International Optimist Dinghy Association

News IODA OCEANIA 2010

IODA OCEANIA 2010

Prize Giving photos - the end of a great regatta

Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
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Prize Giving photos - the end of a great regatta

Sunday January 10th

Nia Jerwood (AUS) Oceania Champion Team from Papua New Guinea, Noteable Sportsmanship Award

Samantha Neubronner (SIN) 1st Overall

Peter Gilmore presents his perpetual trophy for Encouragement (the windex from Kookaburra III) to Christopher Charlwood (AUS)

For more pictures of the event, especially the training at Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club, click on the link below.

| Results | Photos |

Sunday January 10th

The competitors waited in vain for the sea breeze to develop today. The extreme temperatures of 42°C cancelled out the breeze and at 1.30pm the race committee announced that there would be no racing today and effectively brought the championship to a close.

Overall Results - Oceania Championship, regardless of Continent

1. Samantha Neubronner SIN

2. Jia Min Audrey Lim SIN

3. Jillian Lee SIN

Oceania Champion

1. Nia Jerwood AUS

2. Eliza Wilkinson NZL

3. Lachlan Gilmour AUS

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this event and a big thank you to Adelaide Sailing Club and all of the many volunteers who made this event possible. Tonight there is an awards dinner when the winners will receive their prizes and everyone will celebrate this great event.

Prizes will be awarded to every fleet including the Green Fleet who met yesterday for a de-brief and team photo. They, like the Championship fleet, have seen a domination by girls here which is always encouraging and demonstrates the equality within the fleet.

A report and pictures from the awards dinner will be published tomorrow.

| Results |

Saturday January 9th

 

The temperatures rose today both on and off the water as this championship draws to a conclusion. After an uncertain start the sea breeze arrived with a stable 6 knots that tracked slowly left throughout the day.

By race 8 the breeze had increased to 10 knots and the boats were moving well.

As the race committee prepared for the start of race 9, there were already plans for a possible fourth race as the sea breeze showed no signs of dying. The tide was now going out and the resulting current was pushing the sailors back from the line. It paid to keep to the left of the course where the current was less and for many this race was one of the best of the championship. However for many of the fleet from the second start the wind began to die on one side of the course resulting in some boats being forced backwards by the current and retiring from the race. This was disappointing for everyone and the race committee made the decision to send everyone ashore.

This championship has been dominated by the girls with 5 placed in the top 8. Nia Jerwood, AUS and Eliza Wilkinson, NZL, lead the Oceanian sailors and are 6th and 7th overall. The overall leader is Samantha Neubronner, SIN, six points ahead of Jia Min Audrey Lim also SIN.

Tomorrow, the final day of the championship, the race committee hope for two more races but again the forecast is for temperatures in the 40s which reduces the likelyhood of a good breeze.

| Results |

Friday January 8th

As temperatures here in Adelaide look set to reach 39°C the race committee will have a difficult task to complete the scheduled 4 races today. This morning there was a 10 knot land breeze but as the temperature climbs this will compete with the sea breeze which may result in no wind at all, which is exactly what happened.

Douglas Campbell AUS 543 scored a second in race 5 and currently lies 1st Oceanian

The boats launched for race 5 at 11am this morning in what was a very shifty breeze from the north east. Getting the fleet away was difficult as the shifting breeze at one point meant that the sailors could not lay the pin end mark on starboard tack. Eventually after several abandonments the fleet got away. For the sailors this was a particularly frustrating race as the wind flicked 180° more than once and beats became runs and vice versa. Luckily all divisions completed race 5 and then as the breeze died completely, the sailors retired to the clubhouse to wait for conditions to improve.

Finally, just after 5pm, the sailors were called out again for the sixth race of the championship. The breeze was still patchy but with 6 knots and building, the race officer was hopeful of getting in a race before the sea breeze died completely at the end of the day. The fleet started cleanly but the tide was pushing the sailors down the course so there were a few anxious moments when the first sailor rounded the windward mark just minutes before the time limit. The breeze had now strengthened to 9 knots and this final race of the day means that the first discard of the championship can now be applied.

The forecast tomorrow is for even higher temperatures so once again we may be sailing into the early evening when the sea breeze becomes more stable.

| Results |

Thursday January 7th

First thing this morning the sailors arrived at the club to a flat sea with little breeze. The race committee were optimistic of starting on time and preparations by both race committee and sailors were rewarded as the breeze began to fill in from the south west.

Greta Brown, 7 years old, the youngest sailor in Green Fleet

Running alongside this event is a 'Green Fleet' Regatta. These are novice sailors of all ages, in many cases attending their first ever regatta. Many have siblings in the Championship fleet, others come from families with no sailing background at all.

Each has a different goal - to finish a race, to go afloat all on their own, to not be over at the start, to finish in the front half of the fleet. They sail with enthusiasm, they are proud of their boats, all of which have names and many have elaborate graphics. This fleet is about having fun, gaining confidence and increased independence.

The regatta is also about learning. There is a short briefing at the beginning and end of each day which cover many areas including tactics, boat trim and rules. They use the ISAF Introductory Rules to Sailing which compress the not insubstantial rule book to one A4 piece of paper - many adults can only dream of such simplicity.

During the course of the regatta, every sailor wins a prize, all donated by generous sponsors. Every sailor goes away happy, having made new friends and had plenty of fun. A great introduction to sailing optimists.

Racing for the Championship fleet started this morning in about 10 knots of breeze with the tide pushing the sailors over the line. This was especially evident in race 3 when the second group had several general recalls before the race officer displayed a black flag and got them away cleanly.

Although it was the intention of the race committee to run four races today, they were only able to run three.

After a total of four races, Jillian Lee from Singapore, who has sailed remarkably consistently so far, has a 7 point lead from Drew Gallagher USA, in second place. The Oceanian sailors are lead by Lachlan Gilmour and Jack Felsenthal, both from Australia, in fifth and sixth place, tied on 26 points.

| Results |

Wednesday January 6th

The Adelaide Sailing Club here in West Beach, South Australia are playing host to the IODA Oceanian Championship and the AIODA Australian Nationals. Today has seen perfect conditions for the racing with a gentle 10 knot sea breeze and the course immediately infront of the clubhouse, perfect for the many spectators.

This event has attracted sailors from 11 countries and 4 continents and is the largest Oceanian Championship for many years. This morning the measurer, with his team of volunteers, succeeded in completing measurement ready for the briefing from the race committee prior to the practice race. Malcolm Hughes, the PRO and Mike Badenoch, the club Commodore, welcomed the sailors to Adelaide and explained the format for the next five days of racing.

Team from Daveys Bay, Melbourne with coach Competitor Briefing

After the practice race, the Championship fleet, split into 4 divisions to begin the first race of the championship.

Fleet begins to launch Boats line up for the start

The sea breeze held steady from the south west for the first race of the championship with white and blue divisions in the first start and green and yellow in the second. Nia Jerwood, 11 years old from Western Australia, won the first start ahead of Jia Min Audrey Lim of Singapore. Singapore dominated the second start, taking the first three places.

Racing starts again tomorrow at 11am with 4 races scheduled. Adelaide is forecast to suffer a heat wave over the next few days, with temperatures expected to reach into the 40's. This could compromise the strength of the sea breeze so everyone here is hoping that the exceptional conditions of today continue despite the extreme heat.

| Results |

Saturday January 2nd

Sailors arriving early for the IODA Oceanian Championship took to the water today in a building sea breeze which reached 25 knots. Eighty-four sailors from over eight countries joined in the first day of the Ozi Opti coaching clinic which runs from the 2-5 January and many will also participate in the Gulf of St Vincent Classic Regatta, all generously hosted by the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. This provides an excellent warm up for the 2010 IODA Oceania and AIODA Australian Championships which begin 6 January a little further north at Adelaide Sailing Club.

Sailors throughout Australia and Oceania have travelled, many with their families, to support this event. They have been joined by sailors from Europe, Asia and the Americas to compete in probably the biggest international optimist championship ever hosted in Australia

For more information visit:

International Optimist Dinghy Association - South Australia

We are glad to inform our members that the Notice of Race for next IODA Oceania Championship i snow online at:

http://www.optiworld.org/10oceanianor.pdf

This edition of the continental championship, usually held every other year, will be hosted by Adelaide Sailing Club and is organised in accord to the conditions of the IODA and the Australian IODA.

The races will take place in the waters of Holdfast Bay in the Gulf of St Vincent. Sailing conditions are said to be excellent, with temperatures varying from 17 to 30 C during the day and winds in the range of 12 knots. This, together with the superb facilities of the venue, should make this event a huge success.

For more information visit: