 11, 31, 21, 27, (DNF), 7, 5 Silver Fleet BFD, 24 – 47th


Finn - completed

Jake Lilley – 20, 23, 6, 2, 15, 9 Gold Fleet (28), 3, 2, 28 – 16th

Oliver Tweddell – 11, 17, 24, 21, 24, 15 Gold Fleet (45), 21, 3, 14 – 28th

(Tom Slingsby) – 11, 18, 16, 17, 18, 21 Gold Fleet 13, 27, 26, (40) – 34th

Jock Calvert – (44), 24, 17, 26, 30, 25 Silver Fleet 1, 2, 2 – 48th

Lewis Brake – (34), 14, 23, 17, 30, 30 Silver Fleet 32, 6, 7 – 52nd


470M - completed

Mat Belcher/Will Ryan – 3, 13, 8, 4, 2, 4 Gold Fleet 1, 12, (14), 10 MR 8 – 5th

Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson – 19, 12, 10, 20, 9, 16 Gold Fleet 12, 5, (26), 6 – 15th


470W - completed

Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries – (35), 16, 14, 22, 29, 24, 14 – 25th

Dana Tavener/Katherine Shannon – 27, 41, 26, 40, 41, (46), 38 – 43rd

Follow the Australian Sailing Team

Web: www.australiansailingteam.com.au

World Championships Day 9: Two Australian Nacra 17 Teams Into Medal Races On Sunday

Saturday August 11th, 2018

By The Australian Racing Team

Australian Sailing Team Laser racer Matt Wearn has won the World Championship silver medal after a nail-biting medal race in which the West Australian came desperately close to claiming gold at Aarhus in Denmark.

In a race that featured gusty squalls followed by fading breeze, Wearn finished one spot ahead of eventual winner Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus in the double points finale, but needed to put another boat between he and the defending champion to seize the big prize.

Nevertheless, Wearn proved once again that he is among the form Laser sailors in the world. His silver medal now sits alongside his win at the Palma Regatta in April in Spain and his achievement in becoming the first Australian since Tom Slingsby in 2008 to win the Laser European Championship.

Australia’s Rio Olympic gold medallist Tom Burton came 4th in the medal race and 7th overall, completing a strong showing for the nation’s proud Laser squad in which all five Team members finished in the top 20 of the 165-boat fleet. Wearn’s 2nd placing comfortably qualified Australia for a spot on the start line at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“I think the Laser’s always going to be a close regatta,” he said after the last race.

“The big picture is the Olympics in two years’ time, or just under two years now, so this is a big step in the right direction. Selection for getting on that team is probably going to be one of the biggest fights, as it kind of was in the last quad as well. With Tom being in the top 10 too, it shows he can still win regattas. It’s going to be all on. It’s an exciting 18 months ahead, I think.”

Wearn suggested the medal race was a tough test of skill and some luck.

“Initially we were pretty happy to go out there. It was pretty breezy. First up we had a massive gust come through with a rain squall, it was probably close to 30 knots. Then the wind kind of shut off at the top mark and it made for a tricky race.

“You had to be pretty on to the pressure and unfortunately I didn’t get a puff when I maybe needed a puff and I just couldn’t round that last boat to win the World Championship. Ended up with a silver medal.”

Matt Wearn - photo ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/AARHUS 2018

The three last finals races were held in the Nacra 17. Rio silver medallists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin scored a first-up bullet and are 6th heading into Sunday’s medal race, while Nathan Outteridge and Haylee Outteridge slipped back from 1st to 2nd, though only by a slender margin.

Darmanin revealed that injury hampered her helm’s performance late in the day.

“The first race we really went for it and we got a bullet, which was really cool,” she said.

“We sent it pretty hard on the downwind to make sure we secured that and I was loving the whole thing. But unfortunately in the first race Jas’s back went – we’ve been struggling with that a bit over the years – and it wasn’t really good day for that to happen.

“He was a bit of trooper and pushed through the 2nd race and we got a 4. By the last race he couldn’t look around and it was just really hard. Unfortunately we had a bad one which pushed us back a little bit. But, to get through that day, I’m really proud of him.”

The Outteridge brother and sister team, who only joined the Nacra 17 scene this year after sailing 49ers, are just a point behind the leaders from Italy.

“After quite a solid day yesterday in 6-8 knots, we moved up the leaderboard to get the yellow bibs and today we were out there battling to maintain them,” Nathan said.

“I think the points are pretty close going in to the medal race.”

Haylee said: “It’s definitely the windiest we’ve ever sailed in. We definitely need to put in a little bit more time training sailing upwind. We were a bit off the pace, so we were trying to make our gains on the downwind and just managing what we could upwind.

Our Nacra sailors wrapped up gold fleet finals racing today, with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin and Nathan Outteridge and Haylee Outteridge qualifying for the medal race. They have also qualified Australia for a spot for Tokyo 2020!

Unfortunately, no Australians will feature in the 49erFX medal race tonight (AEST), though youngsters Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot, who finished 11th overall, managed to secure the nation a qualification place for Tokyo. In the men’s division Will Phillips and Iain Jensen finished 14th and David Gilmour and Joel Turner finished 16th. Phillips and Jensen missed the qualification cut-off by two places, making the path to Tokyo a tricky one.

See below for Olympic qualification quotas. For further details, got to - https://bit.ly/2O1zpQC

AUSTRALIAN TEAM AND SQUAD RESULTS

Laser - completed

Matt Wearn – 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 1 Gold Fleet 3, 9, (14), 13 MR 16 – 2nd

Tom Burton – 1, 5, 6, 1, 2, 27 Gold Fleet 11, 5, (DSQ), 19 MR 8 – 7th

Finn Alexander – 6, 7, 5, 40, 16, 14 Gold Fleet 10, (BFD), 18, 1 –13th

Luke Elliott – 13, 1, 2, 6, 3, 1 Gold Fleet (48), 21, 29, 45 – 15th

Mitch Kennedy – 8, 10, 22, 3, 4, 5 Gold Fleet (42), 25, 27, 11 – 16th


Laser Radial - completed

Zoe Thomson – 28, 15, 4, 24, 5, 30 Gold Fleet 35, (59), 52, 35 – 43rd

Elyse Ainsworth – 21, 27, 28, 23, 22, 38 Gold Fleet 34, 20, (54), 18 – 44th

Mara Stransky – 27, 34, (43), 41, 41, 12 Silver Fleet 11, 5, 12, 18 – 62nd


49er - completed

Will Phillips/Iain Jensen – 3, (19), 6, 1, 6, 12 Gold Fleet 9, 19, 24, 19, 5, 11 – 14th

David Gilmour/Joel Turner – 5, 1, 15, 14, 2, 23 Gold Fleet 13, 7, 10, (29), 22, 3 – 16th

Lachy Gilmour/Ryan Donaldson – 20, 13, 7, (26), 14, 7 Silver Fleet 2, 2, 11, 22, 9, 11 – 35th

Kurt Hansen/Harry Morton – 15, 27, 18, 18, 17, 18 Silver Fleet 6, 25, 18, 16, 7, (BFD) – 73rd


49erFX - completed

Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 7, 13, 14, 1, 9, 2 Gold Fleet 2, 13, 5, (28), 28, 26 – 11th

Amelia Stabback/Ella Clark - 5, 5, 13, 12, 17, 9 Gold Fleet 19, (28), 21, 19, 12, 11 – 21st

Tess Lloyd/Jaime Ryan – (21), 20, 18, 17, 8, 15 Silver Fleet 13, 5, 1, 6, 1, 7 – 32nd


Nacra 17

Nathan Outteridge/Haylee Outteridge – 5, 5, 13, 5, 8, 3, 7 Gold Fleet 1, 3, 5, (18), 9, 6 – 2nd

Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin – 5, 4, 3, (BFD), 4, 5, 5 Gold Fleet 2, 27, 14, 1,4, 17 – 6th

Paul Darmanin/Lucy Copeland – 20, 14, 5, 20, 5, 17, 20 Gold Fleet 12, 17 29, 17, (33), 30 – 26th

Conor Nicholas/Hayley Clark – 11, 31, 21, 27, (DNF), 7, 5 Silver Fleet BFD, 24 – 47th


