Sunshine Coast Olympic Laser dinghy skippers Ryan Palk, Klade Hauschildt and Mitchell Kennedy are well recognised as good mates however the bond of friendship will be tested when they contest the Australian championship on Brisbane’s Waterloo Bay.

Ryan Palk a member of the Australian Olympic squad and coached by Sydney 2000 Bronze Medallist Michael Blackburn is nominated as a championship favourite along with the talented New South Wales helmsman Ashley Brunning.

However Klade Hauschildt and the younger Mitchell Kennedy who also possess a mature tactical knowledge to score top places in big fleet racing on the physically demanding waters of Waterloo Bay are more than capable of racing head to head with Ryan Palk and Ashley Brunning.

Naturally being able to consistently select a clear wind start will be a decided advantage and both Palk and Brunning who raced against big fleets during their extensive regatta tour of Europe will be physically and mentally prepared to contest the front line.

Scoring consistent top places will become difficult for the individual skipper who fails to respect the tricky challenge which is presented when the wind against current creates the notorious ‘Waterloo Slop’

This short and nasty seaway which is often made more difficult to master when excess volumes of water is ‘dumped’ on the deck has been known to sort the best from the rest.

The experience from regularly racing in this tactically demanding environment should provide the Sunshine Coast trio of skippers with a slight advantage but they will also need to be at the ‘top of the game’ in selecting a mistake free strategy.

Racing at the top end in this strict One-Design class always rewards the smartest skipper with the battle involving the three clever Sunshine Coast skippers surely watched with interest by their separate loyal group of supporters.

The pressure will be on Ryan Palk to answer the challenge from his Sunshine Coast training mates and to finish the series ahead of his Australian high performance team partner Ashley Brunning.

Hopefully this mate against mate match race and the important Australian championship series will not be interrupted by storms similar to the beast of a blow and the associated torrential rain that swept across Moreton Bay on Tuesday.

Thankfully the well trained Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron regatta officials always maintain a weather watch on the cloud formation on the South West horizon and have the collective experience to ensure the fleet race in safe and competitive environment.

While the open championship has attracted another impressive fleet including former Australian champion Brad Taylor the battle for the Women’s Radial Rig championship between World championship winning New South Wales skipper Gabriel King and Queensland’s Ashley Stoddart promises to become a close match race.

Ashley Stoddart who first started racing nationally as an enthusiastic 11 year old has the proven experience from training and racing on Waterloo Bay and this is expected to favour her to maintain her career ambition of winning selection as a future Olympian.

Noosaville’s Ryan Palk has spent little time enjoying the comfort of family life at his Noosa Waters home during the past year as he pursues his Olympic dream.

He has basically lived out of his ‘sail bag’ competing in major Olympic class regattas in Europe and England with the Australian team.

However as all sailors in the Olympic Laser class understand there is no quick fix to the top of the International rankings presently dominated by multiple World champion New South Wales skipper Tom Slingsby.

Tom Slingsby is a super fit aquatic athlete and a master tactician and remains as the first choice skipper to represent Australia at 2012 Olympic regatta in England.

As expected Tom Slingsby has continued to mature with his career targeted towards racing in the Gold Medal round in England while his Australian team mates Ashley Brunning, Tom Burton and Ryan Palk remain in the chase as future Olympians.

All four talented one-design dinghy racing skippers again reflected Australia’s dominance at major International regattas with Tom Slingsby predicably claiming the ISAF World Cup Gold Medal in Melbourne earlier this month.

Slingsby won five of the ten races and was placed in the top three in every race to win the series by a commanding 19 points over England’s Nick Thompson while Ashley Brunning won the Bronze Medal.

Tom Burton 5^th and Ryan Palk 8^th completed a convincing result for the Australian Team which attracted a 63 boat fleet representing 25 nations.

The Australian Olympic Laser squad coached by Sydney 2000 Bronze medallist Michael Blackburn has remained in full training for the Perth World cup regatta from December 3-18.

Then there will be little time for Ryan Palk to enjoy some time relaxing with friends and family before he is due back on the race course to contest the 2011-12 Australian championship on Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron courses from December 27^th to January 4^th.

