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10:48 AM Sat 2 May 2009 GMT
 | | 'Welcome to Wellington! Young sailors have plenty on their hands in the 2009 Optimist Championships in Worser Bay.'
Chris Coad |
In a fleet of nearly 250 Opti sailors, ten young Australians left their indelible mark on the leader board.
The cold seas and varying conditions at the 2009 New Zealand International Optimist National Championships held at Worser Bay Boat Club, Wellington, New Zealand only enhanced the enthusiasm of the young Australians, six of whom were used to significantly warmer conditions coming from Perth, WA.
The Australian sailors all featured within the top 35 positions in a fleet of almost 250 competitors from five countries (New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, New Caledonia and Singapore). Two WA skippers Paris Stowell and Douglas Campbell, finished in the top six reversing the tables on the skilled Singaporeans who till now felt they had the edge on the AUS Optimist sailors.
Australian Placings:-
4th Paris Stowell Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club WA
6th Douglas Campbell Royal Perth Yacht Club WA
13th Sam Blackburn Royal Perth Yacht Club WA
20th Mark Spearman Royal Perth Yacht Club WA
21st Ragna Agerup Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club WA
23rd Llyod Collings Sorrento Sailing Club VIC
26th James Oliver Sorrento Sailing Club VIC
29th Milly Bennett Royal Prince Alfred NSW
30th James Brewer Royal Prince Alfred NSW
35th Fieke Koelemij Royal Perth Yacht Club WA
'Aussies' Win the Optimist Team Racing event at the 2009 New Zealand Optimist Championships.
In one of their biggest tests to date, the Australian Int Optimist World's team won the 2009 New Zealand Open Optimist Teams Racing Championships. Sailed in testing conditions in Oriental Bay, Wellington, the event included 16 teams from New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.
The twelve Kiwi teams from the Land of the Long White Cloud fought a tough round-robin. Auckland's Murrays Bay team and the Napier team made it through to the semi-finals.
The international round-robin series involved two Australian teams, the World's squad, and the Australia II team comprising Sam Blackburn, Fieke Koelemij and Ragna Agerup (all from WA), Jamie Oliver (Vic) and Milly Bennett (NSW). Singapore fielded two teams. The Australian Worlds team and the Singapore 1 team made it through to the semis.
The Australians lost Race 1 of the semi-finals but bounced back securing a place in the finals by beating Singapore 2-1.
Napier beat Murrays Bay orchestrating a classic Aussie vs Kiwi final match.
The Australian World's team comprising Douglas Campbell, Mark Spearman and Paris Stowell (WA), Lloyd Collings (Vic), and James Brewer (NSW) won the final series 2-0. The Australian team coach Diego Figeuroa has worked hard establishing team racing as a discipline in Australia's Optimist fleet over the past 18 months.
The Australians trained with both the NZ and Singapore squads in Wellington in the lead up to the Championships sailed over Easter.
The Australian team will next compete in the Singapore Nationals in June, Qld Youth week at RQYS in July, and the World Opti Championships in Brazil in August 2009.
by D Haw
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