Aero nautica
The Australian arm of the fast-growing RS Aero class of lightweight single-handed dinghy announced on Tuesday 23 January the 2019 RS Aero Worlds has been granted to the venue of Port Stephens on the New South Wales coast.
Photography by Steve Greenwood / Simon Macs
25 January 2018
Advertisement
Dates for the pre-worlds are the weekend of 14-15 December , 2019 and for the world title, 18-22 December with race management overseen by Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club in partnership with Port Stephens Sailing & Aquatic Club, the physical venue for the blue-ribbon event. Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson will add plenty more professional sheen to the competition.
At the inaugural worlds in Carnac, France, in 2017, 96 Aeros representing eight nations competed. More than 130 Aero dinghies are expected at Weymouth in the UK for this year’s title and with fleets building in the UK, Europe, US, Australia and NZ, Australian distributor Simon Reffold expects a similar entry level for the first southern hemisphere edition.
“We know transporting boats from overseas has its challenges so numbers for an Australian based world championship will be bolstered by the fact we’ll offer up to 60 Aeros for charter.
Advertisement
“We’ll stage this year’s nationals at same venue at the same time, so competitors have the opportunity to get a handle on the local conditions. We expect many families to compete at the world title across a number of rig sizes, as was typical in Carnac,” Reffold added.
Organisers are targeting a figure of 120 entries with 40% of those from overseas.
Port Stephens is a protected and proven waterway, being the venue for a decade of Sail Port Stephens regattas plus multiple junior titles. NSW has hosted a handful of dinghy worlds in previous years, but for Port Stephens the RS Aero Worlds will be the first ever tier one series.
Port Stephens sailor and CEO of the NCYC Paul O’Rourke says, “This is a big event for a local community already experienced with major sailing events. It will promote our region, showcase the sport of sailing and creating a measurable economic impact on the local economy. We believe this is the first dinghy world championship in NSW for a decade.”
The announcement was made on Tuesday January 23, 2018 at the PSSAC attended by the Port Stephens Mayor Ryan Palmer, Commodores of both NCYC and PSSAC, Steve Rae and Denis Hume, Paul O’Rourke, Tom Pearce, CEO Sailing Raceboats, Simon Reffold, Nick Collis-George, Fleet Captain NSW and Club Captain Balmoral Sailing Club, and Peter Stephinson, the current Aero world grand master and inventor of the Glide Free Foiling System.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