More importantly the super fit 23 year old will have the chance to train with some familiar friends including Noosaville’s Klade Hauschildt and Maroochydore Sailing Club brother and sister Mitchell and Madison Kennedy.

Klade Hauschildt is particularly interested in testing his personal endurance and boat speed against Ryan Palk when the two friendly rivals tension the sails for the National championship points on Waterloo Bay.

They are great mates having spent endless hours in training together however while that respect remains the racing involves a more personal perspective.

Both have won Australian intermediate rig championships on Waterloo Bay however the slightly older Ryan Palk could be forced to protect his sailing space when the two long term training mates press their individual challenge for National Olympic Laser class medal honours later this year.

The Sailing World Championships, with ten Olympic class world titles at stake, is the biggest international sailing event of the year as well as the major qualifier for sailing at next year’s London Olympic Games.

The 16 day championship regatta is being sailed off Fremantle between 3 – 18 December with some 1200 sailors and 850 boats from almost 80 nations taking part.

Television coverage of the World Championships to more than 60 countries will be coordinated by the appointed Host Broadcaster, British production house Sunset + Vine APP.  Live Medal Race coverage, daily highlights and international news coverage will all be available in High Definition

“The broadcast will take the event and its sporting stars worldwide, from the first step of the opening ceremony to the last medal presentation, via an exciting programme of sailing in one of the world’s best sailing locations,” said Andrew Preece, of Sunset + Vine APP.

Live coverage in Australia will be produced by the Sydney media company 5 Oceans Media for the Ten Network and its high definition channel, One.

The Perth 2011 broadcasts will include the latest developments in animated tracking and graphics to show the positions of boats on the water.  The French company BeTomorrow has been contracted by Sunset + Vine APP to provide the 3-D graphics that will complement the live television coverage.

Perth 2011 Event Director John Longley said that BeTomorrow would also be contracted to provide the animated 3-D images of daily racing to be shown on a big screen located at the Worlds Village in Fremantle’s Esplanade Park.

“The combination of live pictures and the virtual reality of 3-D animation brings the excitement of close, fast sailing to a new level”, Longley said. “Spectators in Fremantle will have the best of both worlds – the ability to watch the medal races close to shore in Bathers Bay or to follow the racing on more distant courses on the large screen, complete with explanatory graphics and commentary.”

The local company Azure Helicopters will carry the cameras providing aerial coverage of the racing off Fremantle.

There will be daily news from the Opening Ceremony and then every day of sailing; daily 26-minute highlights programming on every day of racing and live multi-camera coverage of all of the ten Medal Races.

The Sunshine Coasts highly talented Laser dinghy sailors will have the opportunity to contest the 2012 Australian championships on familiar waters over the Christmas-New Year holiday period.

Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron will host the series on the physically demanding Waterloo Bay ‘torture track’ from December 27 to January 4.

Noosa Yacht and Rowing Club’s Ryan Palk a member of the Australian Olympic training squad and Queensland Academy of Sport representatives Klade Hauschildt (Noosa) and the Maroochydore Sailing Club’s Mitchell and Madison Kennedy have increased their training schedules in recent weeks.

All four gifted monotype sailors are listed as major contenders following excellent results from international and interstate regattas over the past 12 months.

Ryan Palk who has spent most of the past year racing under the Australian Olympic Team banner and coached by former Olympic Bronze Medallist Michael Blackburn won his first Australian championship on Waterloo Bay which suggests he will be a strong contender.

His long term training partner Klade Hauschildt also has the potential and the determination to make his presence felt when the sails are tensioned for the important points to determine the group of skippers to compete for the Gold Medal on January 4.

Hauschildt has since recovered from a serious ankle injury which forced him out of Laser class racing for most of the winter months.

However he is now back in full training and presents a distinct challenge to the major challengers including his good mate Ryan Palk.

The brother and sister Maroochy River sailors Mitchell and Madison Kennedy already ranked among the rising teenage stars on the Australian Laser racing circuit are showing the same tactical skill expressed by their father Mark when he won the World Laser Masters championship.