Finn - completed

Jake Lilley – 20, 23, 6, 2, 15, 9 Gold Fleet (28), 3, 2, 28 – 16th

Oliver Tweddell – 11, 17, 24, 21, 24, 15 Gold Fleet (45), 21, 3, 14 – 28th

(Tom Slingsby) – 11, 18, 16, 17, 18, 21 Gold Fleet 13, 27, 26, (40) – 34th

Jock Calvert – (44), 24, 17, 26, 30, 25 Silver Fleet 1, 2, 2 – 48th

Lewis Brake – (34), 14, 23, 17, 30, 30 Silver Fleet 32, 6, 7 – 52nd


470M - completed

Mat Belcher/Will Ryan – 3, 13, 8, 4, 2, 4 Gold Fleet 1, 12, (14), 10 MR 8 – 5th

Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson – 19, 12, 10, 20, 9, 16 Gold Fleet 12, 5, (26), 6 – 15th


470W - completed

Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries – (35), 16, 14, 22, 29, 24, 14 – 25th

Dana Tavener/Katherine Shannon – 27, 41, 26, 40, 41, (46), 38 – 43rd

Nathan Outteridge & Haylee Outteridge - photo ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/AARHUS 2018

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World Championships Final Day: Australian Nacra Program In Good Hands As Outteridges Win Silver

Monday August 13, 2018
By Australian Sailing Team

Australia’s Nacra 17 program has confirmed its vast potential for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, despite a frustrating end for all crews and spectators at the 2018 World Championships in Denmark.

After two hours of hoping for the wind to pick up at Aarhus, officials were forced to abandon the deciding medal race, leaving brother and sister duo Nathan Outteridge and Haylee Outteridge with a silver medal – just a point behind Italy’s eventual winners – and Rio Games silver medallists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin in 6th.


The Championships finale had been highly anticipated. Nevertheless, for the Outteridges particularly, the overall outcome was exceptional, given the former 49er sailors teamed up and entered the Nacra class only this year.

“It’s a strange feeling not to do a medal race when you spend two days preparing for it,” said Nathan Outteridge, a gold medallist at London 2012 and silver medallist at Rio.

“I think we can be really proud of what we’ve achieved in the last six months. It’s our third event, we were ninth at Kiel and ninth at the Europeans. It’s been a big jump up.”

Nathan paid tribute to teammates Waterhouse and Darmanin, and class coach Darren Bundock, for fostering an elite performance environment among the group.

“I think one of the biggest reasons we’ve been able to perform so well here is the Australian squad set-up,” he said.

“I experienced that a lot in the 49er class, having a really strong class coach who shares all the information around, whether it’s about equipment or boat handling or how to sail the boat well. And Jas and Lisa have been really generous in sharing that information with us, and Bundy as coach, getting us involved …

“We haven’t done a whole lot of time on the water, but what we have done has been really efficient and effective. That’s why we’ve been able to come to Europe with fast equipment and already make the podium at our third event.”

Haylee Outteridge added: “I think we were a little bit disappointed [the medal race was abandoned]. We didn’t have a whole lot to lose because we didn’t expect to be on the podium, so we were ready to go for it. But silver is still beyond our expectations.

“The amount of sailing we’ve done over the last six months is not very much, so we’re pretty excited for the future. We’re happy to take silver.”

Waterhouse – who struggled through the latter stages of the regatta with a back injury – congratulated the silver medallists.

“Our teammates Nathan and Haylee, to get second here having not been on the boat very long is a great effort,” he said.

“It just shows how much potential our squad has to grow for the next two years. Congratulations to them and we’re looking forward to going to Tokyo with them in a few weeks’ time for the Sailing World Cup [Series, Round 1].”

Australia finished the World Championships with two silver medals – Matt Wearn came second in the Laser Standard – and, perhaps most importantly, earned Tokyo 2020 qualification places in the Laser, Nacra 17, 470M and 49erFX.

AUSTRALIAN TEAM AND SQUAD RESULTS
Laser - completed
Matt Wearn – 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 1 Gold Fleet 3, 9, (14), 13 MR 16 – 2nd
Tom Burton – 1, 5, 6, 1, 2, 27 Gold Fleet 11, 5, (DSQ), 19 MR 8 – 7th
Finn Alexander – 6, 7, 5, 40, 16, 14 Gold Fleet 10, (BFD), 18, 1 –13th
Luke Elliott – 13, 1, 2, 6, 3, 1 Gold Fleet (48), 21, 29, 45 – 15th
Mitch Kennedy – 8, 10, 22, 3, 4, 5 Gold Fleet (42), 25, 27, 11 – 16th

