Racing got underway in the 2025 Hansa and Para World Championships today on Pittwater, with the Hansa 2.3, Liberty and SKUD18 racing on Alpha course, while the 303 Two Person raced on Bravo course and already some have shown their clear intentions.
The weather played havoc, it was all over the shop, with massive wind shifts, making life difficult in the extreme for Principal Race Officer, Megan Kensington and her race officers, not to mention for the competitors.
Both SKUD18 races were won by Daniel Fitzgibbon (AUS) and his longtime sailing mate, Chris Somers. Fitzgibbon has two gold and silver Paralympic medals in the class, but had not sailed the boat for years until recently, when he and Somers prepared for this event.
Neil Rowsthorn and Jack Wallace are in second place having picked up a pair of second places, while Naomi Ohue and Joe Thompson are third, scoring two third places. The top three teams all hail from Queensland.
“We got some massive gusts over the hill – 25 knots,” said an incredulous Fitzgibbon. “It was very variable, one of the craziest SKUD racing days I’ve ever had.
“There was an easterly coming over the land and building – and holes in other parts. It went from zero knots to 25 in the gusts. It started out south-east, then north east and east and swung back twice. And it rained!
“We were smoking and almost had a broach. It was a crazy day!
Fitzgibbon confessed, “In my rustiness, we missed the first start and took the stern of the whole fleet. But we fought our way back after hooking into a shift and held on to finish first.
“The second race was a bit more under control with a better start. It’s hard getting back into racing, trying to remember all the little details, tricks, trimming constant and changing gears.
“It’s a very competitive fleet and I’m happy with that. There are some young hot shot sailors in this class. I’m enjoying the able bodied and disabled sailors together in the boats and in the fleet. And they still can’t beat Dan – brilliant,” he said, laughing.
The Hansa 2.3 was an all Japanese affair at the top of the scoreboard across the two races. Yui Fujimoto leads, Daisuke Zenju is in second and Koji Harada third. There is little in it and it is tight behind the top three as well.
In fifth place is Doug Monk, who is the early leader of both the NSW and Australian Hansa 2.3 Championships, but there are still five days of racing remaining.
On the Bravo course, where the Hansa 303 Two Person class sailed, the breeze made its way around the compass a few times. The 303s were scheduled for more racing, but the conditions made that impossible.
The French pair of Gauthier Bril and Camille Massonnaud gathered themselves, not letting the conditions get the better of them, to win the opening race and claim that lead from two Australian pairs. Sarah Plunkett and John Sanderson are in second place, while Chris Symonds and Maunela Klinger are third.
Two races were put away in the Liberty. Hong Kong’s Yuen Wai Foo’s win and second place were enough to give him the lead on countback to Charles Weatherly (AUS) who scored a pair of wins. Paul Phillips (GBR) is in third place after scoring 3-4 results. There are many waiting in the wings, so there is no room for complacency.
The Championships continue tomorrow for the Hansa 2.3, Liberty, SKUD18 and Hansa 303 One Person classes. The Hansa 303 Two-Person teams will be back in the action on Thursday, as some sailing in this class are also sailing in the One Person class so they will rotate their days on the water.
Light winds are expected on the course area tomorrow, an east to north-easterly of under 10 knots has been forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.
A total of nine races are scheduled for each class and racing will take place every day until the final races on Sunday 30th March. The Closing Ceremony and Presentation will follow the last race.
The Worlds take in the Hansa World and International Championships, Australian and NSW Hansa Class Championships plus the Para World Championships.
Seventeen nations are competing at the Championships hosted by at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) on Pittwater in NSW: Australia, Chile, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and USA.
For all information on the event, including entries, please visit: https://hansaworlds.org/
For all information on RPAYC and its facilities, please visit: https://rpayc.com.au/
By Di Pearson/Hansa Worlds
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