All three Kennedy’s will separately compete for honours with Mitchell hoping to press home his tactical knowledge of Waterloo Bay to be nominated as a medal prospect in the Radial class while younger sister Madison who has represented Australia at the Junior Olympics is expected to be a major medal contender in the 4.7 rig class.

Naturally father Mark who has played a major role in developing the skills of Mitchell and Madison has the proven skill and experience to add another major medal to his impressive trophy cabinet.

As expected the 2012 Australian Laser class regatta has attracted an international standard fleet with the open championship including entries from skippers representing European, English, American and New Zealand clubs.

This suggests the competition to qualify for the Gold Medal sail-off in all classes will hinge on the skills of the individual skipper to sail smart, limit their tactical errors and have the steering skills to sail fast in notorious Waterloo Bay ‘slop’.

Having such a successful summer racing in Australia the Queensland Sailing Team dominated the youth classes and proved its strength as a powerful team across the multitude of classes.

Having five members selected in the Australian Youth Sailing Team these athletes competed and raced extremely well, doing Queensland and Australia proud overseas.

In the 29er class funding is given to young guns Josh Franklin and Lewis Brake who won the Australian 29er Open and Youth Championships in 2010-11. Franklin and Brake continued to train hard from their home club in Brisbane the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. The pair had their eyes set on a podium finish in the European regattas they would compete in; Kiel Woche and the ISAF Youth Worlds, and that is exactly what they did. Finishing with a 1^st in Germany and a 4^th in Croatia.

Funding went towards another double handed team, the champion combination of Alex Gough and Angus Galloway who have dominated the youth Australian 420 scene for the past two years. After a 3^rd in Croatia and a 1^st in Kiel Woche the team now move into the Olympic 470 class with eyes set on Olympic Gold.

The final athlete to receive funding is Laser sailor Ashley Stoddard who has been racing in Europe under the supervision of world renowned coach Mike Fletcher as part of the Australian Development Sailing Squad.  Stoddard sailing the Olympic women’s class has had to battle the best Laser sailors in the world, across a variety of regattas.

These athletes have represented Australia and Queensland overseas and receive $1000 each for their high levels of achievement.

A serious ankle injury has forced promising Australian Olympic Laser skipper Klade Hauschildt to place his dinghy racing career on hold.

Normally the Noosa River Yacht and Rowing Club sailor would be involved with extensive training sessions and racing on the tricky Noosa River estuary to ensure he is boat fit for the coming summer.

But unfortunately as every Laser dinghy sailor has leant to understand personal fitness is a key factor behind achieving top results in the class.

However while his Laser has remained dry and rugged up under cover on the dinghy cradle Klade has remained tactically aware with racing in the one design Farr 30 and the exciting Melges 32 classes.

Sure the ankle was in the final healing process and Klade was becoming a little ‘stir crazy’ from missing the endless hours of training and hiking from the straps on the Laser when he accepted the tactician’s role with the Gladstone husband and wife racing team of Jon and Jeanine Drummond on Loco.

This was an important career opportunity for Klade to test his tactical experience in a totally different and unfamiliar class.

Naturally he was his normal modest self when we met on the dock at Abel Point Marina during the Airlie Beach Race Week last month.

He explained his injury meant it was far too painful to sail his Laser but there was little chance in slowing the healing process with racing in the one design Farr 30 at Airlie Beach followed by crewing with elite sailors Peter Conde and the Stephen Girdis cousins of the same name on Funnelweb at Hamilton Island.

Loco faced some stiff opposition from the Townsville crew on the Leon Thomas skippered Guilty Pleasures 111 however they held a firm grip on winning the Silver Medal after they beat the eventual title winner Guilty Pleasures 111 by a comfortable 1 minute 20 seconds in the final race at Airlie Beach.

As expected the racing for the Melges 32 crown at the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week became a nip-n-tuck tactical dogfight between the reigning Australian champions on Funnelweb and the Noel Leigh-Smith helmed Southport Yacht Club entry Desperado.

