Wirrajurnd wins Sydney 32 Nationals

2:30 AM Sat 15 Nov 2008 GMT

'Wirrajurnd at the 2008 Hamilton Island Race Week' Andrea Francolini &copy

Andy Kearnen and Peter Whitford secured first place in the Sydney 32 National Titles held at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

The eight race series sailed Monday 3rd November to Thursday 6th November was shortened on the Monday to a seven race series, when a 30 knot southerly breeze decided to make an appearance on the Sydney coastline.

Using a full North Sails wardrobe on the Wirrajurnd, the team secured the championship trophy by one point from Ray Stone's Razors Edge.

When speaking with Andy about his win, he said that his success in the championships came down to 'Great team work and boat control on the first two days of heavier winds put us in a position to win the regatta.

'We made less mistakes and tactically were on the money for most of the regatta. The guidance we received over an extended period on rig and sail tuning from North's Julian Plante made a massive difference.'

With three second placings in the last four heats, Anna and Martin Cross were able to secure third place overall in the championships. Geoff Kitchen from North Sails Australia was onboard the Cross' 'If' and said 'It was a great series, and we were very happy with our speed especially off the start line. The 3DL sails onboard the boat performed flawlessly.'

by Susan Veal

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