2018 Australian Sailing Male Sailor of the Year award winner Matt Wearn has picked up where he left off, leading a competitive fleet of Laser sailors after the first day of competition at this year’s Sail Sydney regatta. Wearn posted a bullet and a 3 from the two races today, leaving him atop the standings alongside British sailor Lorenzo Chiavarini who also finished with a net point score of four.

“We had a blustery ten to twelve knot easterly, and the first day of racing is always a little bit nerve wracking when you go out in those sorts of conditions” Wearn said.

Despite the mixed conditions, Wearn was pleased how he finished the first day of racing for this year’s Australian summer regatta season.

“I seemed to have an ok grasp of what was going on, and I got a one and a three so a pretty solid day. I am pretty happy with that starting the regatta and the summer”

Wearn wasn’t the only Australian Sailing Team member to impress on day one, with Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries in the Women’s 470, David and Lach Gilmour in the 49ers, Tess Lloyd and Jaime Ryan in the 49erFX and Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin in the Nacra 17 all doing enough to lead their classes after the first day of competition.

This year’s Sail Sydney regatta has been highlighted by the strength of the international competitors involved, who are largely using the regatta to fine tune their Olympic campaigns before the northern hemisphere’s summer season in 2019. Indeed there were international leaders in the Men’s 470 (Daichi Takayama and Kimihiko Imamura from Japan) and Finn (reigning European Champion Ed Wright from Great Britain) classes.

2014 Laser World Champion from the Nethlands, Nick Heiner, is in Sydney sailing in the Finn class and finished the day one point behind Wright with New Zealand’s Josh Junior a point further behind rounding out an all-international top three for the class.

“First day of Sail Sydney here with the Finns, it’s a great fleet and it was super tricky conditions with big wind shifts and big cruising ships out on the race course as well. It’s a proper Sydney Harbour racing day.” Heiner said.

It was an Australian 1-2-3 in the 49erFX class, with Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot closing the day in second place, followed by the team of Amelia Stabback and Caitlin Elks in third.

Rio Olympics silver medallists Mat Belcher and Will Ryan had a tricky first day, as they hit the water together for the first time since the World Cup event in Enoshima in September. They posted two third placed to end the day in fourth place.

Sailing will resume under what should be another day of challenging conditions at the Woollahra Sailing Club tomorrow, with action commencing from midday.

A full list of results can be found on the Sail Sydney website.

Australian Sailing Team and Squad Results:

470 Men

Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson - 4, 2 – 3rd

Mat Belcher/Will Ryan - 3, 3 – 4th

470 Women

Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries - 1, 1 – 1st

Dana Tavener/Katherine Shannon - 2, 3 – 3rd

49er

David Gilmour/Lach Gilmour - 1, 2, 1 – 1st

Tom Needham/Joel Turner - 3, 6, 2 – 3rd

Kurt Hansen/Simon Hoffman - 8, 8, 5 – 7th

49erFX

Tess Lloyd/Jaime Ryan - 3, 2, 2 – 1st

Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 6, 3, 3 – 2nd

Amelia Stabback/Caitlin Elks - 8, 4, 1 – 3rd

Finn

Jake Lilley - 4, 4 – 4th

Oliver Tweddell - 6, 15 – 9th

Jock Calvert - 13, 8 – 10th

Lewis Brake - 9, 12 – 12th

Laser

Matt Wearn - 1, 3 – 1st

Luke Elliott - 7, 4 – 5th

Mitchell Kennedy - 11, 6 – 7th

Finn Alexander - 12, 9 – 12th

Laser Radial

Mara Stransky - 2, 8 – 5th

Nacra 17

Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin - 1, 1, 2 – 1st

Paul Darmanin/Lucy Copeland - 3, 2, 3 – 8th

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