Funnelweb won five of the ten races but her inconsistent scores of 4-5-5-6 forced them to fall 1 point short of winning the Gold Medal ahead of the Southport crew in Desperado.

Klade Hauschildt naturally had a sun tanned smile on his face after gaining valuable career experience from two intensive weeks of tactical one design racing in Queensland’s major keel yacht regattas.

He gained further important career exposure when he stowed his sea-bag on the Anthony Bell owned super-maxi Loyal as part of the delivery crew to Sydney.

Naturally Klade was disappointed with the interruption to his Laser racing program but made some important contacts which promise to fulfil his ambition to become a professional yacht racing crewmember.

Perth 2011, the organising committee for the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, will tomorrow  (Tuesday 23 August) celebrate a significant milestone with just 100 days to go until the biggest international sailing event of the year.

The World Championships will take place from 3-18 December, with 1200 athletes from 80 nations competing for 10 World Titles in the fresh breezes off Fremantle in Western Australia. The World Championships are also the key qualifier for the sailing competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games, with 75 per cent of places in London being decided in Perth in December.

Perth 2011 Chairman Ian Campbell said that a significant buzz is starting to build around the World Championships.

“Perth and Fremantle provide some of the best conditions for sailing in the world,” Campbell said.

“Combine these naturally favourable conditions for the sport with the hospitality and warmth of Fremantle and Western Australia and the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships are poised to be memorable.

“The Worlds Festival programme is shaping up very nicely and North Street Productions are committed to ensuring that there is something for everyone attending the World Championships away from the water as well as on it.

“Perth is set for “grandstand sailing” as the Medal Races for each class will be sailed just metres from the shore on Centre Course, allowing spectators to witness the excitement of the World Championships first hand.

“There’s a great team working very hard at Perth 2011 to ensure that when the world turns to Perth in December, we’ll be ready to provide a wonderful platform for the best young sailors on the planet to realise their World Championships and Olympic Games dreams,” Campbell said.

Running parallel to the sailing competition will be the Worlds Festival, a 16 day cultural programme that will include more than 200 free events. The Worlds Festival will be centred on, but not limited to, the Worlds Village on Esplanade Park in Fremantle, with venues around Perth’s port city hosting theatre, art exhibitions and music performances through the 16 days of the Worlds Festival.

Further details of the Worlds Festival will be released in due course.

The dream begins in Perth!

World Laser Masters sailing champion Mark Kennedy can confidently say he has provided his children son Mitchell (18) and daughter Madison (16) with the important personal skills.

The trio of Queensland Olympic Laser dinghy sailors who regard the Maroochy Sailing Club burgee as their battle-flag have continued to make a huge impression since father Mark won his World Crown at the Sydney Masters Games in 2009.

While this result remains as a career best result Mark has never failed in the role of offering his talented teenage children the best advice for their individual careers.

Relatively modest Madison gained her first official Australian representative colours when she contested the 2010 Youth Olympic regatta in the unfamiliar Byte class finishing 14^th overall.

Naturally their careers have become the focal point at the family meal table with Mark providing Mitchell and Madison with the opportunity to talk openly during their post race analysis sessions.

Mitchell regards his father who introduced him to sailing at the age of six as the person who has played the most influential role in his career.

“He is awesome to talk sailing with”. He said.

However while the Queensland Academy of Sport sailing team members Mitchell and Madison receive the best advice from their dad and QAS coach Adrian Finglas it has been their personal endurance and tactical skills which have gained the excellent results in the heat of the action on the race course.

Mitchell proved his exceptional one-design Laser dinghy sailing skills when he won his first major Gold Medal at the 2009 Sail Brisbane regatta in 2009.

He has practiced extensively with open class Laser sailors Ryan Palk and Klade Hauschildt to further improve his personal technique and tactical skills.

Last month Mitchell left the friendly and warm environment of his Sunshine Coast home and headed off to La Rochelle France for his first international regatta tour.

Before the first regatta began the rather quite teenager was regarded as just another ‘Aussie’ in the rigging area.

But after 12 races the ‘Aussie Battler’ proudly stood on the podium to accept the World U19 Laser Radial championship Silver Medal.

