Splash Worlds at Riva del Garda, Lake Garda, Italy

Fraglia Della Vela Riva Del Garda hosted the 2006 world championships, which proved to be a truly international event with entries from New Zealand, Netherlands, Antilles, Uruguay, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Holland. The event lived up to its billing as a highly competitive event on the water with a vibrant friendly atmosphere ashore. The 194 strong Splash fleet was divided into three flights for the first three days of competition, with the results deciding the membership of the Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets for the final two days of sailing.

During the first three days the NZ team showed great talent in the strong winds whilst James Large, Jacob Brubert and Simon Barker put in some good results. The standard of the fleet as a whole shone through as the number of retirements of those beaten by the weather was very small in both fleets, an admirable record bearing in mind the age range (13 to 18) of the Splash sailors.

Lake Garda seldom disappoints, with a murky start to the day at the beginning of the final series for the Splashes, forecasts of no wind proved very wrong. James Large in the Gold fleet finished the day in 5th behind the very impressive NZ sailors. The final race day dawned and the fleets set off for the race area under tow, the wind rose and fell, changed direction and eventually tempted the race officer into setting a course. Throughout all of this the Splash sailors did what Splash sailors do when there is no wind they rafted up around the support boats, sought out old friends and made a few new ones. Eventually with the Gold fleet in its starting sequence the sky darkened, the race officer abandoned and sent us homeward in front of a huge hail storm, those at the front of the homeward dash just got wet those at the back were beaten into submission with pebble sized hailstones.

Having lost the final days racing the results were calculated giving a Gold fleet top ten containing five New Zealand boats three Dutch, one Belgian and one British; An excellent effort by winner Blair Tuke and his Kiwi compatriots. Congratulations to James Large on a very consistent series to take fifth place and to all the other British competitors.

Simon Barker and Jacob Brubert competed in the Gold Fleet with James whilst Ian Richardson was the sole representative in the Silver Fleet. Tom Barker, Victoria Marfleet, Will Johnson Emily Moore and Tom Harlow all at their first worlds acquitted themselves well in the Bronze fleet.

Overall Results: