Sail Sydney recognises top sailors on penultimate day of regatta
Following yesterday’s downpour, this morning’s sunny skies were a welcome sight for sailors on day three of Sail Sydney, where final results in several classes were decided across Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC) and Georges River Sailing Club (GRSC).
While Olympic classes and some invited classes will finalise their campaigns tomorrow, those scheduled for a two-day regatta took to the water early in an effort to make up for abandoned races originally on yesterday’s schedule.
In the men’s WingFoil class, Connor Radford (Belmont 16ft Sailing Club) finished the regatta in style, claiming the top gong courtesy of his consistent results amongst today’s 10-15 knot winds.
“I wrapped up yesterday with two firsts, and today was able to pretty much keep a clean sheet, only losing one to Satchapong [Vimonsatiankit] (WSC), who was racing super fast,” said Radford.
“Sail Sydney has been a good confidence boost for me, and it was great to see my friends also doing so well; I was super stoked for them.
“Everyone was so helpful and supportive of each other; we all sat together on shore and would give each other thumbs up and shakas after races, which was so good,” he said.
Connor Radford (Image credit: Sprott Media)
Emilie Myers (WSC) finished top girl in the WingFoil class, with fellow club member Anna Myers claiming silver.
On Rose Bay, Lucy Lin (WSC) sailed her heart out in each of the four races completed today, finishing first in the Optimist Intermediate class.
“I was really happy with how I did today; I read the shifts and gained a lot from that,” said Lin.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but I’ve really enjoyed myself at Sail Sydney. Yes, we did have some tough conditions at times, but I had a great time, and it was good to have all the local clubs come together and race,” she said.
In the Optimist Open class, thirteen-year-old sailor Walter Heeley (WSC) claimed the top spot after recording three wins in four races against his 32-boat fleet.
“There are so many different boats at Sail Sydney and also good sailors to look up to. To imagine that’s where you could be in a few years time is really inspiring,” said Heeley.
“We got four great races in today with pretty good wind and nice, shifty conditions.
“I’m used to sailing against maybe 20 boats maximum, so being able to sail against a big fleet and so many good sailors was great practice and also really fun,” he said.
Also sailing in the Optimist Open, Sijia Deng (Hunters Hill Sailing Club) had a fantastic regatta, finishing top girl.
Despite not finishing the final race, Glenn Cardwell and Audrey Scheu (Illawarra Yacht Club) claimed victory in the B14 class.
“It was a bit gusty out there today, which made things challenging at times, plenty of holes too, but we had quite a good day despite a broken rudder in the last race,” said Cardwell.
Scheu agreed, noting it was good to get so many quality races in.
"We waited a while for our races yesterday, but it was good to get two quality races in. We were having another successful day today until things got a bit hairy at the end there,” she said.
“We come up to Woollahra Sailing Club all the time; we love sailing here in the Harbour, so it was great to sail here this weekend.”
From WSC, Richie Reynolds and Lissa McMillan finished second in the B14 class while Martin (Stan) Bland and Erica Huber claimed bronze.
Sail Sydney is taking place at WSC and GRSC from December 6-9.
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