After a few days rest he was back on the course contesting the Open Laser Radial Youth championship against 271 rivals.

During the 12 physically enduring races contested in moderate to fresh winds and larger than normal waves Mitchell continued to show his class finishing 7^th overall with the best 10 race to count score of 13-2-4-6-6-4-8-7-5-29.

Australian and World champion Olympic 470 sailors Matthew Belcher and Malcolm Page will take a welcome break from their intensive international competition in late August.

The Gold Coast helmsman Matthew Belcher and his Sydney crew mate2008 Gold Medallist Malcolm Page will leave the boat cover on their 470 dinghy and the cold water sailing environment of Europe to spend a week soaking up the sun and the pleasant warmer winds in the Whitsunday Islands.

However they will not be leaving their official SLAM Australian team sailing suits at home as they have accepted an invitation to team up with the 1976 Olympic Bronze medallist Ian Brown to contest the Queensland SB3 Dart sports boat championship during the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week.

Naturally Matthew Belcher and Malcolm Page currently ranked as the best in the World and listed among the favourites to win an Olympic Medal at the London Olympics in 2012 will face a formidable challenge when the sails are tensioned for the honour of winning the SB3 Queensland championship.

They expressed their tactical one-design racing experience to win the Audi Australian SB3 trophy at Port Stephens against an impressive fleet and remain hopeful of a repeat performance at Hamilton Island.

The collective international racing experience of Belcher, Page and Brown naturally lists them as the series favourite but they can expect to face up to a close nip-n-tuck dogfight from the impressive Club Marine Blue crew of Glenn Bourke (Hamilton Island) and his Sunshine Coast sailing mates Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith who finished fourth at the recent Zhik World championship in England.

Skipper Glenn Bourke already has a host of World championship and international regatta medals recorded in his personal log book and success at this regatta is not beyond the master tactician and his dual Audi Australian IRC champions Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith.

A conservative Rod Jones who introduced the exciting format of SB3 one-design class racing to the national sailing scene five years ago confirmed earlier this week that the battle for the 2011 Queensland championship is an open affair.

“I personally respect the class of Ian Brown, Matt Belcher and Malcolm Page who deserve to hold the honour as the crew to beat”. He said.

However they will certainly face a serious tactical challenge from the Glenn Bourke steered Club Marine Blue racing team while World championship winning sailors Nick Rogers (Tasmania) and Dennis Winstanley from Hamilton Island have the career credentials to command respect.

“Our plan is to contest up the 12 windward-leeward races over four days which promises to provide an interesting insight as the Australian fleet prepare to host the World championship at Hamilton Island in December 2012.” Rod Jones said.

It was a shame to finish with a 33^rd overall at the ISAF Youth Worlds, after having 3 great events prior to this, but I was able to finish well with a 1^st in the final race.  I won the race convincingly, crossing the finish line probably 2 minutes before the next boat. In Croatia, the main wind range is a mere 0-12 knots, being so light most of the time the differences between the competitive youth weight and competitive open weight had a major play in the results over in Croatia. Myself, being aligned more to the competitive open weight made it difficult at times to race, when other girls had a clear speed advantage as they were lighter. It was a good regatta and I feel my light wind sailing has definitely benefited from the racing.

Some other good news is I have been allocated a place for the 2011 ISAF Open Worlds to be held in Perth, in December later this year. This will be my new peak regatta, which I will be working towards over the next 5 months. I have a great opportunity to do well over in Perth and I am going to make the most of it. I move forward from the encouraging fact that my world ranking has moved up to 39^th from 67^th prior to my departure to Europe. I will keep you all updated as to my progress and training, thank you again for all your support as my results and further progress is only enhanced through your backing.

Many thanks,

Ashley

Ashley Stoddart

Member of the Australian Sailing Squad
Laser Radial

Mobile:  +61 (0) 404 296 426
Phone:  +61 7 3204 4336
Email:    ashley@stoddartelectrical.com.au
Skype:   ashley.stoddart
Web:      www.australiansailingteam.com.au