SAILING: The 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final kicked-off in Abu Dhabi last night with Australian Sailing’s defending champions Tom Burton (NSW) as well as Mat Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD) setting out again on a gold medal course.
The fleets had an early start racing from 10 a.m. local time in an off shore breeze of 10-17 knots.
The defending champion in the Laser class Tom Burton scored one race win and a second place to lead the 20-boat Laser fleet from five-times Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt of Brazil who picked up a pair of third places. Teammate Matt Wearn (WA) posted a tenth and a second place and sits in fifth.
“After such a long time without racing it took me half a race to click in to gear and had to fight back from 16th to finish with a tenth. The second race was much better and ended the day with a second. I’m looking forward to more racing and consolidating tomorrow,” Wearn said, who is racing his first regatta since the Laser World Champs in July.
Australian Sailing Squad’s Ryan Palk (QLD) finished the first day ranked 12th.
Multiple world champions and World #1 Mat Belcher and Will Ryan came from behind to land the opening race in the men's 470 class. Down in third at the first mark, they eventually came through to victory by 29 seconds from Austrians Matthias Schmid and Florian Reichstädter, with Americans Stuart McNay and David Hughes in third.
In race two the Aussies were beaten into second place by McNay and Hughes but lead the Americans by a single point at the end of the day.
Australian Sailing Squad’s Alexander and Patrick Conway (NSW) are the second Australian boat in the small Men’s 470 fleet of only 11 crews and are ranked tenth.
In the Laser Radial Australian Sailing Squad’s Ashley Stoddart had a strong first day posting a fourth and fifth place and is ranked fourth overall after the first two races.
Eight Australian Sailing Team (AST) and Squad (ASS) sailors are competing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in the Men’s 470, Laser and Laser Radial.
After three days of fleet racing, the top ten athletes from each of the classes will move forward into Sunday's (1 November 2015) medal races to decide who leaves Abu Dhabi with World Cup gold, silver and bronze.
470M (Men’s Two Person Dinghy)
Mat Belcher (QLD/QAS) / Will Ryan (QLD/QAS) – AST: 1, 2 – 1st
Alexander Conway (NSW) / Patrick Conway (NSW) – ASS: 7, 11 – 10th
Laser (Men's One Person Dinghy)
Tom Burton (NSW) – AST: 2, 1 – 1st
Matthew Wearn (WA/WAIS) – AST: 10, 2 – 5th
Ryan Palk (QLD/QAS) – ASS: 13, 12 – 12th
Laser Radial (Women's One Person Dinghy)
Ashley Stoddart (QLD/QAS) – ASS: 4, 5 – 5th
Sailing Australia