Laser Radial - completed
Zoe Thomson – 28, 15, 4, 24, 5, 30 Gold Fleet 35, (59), 52, 35 – 43rd
Elyse Ainsworth – 21, 27, 28, 23, 22, 38 Gold Fleet 34, 20, (54), 18 – 44th
Mara Stransky – 27, 34, (43), 41, 41, 12 Silver Fleet 11, 5, 12, 18 – 62nd

49er - completed
Will Phillips/Iain Jensen – 3, (19), 6, 1, 6, 12 Gold Fleet 9, 19, 24, 19, 5, 11 – 14th
David Gilmour/Joel Turner – 5, 1, 15, 14, 2, 23 Gold Fleet 13, 7, 10, (29), 22, 3 – 16th
Lachy Gilmour/Ryan Donaldson – 20, 13, 7, (26), 14, 7 Silver Fleet 2, 2, 11, 22, 9, 11 – 35th
Kurt Hansen/Harry Morton – 15, 27, 18, 18, 17, 18 Silver Fleet 6, 25, 18, 16, 7, (BFD) – 73rd

49erFX - completed
Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 7, 13, 14, 1, 9, 2 Gold Fleet 2, 13, 5, (28), 28, 26 – 11th
Amelia Stabback/Ella Clark - 5, 5, 13, 12, 17, 9 Gold Fleet 19, (28), 21, 19, 12, 11 – 21st
Tess Lloyd/Jaime Ryan – (21), 20, 18, 17, 8, 15 Silver Fleet 13, 5, 1, 6, 1, 7 – 32nd

Nacra 17- completed
Nathan Outteridge/Haylee Outteridge – 5, 5, 13, 5, 8, 3, 7 Gold Fleet 1, 3, 5, (18), 9, 6 – 2nd
Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin – 5, 4, 3, (BFD), 4, 5, 5 Gold Fleet 2, 27, 14, 1,4, 17 – 6th
Paul Darmanin/Lucy Copeland – 20, 14, 5, 20, 5, 17, 20 Gold Fleet 12, 17 29, 17, (33), 30 – 26th
Conor Nicholas/Hayley Clark – 11, 31, 21, 27, (DNF), 7, 5 Silver Fleet BFD, 24 – 47th

Finn - completed
Jake Lilley – 20, 23, 6, 2, 15, 9 Gold Fleet (28), 3, 2, 28 – 16th
Oliver Tweddell – 11, 17, 24, 21, 24, 15 Gold Fleet (45), 21, 3, 14 – 28th
(Tom Slingsby) – 11, 18, 16, 17, 18, 21 Gold Fleet 13, 27, 26, (40) – 34th
Jock Calvert – (44), 24, 17, 26, 30, 25 Silver Fleet 1, 2, 2 – 48th
Lewis Brake – (34), 14, 23, 17, 30, 30 Silver Fleet 32, 6, 7 – 52nd

470M - completed
Mat Belcher/Will Ryan – 3, 13, 8, 4, 2, 4 Gold Fleet 1, 12, (14), 10 MR 8 – 5th
Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson – 19, 12, 10, 20, 9, 16 Gold Fleet 12, 5, (26), 6 – 15th
470W - completed
Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries – (35), 16, 14, 22, 29, 24, 14 – 25th
Dana Tavener/Katherine Shannon – 27, 41, 26, 40, 41, (46), 38 – 43rd



First Nations Confirmed For Tokyo 2020

Following the conclusion of Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser / Laser Radial and Women's Skiff - 49erFX fleet racing at the Hempel Sailing World Championships, the first nations in those fleets have booked their spot at Tokyo 2020.

In the Laser and Radial, 14 and 18 places respectively were available in Aarhus. In the 49erFX there were eight places available. 

The Men’s Heavyweight Dinghy – Finn and Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470 have concluded fleet racing at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark handing more nations a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Eight places in both the Finn and Men’s 470 were available in Aarhus and subject to final notification from World Sailing after the event to the relevant Member National Authority / National Olympic Committee, the following nations have qualified:

Nacra 17
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Denmark
Great Britain
Italy
New Zealand

The Nacra 17 fleet had 27 nations represented across 68 boats.

Men’s 470
- Australia
- France
- Great Britain
- Italy
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Sweden
- USA

Twenty nine countries competed in the Men’s 470 fleet in Aarhus.

