Auckland, NZL

MEDIA RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL ONE METRE CLASS INAUGURAL OCEANIA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The New Zealand Radio Yachting Association (NZRYA) in conjunction with the Australian Radio Yachting Association (ARYA) are pleased to announce the inaugural International One Metre Class Oceania Regional Championship to be hosted by Pegasus Radio Sailing Club at Lake Pegasus, Christchurch, New Zealand in early December 2020.

Apologies for the missed reporting, but the RSAWA website had a few technical difficulties over the last few days, which I was unable to rectify. However, we are fixed now and good to go.

By now, you will most likely know that Zvonko went back to back, winning the 2019 edition of the Worlds to go with his 2017 title. That is a really consistent performance. Second place went to Zvonko's teammate, Ante Kovasevic. These two were sailing Kantun 2 hulls. Rounding out the podium was our good mate Ian Vickers from NZ, who no doubt will be pleased with the performace of his new V11 design

After a couple of days of practice, three days of racing and a little bit of partying, we come to the half way mark of the Championship. Time to refresh, recharge the batteries (the ones in the skippers heads) and stop to consider what has taken place so far. Time to think about what has been done well, and what might be done differently in the run to the finish...

The Championship has reached the half way mark, and tomorrow is a rest day - which by all accounts will be very welcome. The heat was on in Porto Alegra today - on and off the water. Reigning World Champion, Zvonko Jelacic made a solid move today, putting a small but solid buffer between himself and the chasing pack.

It's been said that you don't ever win a Championship on Day 1 but you sure can lose a Championship on Day 1. Getting off to a good start is the aim of all the skippers, because if you have a poor day to open your account, the catch-up may not happen. Several skippers must be feeling this way after their opening, and there must be others who are breathing a sigh of relief that they are off and running.

The Aussies are on fire in Porto Alegra! Day One of the 2019 World Championships is in the book and there are some stories to relate! The day started with the traditional Opening Ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance befitting the event. Race Officer Fred Rocha was the Master of Ceremonies and introduced the various dignitaries from the city and host club. A few speeches, the Brazilian National Anthem and a Flag Ceremony at which Sean represented Australia was the order of the morning

The Western Australian tilt at the 2019 IOM World Championships is warming up! Three of our mates have travelled to Porto Alegra in Brazil to compete in the 2019 IOM World Championships. A full fleet of 76 participants is currently preparing and racing is not far off.

Albany Radio Sailing Club now has a great new lake for their club sailing - well it is really the old lake, just been made a whole lot bigger and into a better shape! Greg Westerburg has sent some photos of the venue, which makes for interesting viewing. Congratulations to all the guys in Albany who worked with their local council to make this project come into being - a great outcome.

2019 Western Australian DF65 State Championships – Austin Lakes

The fleet for today’s WA State DF65 Championship was a bit of a mix of some old stagers and some skippers reasonably new to radio sailing. There were 14 entrants for this year’s event which was sailed at Austin Lakes in South Yunderup – near Mandurah. This lake is the venue for the 2020 ARYA National Championships for the DF classes, so served as a great warm-up.

Our Race Officer for the day was Barry Donaher, who was managing his first regatta. Barry's experience in sailing many high class events in the USA stood him in good stead for the role.