Young Australian sailors have got off to a fine start at the International Cadet world championships on Italy’s Lake Garda, with Tasmanians Sam Abel and Hugo Allison leading the pointscore after the first three races overnight.
Five Australian crews are in the top 10 of the 58 boat fleet.
Abel and Allison, from Sandy Bay Sailing Club, won the opening race and followed this with a sixth and second place to be one point ahead of the British crew of Tom Collyer and Cara Bland who notched up a 6-3-1 score.
A second Sandy Bay Sailing Club crew, Angus Price and Archer Ibbott, also scored a race win. They are eighth overall with their first place sandwiched between a 12th and seventh.
Racing got under way in good sailing conditions following a small earthquake during the night that woke up some competitors.
Australian, Britain and Ukrainian crews share the top 10 in the fleet with the opening day races producing three different winners and the top three placings shared between seven crews. Only six points separate the top six crews.
Port Lincoln Yacht Club’s Marty Hood and Jack O’Donnell are sixth overall with a score of 3-8-4 with Sandy Bay’s William Cooper and Laura Cooper in ninth place overall with a 5-19-9 score.
In 10th place is the Sandringham Yacht Club crew of Julian Sasson and Mischa Suda with an 11-10-13 opening day result.
The other two Australian crews, Dominic Randall and Ella Purnell and Oliver Manton and Benjamin Garner, both from Royal Geelong Yacht Club, are 25th and 26th overall respectively.
Peter Campbell
3 August 2015
