*After four extremely tough days racing, the Australian 470 Championships for 2011 came to a close. Racing was done on Waterloo Bay, Queensland and the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron put on a great display for all competitors.
The small but highly competitive fleet made for some tight racing, however world number one pair Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page won convincingly over second placed Sam Kivell and Will Ryan. The highlight of the regatta for Queensland was the performances of the young gun teams of Angus Galloway and Alexander Gough in the mens, and sisters Sasha Ryan and Jamie Ryan in the womens.
Sisters Sasha Ryan and Jamie Ryan fought it out for the W omen’s title against
Olympic hopefuls Tessa Parkinson and Marieke Jongens.
The young Queensland sisters have a bright future in the 470 class.
2nd overall, Will Ryan and Sam Kivell put up a
strong fight against World Champions Page and Belcher.
World number ones and 2011 Australian Champions
- Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page run downwind on Day 1.
Tight starts and close top mark roundings made for some exciting
action throughout the regatta.
“The competition was close in all 10 races, the young crews are getting much better,
putting a lot of time in on the water and it’s really showing during racing” Mathew Belcher
“Angus and Alex had only had a week in a 470 before racing
here and improved out of sight by the end of the regatta”. (Malcolm Page)
“They are another great possible crew for the future and
show the growing depth we have in the 470 class here in Australia.” (Malcolm Page)
The highly competitive New South Wales fleet came up against a young Queensland contingent who showed alot of promise and at times were extremely competitive. Out of the men’s, Gough and Galloway battled hard in the last two days to push themselves into fourth overall.
The formidable Ryan sisters again had success in the first two days of the regatta but struggled to hold it together for the final few days. For full results head to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron home site and follow the links.
http://results.rqys.com.au/11aust470/SGrp81.htm
Andrew Gough
photos and words: Andrew Gough