Champion stings
The first Australian WASZP Championships hosted by Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club saw the reigning champ take the series.
31 January 2018
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The first Australian WASZP Championships proved to be a success with 35 boats and glamour conditions throughout the series, held at the Sorrento Sailing and Couta Boat Club.
Reigning WASZP Games champion Harry Mighell won the series convincingly from Jon Holroyd and another Sorrento local, Tom Trotman. Holroyd and Trotman were locked in a battle for second place and it would have been fantastic to get some racing in on the last day to break the deadlock but mother nature intervened and there was not enough wind to race.
From a Youth side of things it was great to see young Hugo Llewelyn improve dramatically during the regatta, giving the leaders a run for their money with a 2nd place in heat 4. In the Masters, Jon Holroyd sailed an extremely consistent event to claim 1st , followed by New Zealander Nick Olson who also had his moments of glory.
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Of the Women, Sam England had some great races highlighted by a 4th place in heat 3 and Tess Lloyd improved out of sight over the 4 days and with minimal foiling experience before the event to finish every race and have some great results. It shows the future if very bright for women in the WASZP class.
The 6.9 metre rigs had some close racing, won by Jack Felsenshall who again pushed hard off minimal foiling time leading into the event. He made it to the Slalom final on a 6.9 metre rig, showing the versatility of this sail and a great product for lighter guys and girls in the class.
The Slalom racing was a significant highlight of the event with the final being a classic, won on the final gybe by Tom Brewer, there was only 10 seconds separating 1st and 6th in the 8 boat final.
This is an event that will hopefully be a favourite for the sailors going forward.
The social side of the event was awesome with the beach culture vibe very much alive in the class, with the club putting on food each night after racing and eskies full of beers and soft drinks awarded to the boat of the day to be then shared with the competitors. For the families there was table tennis, beach volleyball and beautiful beaches in the area for those wanting to swim. All in all it was a fantastic event with the people involved in this class taking it forwards at a rapid rate.
The class now looks forward to the European Championships from 28 June to 1 July in Malcesine, Lake Garda, and then 22 to 28 January 2019.
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