Day Three of the 2020 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships saw the 49ers hit the water early for the morning shift at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club on Corio Bay. They completed the last three races of their truncated qualification series to have six races with one drop included. 

Australian Sailing Team members, brothers Will and Sam Phillips made the best of it, keeping it clean and moving in to the top ten on the back of a second, fifth, and first place for the day.

Will and Sam Phillips - Beau Outteridge/AST

Will (Skipper) said, “The shortened series put more pressure on us, and it meant the stakes were higher on each race as we went along. We’re pretty happy with the way we came through it. We have qualified in the top ten, but it really is another regatta starting tomorrow for the final series. It all begins once more in a different fleet situation.”

Sam added, “We had a tough day yesterday, as we probably did not manage the seaweed really well. It was really good to finish with a bullet (first place) today. Along with a second and fifth it just feels good to perform better.”

Will and Sam Phillips - Beau Outteridge/AST

Will continued with, “It was still quite shifty, which is generally the case here at Corio Bay, as a result of all the land around it. We were able to read it more easily today than yesterday, and I think that helped us.” The Mornington Peninsula pair know these waters well. “This is nearly home waters, and even though we are inland a bit, we can still smell the coast, so it is not too bad.”

Qualifying in 23^rd place for the 49er (top 25 go into Gold Fleet) are Thomas Needham (Skipper) and Joel Turner (Crew). Needham said, “I think it is really good fun out there. The closer the racing the better it is. It can be a bit tedious if it is a soldier’s track.”

Tom Needham and Joel Turner - Beau Outteridge/AST

Turner commented, “Yes it was a bit shifty. We were on the close course so we had really nice flat water, so the racing is really fast, and all the boats are going really quickly.”

“The short series makes every race count, and a good enough day yesterday means we are in the hunt.”

Darren Bundock, the coach of the Nacra 17 crews, “After yesterday the squad performed really well. We had the Outteridges win a race and also collect a second place, too. Jason (Waterhouse) and Lisa (Darmanin) also came out with two third places, as well. So in the lead up to the Olympic Games, they are both pushing each other. We still have plenty of racing to go, so it is going to be very interesting to see it all unfold, and hopefully the Aussies keep pushing.”

The entire fleet races on to Saturday morning before the top ten shoot it out in the medal races. “As it gets close to the Olympics a lot of countries are sending less teams, so we are racing in just the one fleet, which is great, because you are out there against all your competitors in exactly the same conditions. Everyone who is going to be at the Olympics is here, so we are really seeing exactly what the level of competition is”, Bundock concluded with.

Four of the 49er FX crews have qualified for the Gold Fleet there, with Tess Lloyd and Jaime Ryan finishing in the top five. In the Nacra 17, Nathan and Haylee Outteridge collected a pair of second places, as well as a 17^th in the first race, which becomes their drop. Reflecting on this, Nathan commented, “We did not think we had that much weed on our foils early on in the race, but it ended up being around 50% of yesterday’s level. So once we started to clear it, our results improved dramatically. Hopefully by tomorrow it will have subsided even more.”

Nathan and Haylee Outteridge - Sailing Energy

The Australian sailors are all set to continue their journeys in their pursuit of Olympic glory in these exciting classes. The all-important Gold Fleet racing for the top 25 crews in both 49ers begins tomorrow, with the medal races (top ten) for the skiffs and the Nacra 17 on February 15.

Australian Sailing Team (AST), Australian Sailing Squad (ASS) and other Australian entries (AUS) at the 2020 49er and Nacra 17 World Championships at Geelong:

Nacra 17 (34 entries – medal race Saturday)

Nathan and Haylee Outteridge (AST) 2^nd: 1, 2, 10, (17), 2, 2 – 17 points

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AST) 6th: 17, 3, 3, 3, (15), 9 – 33 points

Paul Darmanin and Lucy Copeland (ASS) 23^rd: (29), 13, 18, 12, 14, 25 – 92 points

Steven Brewin and Karma Randall (AUS) 28^th: 21, 25, (30), 23, 27, 24 – 120 points

Emma Jones and Hugo Hamilton (AUS) 31^st: 26, 29, 27, (30), 29, 29 – 104 points

Jake Liddell and Bec Hancock (AUS) 34^th: DNF, DNF, DNC, 33, 31, 31 – 165 points

Miles Davey and Dervla Duggan (AUS)

David and Lachy Gilmour - Beau Outteridge/AST

49er (80 entries – qualifying now complete, then finals and medal race – correct at time of entry and pending any protests)

Will and Sam Phillips (AST) 7^th: (13), 3, 11, 2, 5, 1 – 22 points

James Grogan and Simon Hoffman (ASS) 21^st: 6, 11, 3, (19), 11, 9 – 42 points

Tom Needham and Joel Turner (ASS) 23^rd: 7, (20), 7, 5, 12, 11 – 42 points

David Gilmour and Lachy Gilmour (ASS) 40^th: 19, 6, 11, (20), 3, 14 – 53 points

David O'Connor and Fang Warren (AUS) 47^th: 3, 14, 11, 17, 20, (22) – 65 points

Oliver Manton and Jack Lloyd (AUS) 49^th: (17), 17, 14, 12, 13, 12 – 68 points

Jim Colley and Shaun Connor (AUS) 51^st: 11, 19, (UFD), 21, 16, 6 – 73 points

John Cooley and Thomas Cunich (AUS) 57^th: 20, 19, 13, (22), 13, 19 – 84 points

Matt Jerwood and Max Paul (AUS) 60^th: (25), 18, 12, 24, 21, 18 – 88 points

Harrison Sly and Thomas Dwyer (AUS) 69^th: 25, 17, 23, 13, 25, (26) – 103 points

Hayden Harding and Casey Bates (AUS) 72nd: (24), 24, 21, 24, 24, 19 – 112 points

Beau Junk and Alexander Marinelli (AUS) 75^th: 18, (26), 25, 26, 23, 25 – 117 points

William Bridge and Joshua Sloman (AUS) 76^th: 25, 21, 21, 25, 25, (26) – 117 points

Hayden Brown and Mackenzie Bird (AUS) 77^th: 23, (26), 21, 26, 23, 24 – 118 points

Dylan Janus and Conor Hay (AUS) 78^th: 22, (DNF), DNC, 26, 26, 24 – 125 points

James Grogan and Simon Hoffman - Beau Outteridge/AST

49erFX (45 entries – qualifying now complete, then finals and medal race)

Tess Lloyd and Jaime Ryan (ASS) 5^th: 6, 3, 1, (12), 8, 5 – 23 points

Amelia Stabback and Caitlin Elks (ASS) 17^th: 14, (16), 3, 5, 7, 14 – 33 points

Tessa Parkinson and Ella Clark (AUS) 19^th: 6, 13, 5, (17), 6, 15 – 43 points

Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot (ASS) 25^th: 11, 11, 4, 14, (15), 9 – 49 points

Chloe Fisher and Ella Grimshaw (AUS) 41^st: 20, 21, 13, 12, 18, (DNF) – 84 points

Laura Harding and Laura Thomson (AUS) 42^nd: 17, (22), 21, 22, 20, 19 – 99 points

Tess Lloyd and Jaime Ryan - Sailing Energy