Finn

- Argentina
- Canada
- Hungary
- Great Britain
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Sweden
-Turkey

The 90-boat Finn fleet was made up of 42 nations.

49erFX
- Australia
- Austria
- Brazil
- Denmark
- Great Britain
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway

Within the 60-boat fleet, 25 nations were represented.

Laser
- Australia
- Brazil
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Great Britain
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Peru
- South Korea
- USA

Sixty five nations were represented in the 165 boat fleet, the largest in Aarhus.

Laser Radial
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Great Britain
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Turkey
- USA

Out of 119 entrants in the Radial, 53 nations were represented.

The eight nations to qualify for Tokyo 2020 in the Women’s 470, subject to final notification from World Sailing following the event to the relevant Member National Authority / National Olympic Committee, are:
- China
- France
- Great Britain
- Greece
- Italy
- Israel
- Slovenia
- Spain

Twenty four nations contested for one of eight spots in the Women’s 470 across 47 boats. The fleet comprised 25 nations but as hosts, Japan receives an automatic entry into each Olympic sailing event.

Japanese sailors were represented in all fleets so as host nation, receive an entry into every Tokyo 2020 Olympic sailing event.

About the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition Qualification System

The World Championships is the principal qualification event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with 101 places, 40% of the total quota in the ten Olympic sailing disciplines, up for grabs.

Six places will be available in the Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy following the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 Pan Am Games.

Class Association World Championships in 2019 will see the awarding of 61 places and throughout the remainder of 2019, moving into 2020, Continental Qualification events will be held to decide the remaining 68 places.

Two Men's One Person Dinghy and two Women's One Person Dinghy spots will be awarded to eligible National Olympic Committees (NOC) through the Tripartite Commission Invitation Places. The International Olympic Committee will invite eligible NOCs on 14 October 2019 to apply for these places.

Each NOC may enter a maximum of one boat per event, a total of 15 athletes (eight men and seven women) at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.

All places are awarded subject to the details of the qualification system. Click here to view the qualification system in full.

What A Difference A Year Makes! 

12 months ago we fell in love with FX sailing and racing at the highest level against the worlds best sailors became our dream. 

The Olympic Games, being the pinnacle test for athletes became our goal.

12 months ago we forfeited our opportunity to defend our youth world championship to focus on the important task of securing a spot for Australia in the 2020 Olympic Games.

12 months ago a very optimistic and detailed plan was developed to achieve our task.

We are delighted and proud to wake up today realising our 12 month journey has reached its destination.

Australia now has the chance to compete in Tokyo!

Beau Outteridge thanks for capturing the moment!


Photo by Beau Outteridge, Beau Outteridge Productions

Like all amazing journeys the path to the destination is riddled with unexpected twists and turns and the 2018 Hempel World Sailing Championships didn’t disappoint.

Not only did we achieve our goal, we got the chance to taste the feelings of being towards the top of the leader board during an event that saw many teams rise and fall like a yo-yo. 

We got to experience an environment that was high stakes for everyone and whilst our last day on paper looked our worst it will remain the most pivotal point for our future achievements and strength of character.

It’s a mixed feeling to accomplish something so special on the back of a tough day.

Tears of missed opportunity to compete in the medal race were then replaced with tears of relief that we got what we wished for, and then came the tears of happiness... There were lots of tears to say the least! 

Today with dry eyes our focus turns to next years' goal list. Today we begin our plan to qualify ourselves to be the team to represent Australia in the Tokyo Olympic Games!

The journey begins by watching the medal race tomorrow, the following day we will fly home so Tash can finish her high school exams... finally! 

We will then crank up the intensity, time and energy to a new level!

We are energised by the messages we have received and are blessed to have such a great support team that has our backs through the highs and the lows.

We look towards the future with belief that if we work hard and smart we can get what we wish for. 

So many people are required to work tirelessly in the background in helping us. With limited space here and the fear of missing someone important we hope you know who you are and how much we want you to feel included in our adventure. We promise to catch up soon and we promise to keep doing our best!

Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot

Bryant Wilmot Sailing

Jason Waterhouse and & Lisa Darmanin; into the Medal Race on Sunday despite a tough regatta made even more challenging by injury - photo ©PEDRO MARTINEZ/SAILING ENERGY/AARHUS 2018

Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 - Australians Who Competed

RXS women
Samantha COSTIN

Laser
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER BOAT                        SKIPPER
1 69    AUS 211543 sail27/North Sails Apparel Dan SELF
2 31    AUS 214418 Kenny Constructions         Finnian ALEXANDER
3 35    AUS 212796 Australian Sailing                 Luke ELLIOTT
4 6    AUS 199015 Australian Institute of Sport Matthew WEARN
5 25    AUS 164180 Australian Sailing                 Mitchell KENNEDY
6 134    AUS 207799                                         Richard MAHER
7 1    AUS 199012 Fleming Yachts                 Tom BURTON


Laser Radial
NR BOW NR.  SAIL NUMBER BOAT SKIPPER
1 67    AUS 211550 Zhik, Bolle Elyse AINSWORTH
2 74    AUS 208336                Jacinta AINSWORTH
3 55    AUS 208546                Mara STRANSKY
4 80    AUS 211511 PSA        Paige CALDECOAT
5 54    AUS 204568                Zoe THOMSON

Finn
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER        SKIPPER
1 9    AUS 1                                        Jake LILLEY
2 29    AUS 32                        Jock CALVERT
3 71    AUS 91                        Lachlan GILHAM
4 31    AUS 41                        Lewis BRAKE
5 15    AUS 261                        Oliver TWEDDELL
6 68    AUS 7                                        Tom SLINGSBY

470 Men
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER BOAT               SKIPPER                         CREW        
1 29    AUS 8                         Clinigen                Chris CHARLWOOD Joshua DAWSON
2 1    AUS 11 Yamaha/ ABeam Consulting Mathew BELCHER William RYAN

470 Women
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER BOAT SKIPPER         CREW                    
1 34    AUS 56                         Dana TAVENER Katherine SHANNON
2 17    AUS 1                                 Nia JERWOOD Monique de VRIES
3 37    AUS 7 Shelley WHITE Emma BAILLIE
49er
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER         SKIPPER          CREW
1 66    AUS 111 SYC                 Charlie WYATT Simon HOFFMAN
2 7    AUS 91 Aust.ST                 David GILMOUR Joel TURNER
3 70    AUS 200 Objective        Jim COLLEY         Shaun CONNOR
4 38    AUS 184 ATB Morton        Kurt HANSEN         Harry MORTON
5 32    AUS 101 WAIS                Lachy GILMOUR Ryan DONALDSON
6 26    AUS TBA                        William PHILLIPS Iain JENSEN

49er FX
NR BOW NR.SAIL NUMBER BOAT SKIPPER                 CREW
1 21         AUS 131                Amelia STABBACK Ella CLARK
2 56        AUS 173                        Jasmin GALBRAITH Chloe FISHER
3 16        AUS 101                        Natasha BRYANT         Annie WILMOT
4 37        AUS 41                        Tess LLOYD                 Jaime RYAN

Nacra 17 Foiling
NR BOW NR. SAIL NUMBER  BOAT     SKIPPER                         CREW
1 52          AUS 158                       Conor NICHOLAS           Hayley CLARK
2 6          AUS 2                               Jason WATERHOUSE   Lisa DARMANIN
3 62          AUS 46                               Nathan OUTTERIDGE    Haylee OUTTERIDGE
4 21         AUS 464                       Paul DARMANIN             Lucy COPELAND
5 50         AUS 382                       Samantha SIMMONDS  Max von RICHTER
6 69         AUS 430                       Steve BREWIN                Caitlin ELKS
7 29        AUS 420                               Tayla RIETMAN               Lachlan WHITE

Kiteboard Men
28 Scott WHITEHEAD

Kiteboard women 
NR SAIL NUMBER BOAT SKIPPER CREW CLUB
1    9 Breiana WHITEHEAD
2    11 Natalie FLINTROP-CLARKE

About Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018

Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 is a world class sport and a maritime festival rolled into one event. Sailors from over 100 nations will be racing in the waters of the Bay of Aarhus for world championships medals and the possibility to be qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Aarhus 2018 is celebrates a sport, a city, and a nation undergoing constant evolution. Denmark has always been a leader in the sport of sailing. In this country, sailing is a part of life. All Danes are close to the sea and to the world of ocean adventures awaiting them when they get in a boat. The freedom, passion, and shared experience of sailing will now be within everyone’s reach when the championships and the associated events roll out. The city’s newly constructed harbour front offer activities for the entire family.

The event takes place on the Docklands, at the exact spot where the Vikings founded Aarhus. A new world class sailing centre is the venue for 14 days leaving significant impact on Denmark’s sailors and on the further urban development in Aarhus.

Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 is held from July 30th to August 12th and it will be one of the largest sports events ever staged in Denmark. The Bay of Aarhus will be a focal point for thousands of people and for the world’s elite sailors in a timeless battle against the wind, the waves, and the other racers.

Visit: www.aarhus2018.com 

Facts about the event

  • Held every four years, the Sailing World Championships is one of the biggest global sailing event in the world.
  • Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 is the first big qualification for the Olympic games in Tokyo 2020.
  • The World Championships will include all 10 Olympic boat classes.
  • Kite surfing will be added to the programme for the first time.
  • 1100 sailboats
  • 1500 participants from approx. 100 nations
  • The event expects to draw 400.000 visitors to Aarhus.
  • More than 800 volunteers

CLASSES

Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 will be open to all Olympic sailing classes plus Kite surfing (M and W) as a showcase. In Aarhus the ten classes will not only be competing for the Worlds medals, but for qualification for the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 as well.

The Finn

The Finn is the result of a competition held in Finland in 1949, and it replaced the Firefly as the Olympic one-man dinghy in 1952. The Finn probably represents the purest form of athletic regatta. It requires great physical stamina and long intensive training, and it attracts some of the world’s best yachtsmen – no doubt because it requires such sailing prowess.

470 (M and W)

The 470 – as the name suggests – is 470 centimetres long. It was designed in 1963 by Frenchman André Cornu, and first appeared in the Olympic programme in 1976. The 470 has a very simple design, and can be made at a reasonable price. The price, and the fact that it can be sailed by relatively lightweight sailors, has made the 470 popular and widely used around the world. The dinghy can be sailed by two people, with one in trapeze. When the time came to choose a boat for the first women-only class at the Olympic Games, the 470 was the natural choice. The 470 women’s class debuted at the 1988 Olympic Games.

49er / 49erFX

The 49er is a two-person dinghy, and one of the fastest used in regattas. It was first introduced as an Olympic class in Sydney in 2000. The boat was designed by Australian Julian Bethwaite in 1995, and has a large asymmetric spinnaker that means it can reach speeds up to 50 kilometres per hour. The 49er is a very physically and technically demanding boat, and the crew have to be in trapeze, even in low wind conditions. The name derives from its length of 4.9 metres. The 49erFX women’s class debuted at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Nacra 17

The Nacra 17 is a catamaran designed for high speeds in both crosswind and downwind sailing, with a hydrofoil that lifts the hull out of the water to reduce drag and so allow greater speeds. The boat is a mixed class at the Olympic Games, and must be sailed by a woman and a man, often with both crew members in trapeze. The class was included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2016.

Laser Standard / Laser Radial

The Laser is a one-person dinghy designed by Bruce Kirby in 1969. With 200.000 dinghies worldwide it may be considered the most widely used dinghy. The Laser Standard men’s class joined the Olympic programme in 1996 and the Laser Radial women’s class followed in 2008, when it replaced the Europe dinghy. The Laser Radial is related to the Laser Standard and the hull is the same as the Laser Standard, but the mast and sail are smaller, and Laser Radial sailors are usually in the 55-70 kilogramme weight class.

RS:X M / RS:X W (Windsurfers)

The RS:X board is designed to be able to compete in wind of 3-30 knots (5.6-56 kilometres per hour). In light winds, the windsurfers sail with the centreboard down and pump the sail around the entire course. Above around 10-12 knots, the centreboard is pulled up and the windsurfer sails on the tail fin. All entrants sail using the same equipment, which means the competitors’ mental, tactical, technical and physical abilities make the difference. Windsurfing has been on the Olympic programme since 1984. The RS:X has been the Olympic board for both men and women since it was designed in 2004.

Kiteboarding (M and W)

Kiteboarding is a relatively new discipline in competitive sailing, and it provides high speed sailing and big jumps of up to 20-30 metres in length. Kiteboarders use a small board with foot-straps and fins, which is pulled through the water by a controllable power kite. They can tack upwind almost as effectively as a sailing dinghy. Kiteboarding, for men and women, will be included for the first time as showcase disciplines at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus in 2018, and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.