Tasmanian crew hits overall lead in Cadet Nationals

12:24 AM Sat 16 Jan 2010 GMT

'Alex and Samantha Bailey sailing on the River Plate. Photo: Don Bailey - Cadet World Championship 2010'

Hobart brother and sister, Alec and Samantha Bailey, have sailed their boat Impulse into top place in the International Cadet Australian championships being sailed from Adelaide Sailing Club.

With a first and a fourth place today, they now have a four point margin over previous leaders, Victorians Isabella Say and Benjamin Brill, sailing Insayne, from Sandringham Yacht Club.

Alec (17) and Samantha (12) from Sandy Bay Sailing Club won race five this morning by just four seconds from Ian Lee and Alex Brzoska, sailing Snakebite, from Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Ian and Alex reversed the tables in race six with a win while the Tasmanians placed fourth.

Both crews represented Australia at the recent International Cadet World championships in Argentina, with the Baileys placing third overall.

After six of the scheduled 12 races, the Baileys lead the championship with a net 11 points from placings of (10)-1-3-2-1-10, discarding their first race 10th. Early leaders, Say and Brill, are on 15 points from a regatta score of 1-3-1-1-(17)-9.

There is a gap of 14 points to third-placed Lee and Brzoska, whose placings so far have been (14)-11-2-13-2-1.

Other Sandy Bay Sailing Club crews sailed well today, with club boats placed first, third, fourth and ninth in race five and second, third, fourth, eighth and tenth in race six.

After six races, five SBSC boats are in the top ten: Ella Connor and Hannah Chadwick, sailing Sirocco, are sixth overall on 41 points, followed by Georgina Kennedy and Silas Hamilton, sailing Pour Quoim on 53 points, Cara Swan and Caitlan Moody, sailing Hyper Hyper, on 54 points, with Eleanor Ransley and Laura Barker, sailing Pelorus, in tenth place on 60 points.

Two more days of racing are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday for the 81-boat fleet in this evergreen junior sailing class.

by Peter Campbell