SAIL Melbourne got off to a choppy start with 2012 Olympic hopefuls Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen capsizing in their third race of the day.
The duo, who are unbeaten in the 49er class and are favoured to head Australia’s London Games campaign, made a surprise slip-up while leading the fleet to the finish line.
“The bow just slapped into the water and started to load up and at that point we tried to get the boat through, but we just couldn’t make it,” Outteridge said.
“We would have lost over a minute which was enough to go from a handy 15-second lead to being at least a minute behind the leaders.”
The capsize saw the pair’s overall ranking for the day drop to sixth, after placing second and first in the first two races. But Outteridge said he and Jensen were confident of putting that setback behind them.
“There were a few other guys having a swim as well, it’s just the way it went,” Outteridge said. “For us still a good result would be to win this regatta, and a bad result would be to come second.”
The bad luck for Outteridge and Jensen was good news for Victoria, with Melbourne 49er hopefuls, William and Samuel Phillips, finishing the day in first position.
While other teams struggled in the choppy conditions, the Phillips showed consistency, claiming two silvers and a gold to finish first overall.
Sail Melbourne titleholder, and Beijing Olympic gold medallist, Malcolm Page won both races in the 470 class with skipper Mathew Belcher, reaffirming their status as favourites in the class.
Queensland had a strong first day, producing leaders in the Laser 4.7, 29er and Skud 18 classes.
Sail Melbourne, which is the first leg of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, finishes on Saturday.
Spectators have a good view of the action from the Sandringham Yacht Club.
Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen