10 December 2010
By Di Pearson/Peter Campbell
“It was one of those days where nothing goes right all day long!” That was Squadron member Nathan Outterridge’s summing up of the final day of competition at this week’s Sail Sydney international regatta on the Harbour.
Outteridge and Jensen racing on day one of Sail Sydney - Photo Jeff Crow
Going into the final day, Outteridge and his crew, Iain Jensen, were facing a very rare defeat in the Olympic 49er class. They had won 10 out of 11 regattas since they teamed up, but had a five point deficit to their New Zealand training partners, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
Effectively, the Australians needed to win every race and put at least one boat between themselves and the Kiwis. It wasn’t to be.
Choosing to start the first race on port tack, they ducked the fleet at the boat end and screamed upwind, often reaching 10 knots and more. Reaching the layline in total control of the opposition, they tacked on the starboard layline – and then the jib sheet broke.
“Goobs (Jensen) was dragging out the back of the boat and we just stopped,” Outteridge said later. While Jensen scrambled back on board and re-attached the sheet, the damage had been done. They rounded the top mark in fifth place, fought back to fourth by the next windward leg – and then the jib sheet snapped again.
The New Zealand crew finished third in that race, all but sewing up the series with two heats to sail.
Hitting the start line perfectly in the second race of the day, the Kiwis put a loose cover on Outteridge and Jensen, and went on to win the race. They did not have to start in the final race, comfortably taking the title from Outteridge and Jensen.
Outteridge will switch classes this weekend when he and fellow Olympians Malcolm Page and Tom Slingsby (who won the Laser class at Sail Sydney) join the crew of the Farr 40 Estate Master for the Rolex One Design Series.
Then it’s back to the 49er for next week’s Sail Melbourne.
Alexandra South placing 2nd overall in the Women's Laser Radial class Photo Event Media
The other Olympic Laser event, the women’s Radial class, saw Squadron member Alex South sail strongly to finish second overall. However, she was no match for the genius of the Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester.
South won the first race of Sail Sydney before the Dutchwoman took control at the top of the leaderboard for the rest of the regatta.
Nick Howe at the second day of Sail Sydney Photo Aline Van Haren
Another RSYS member, Lucinda Whitty teamed up with her brother Jono to place third overall in the 29er XX class, while in other events Nick Howe placed 14th overall, Rob Lowndes 25th and Nick Wubben 27th in the Laser Radial mens class.
Nick Wubben heading towards the top mark at North Head Photo Aline Van Haren
Nick Howe (191624) gets ahead of of the Laser Radial fleet at the gate rounding
Photo Aline Van Haren
From Peter Campbell
M: 0419 385 028 E: peter_campbell@bigpond.com
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