Teenage siblings Thomas and Sophie Alexander from Royal Geelong Yacht Club have extended their lead on day three of the International Cadet World Championships at Weymouth on the south coast of England.
Overnight they scored their fourth win in six races and with a third place in the other race of the day they now have a net 7 points, with their race one fourth their discard. The Australians are now 5 points clear of their nearest opponents, the consistent German crew of Julian Mathwig and Mattias Henning who had a fourth and a third overnight for a net 12 points. In third place overall is the British all-girl crew of Lucy and Cally Terkelsen on 22 points.
Unfortunately, several other Australian crews dropped down the leader board, with Louis Schofield and Peter Allen from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria slipping from fourth to sixth overall, with a 22-15 result on day three. However, Olivia Neilson and Gabriel Nolan from RGYC lifted from 17th to 12th overall in the 48 boat fleet, turning in an 8th and a 5th.
Emily Goodfellow and Emma Kelly, also from Geelong, remained 13th in the fleet with an 18th and a 10th overnightm, while the Tasmanians Jasmin Galbraith and Matilda O’Donoghue are now 21st overall, while fellow Sandy Bay Sailing Club members Silas Hamilton and Ethan Galbraith are 22nd overall.
The Cadet is the only double-handed racing dinghy recognized by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) that is sailed exclusively by junior sailors aged 17 and under.
Designed by Jack Holt in 1947, the Cadet has introduced thousands of youngsters to dinghy racing and has provided the foundations for the careers of many of the world’s top Olympic sailors.
– Peter Campbell
