Entries have soared for the 29er fleet at this year’s Sail Sydney event, with competitors coming from across the country and also from New Caledonia and New Zealand to compete at the regatta to be hosted by Woollahra Sailing Club from the 4-9 December.
Optimist sailors Fletcher Walters/Jack Hildebrand from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club have had plenty of experience in the class, having recently competed at the 2018 Optimist World Championship in Cyprus. Now they are teaming up and stepping into the skiff world by sailing a 29er.
“The transition to the 29er has been good, we are progressing quickly but still have a long way to go,” Walters said.
“After sailing the Optimist, I absolutely love the speed of the 29er – I just want to keep sailing faster. It’s awesome when the blades are humming, the shoot is full and Jack is screaming on the trapeze,” Walters continued.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect and competing against the best 29er sailors in the country will only help their transition. Walters is excited to get amongst it.
“It’ll be awesome sailing with such a big fleet of 29ers, it gives us lots of competition out on the water and a lot of fun people to hang out with off the water,” Walters said.
In addition to the 29ers, many other classes have registered to race on Sydney Harbour at the beginning of December. Mat Belcher/Will Ryan will lead an international fleet of 470s as part of the Oceania Championships, and Mirrors will be a feature this year in the lead up to the Mirror World Championships which will be held on Sydney Harbour in January 2019.
The speedsters of the course, the Nacra17 and Nacra15s, have registered a solid fleet with the Nacra15s incorporating their 2018 National Championship in into the regatta.
Plenty of Australian Sailing Team and Australian Sailing Squad members will be competing as well, including the 2018 Male Sailor of the Year, Matt Wearn, and 2017 Female Sailors of the Year, Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot.
Come join us on the beautiful Sydney Harbour and participate in one of the best regattas in the Southern Hemisphere.
To register today visit www.sailsydney.org
Stephen Collopy, Australian Sailing
