Big names roll into town for Sail Sydney

Champions in the making will race alongside their idols when some of the biggest names in Olympic sailing hit Sydney Harbour from today until 9 December for the annual Sail Sydney regatta, organised by Yachting NSW.

On the home front, triple Laser world champion Tom Slingsby, the reigning world champion in both the Laser dinghy and Etchells keelboat, will compete in the Laser.

“Sail Sydney’s a competitive event. It’s always interesting sailing on the Harbour. I’m glad it moved away from the weekend though; it’ll be a lot less traffic to worry about,” said Slingsby, the newly crowned ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year and the only Australian to achieve this high accolade.

The NSW Central Coast Olympian continues: “I have the skills to win, but Mike Leigh (a fellow Olympian from Canada) and Josh Junior (NZL) will push me though.”

There are others whose recent medal wins have given them a taste. After a protracted battle at the Asian Games in China in November, Ha Jeemin from the Republic of Korea defeated Colin Cheng (SIN) for the gold medal. There are other outstanding internationals in the 41-boat fleet too.

Other Australian Olympians competing are Jessica Crisp in the RS:X sailboard, Krystal Weir, who has moved back into the Laser Radial and two-time 49er world champion Nathan Outteridge with crew Iain Jensen, with whom he won the 2009 Worlds.

Since May 2009, Outteridge/Jensen have won an astounding seven of the eight Olympic class regattas they contested worldwide, with a second place finish at the 2010 Worlds.

Two Australians; triple Finn Olympian Anthony Nossiter also returns having only competed twice since the 2008 Beijing Games, as does Allison Shreeve a formula windsurfing world champion who just missed selection to the 2004 Athens Games.

Shreeve will once again take on Jessica Crisp, whom she lost Olympic selection to, in the Women’s RS:X sailboard. Joining them is rising star, Flavia Tartaglini (ITA) who finished fourth at the ISAF World Cup Sail for Gold, contested at the sailing venue for the 2012 Games and Olympian Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR).

Other outstanding Australian entries include former World Youth champion Laser Radial sailor Gabrielle King, young Victorian Melissa Hitchen-Haw, who was second at the 4.7 Laser Worlds in Thailand in April, multiple Laser Radial Masters world champion Peter Heywood and Tasar double world champion Nicole Douglass, who will skipper a 470.

The Paralympic SKUD 18 will be hotly contested, as Olympians and reigning world champions Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell (GBR) take on Beijing silver medallists Dan Fitzgibbon/Rachel Cox (AUS), while Ame Barnbrook/Lindsay Mason (AUS) plan to upset the Fitzgibbon camp, as they too aim for Paralympic selection. Tim Dempsey/Jan Apel (NZL) have crossed the paddock with the same goal in mind.

Every state of Australia and the Northern Territory are represented at Sail Sydney, while quality international entries have come from Slovenia, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, Korea, Croatia, Poland, Cook Islands, Moldova, Italy, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Norway, India, Denmark and Canada.

A field of close to 500 sailors will fill the Harbour less than two years out from the London Olympic Games. As an Olympic scoring event, Sail Sydney will prove pivotal for many.

Live blogging and tracking from the events team at Yachting Australia are new features of Sail Sydney. Today trackers will be on the Laser and 470fleets, so viewers can follow their favourite crews from their homes.

Weather wise, the Bureau of Meteorology expects 5-10 knot easterly winds increasing to 10-20 knots later in the morning, giving competitors ideal conditions for Day 1 of Sail Sydney. Racing gets underway from 12.00pm with the Laser Radial, 420, 470, RS:X and 29er classes first off, with the remaining classes set to start from 2.30pm onwards.

With January’s Moth Worlds at Lake Macquarie (NSW) looming, all the versatile aces will compete at Sail Sydney. In the Australian cast, Moth champions Scott Babbage and Chris Dey, 18ft skiff champion John Harris, America’s Cup sailor Adam Beashel and Olympic bronze medallist Charlie McKee (USA) are some who will foil around the Sydney Harbour course.

Long time host Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC), will again receive support from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club.

Sail Sydney is proudly supported by Nautilus Insurance, Steve Jarvin Motors, Sport and Recreation, Alphaboat, Tohatsu and NSW Maritime.

Further information, live blog and tracker on the event website.