Encouraging Start for Wearn at ISAF World Cup

Published On: 11 June 2015

WAIS sailor Matt Wearn currently sits in fifth position after day one of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth, England.

The venue, which hosted the sailing events at the 2012 London Olympic Games, served up some interesting conditions across the classes on the opening day, with un-common north easterly breezes at 10-17 knots testing the fleets’ skills and abilities.

Matt Wearn enjoyed two consistent efforts on day one, registering an eighth and seventh place finish, to be well placed at fifth overall, one spot ahead of Australian rival Tom Burton.

New Zealander Andy Maloney currently leads the fleet, with local competitor Nick Thompson in second.

Wearn’s WAIS training teammate Luke Elliot is 29th, following 21st and 31st place finishes.

In the men’s 49er class, WAIS athlete David Gilmour and his crew Rhys Mara currently occupy 10th spot, following a fluctuating day across the fleet.

The duo recorded 18th, 12th and fifth place finishes, but dropped their opening race to hold a top ten spot. This decision will put pressure on the pair to remain at the front the fleet with no further drops available.

Fellow Australian Sailing Team members and 2012 Olympic champions at this venue, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen currently sit in second. Highlighting the difficult conditions, the pair was 30th in opening round, which was subsequently dropped, before they showed their class with a race win in the second contest and a seventh place finish in the third and final event for the opening day.

In the women’s 49erFX, WAIS athlete Caitlin Elks and her skipper Tess Lloyd reached land in 22nd position, courtesy of 18th, 24th (dropped) and 19th place finishes.

In the Paralympic Sonar event, Australia’s Colin Harrison (WAIS), Jonathan Harris (NSW) and Russell Boaden (WAIS) finished day one in third. The trio entered competiion in fine form, off the back of a gold medal success in the Netherlands last week at the Delta Lloyd Regatta.

The sonar crew currently represent a very strong chance to compete for Australia at next year’s Rio Paralympic Games.

Racing will resume on Thursday, 11 June from 6pm Perth time.

This ISAF Sailing World Cup is the second major event for Australia’s sailors on the road to Rio 2016 selection and the third of five 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup series events that lead up to the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi later this year.

All results are available at the ISAF website – www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php