Jon-Paul Tobin collects Bronze in Perth

A team of New Zealand’s Olympic class campaigners have been competing in Fremantle at the Perth International Regatta where the final races were sailed yesterday and the medals presented.

The notorious ‘Fremantle Doctor’ was in full force in the lead-up to the regatta, but failed to show when racing got underway and the event was hampered by postponements and shortened schedules.

NZL Sailing Team RS:X sailor Jon-Paul Tobin won bronze among a world class fleet of board sailors.

While the NZL Sailing Team saw this regatta predominantly as an opportunity for venue familiarisation ahead of the important 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, it also presented a chance to line up against some top competition with a good number of high level international campaigners in Western Australia for the event.

The Men’s RS:X fleet, for example, featured Israel’s Shahar Zubari, Britain’s Nick Dempsey, Ricardo Santos from Brazil and Dorian van Rijsselberge from the Netherlands – stiff competition indeed for our own Jon-Paul Tobin. Seven races were sailed, and with Tobin strong on consistency he sailed through to collect the bronze behind overall winner, van Rijsselberge, and silver medallist Santos.

Among the next best placed of the NZL Sailing Team was Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the exciting 49er skiff class, in fourth place just two points off collecting a medal as the regatta concluded. Aussie’s Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen took the win in fine fashion with five race wins in nine races sailed.

Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie also finished fourth in the Women’s 470 event decided after an abbreviated series in which just four qualifying races were sailed, followed by the top ten medal race yesterday. Opening with two wins and a 2nd place the kiwis were looking in good shape for a medal, but slipped to fourth after placing 8th and collecting 16 points in the medal race.

With 68 entries the Laser was the largest fleet in Perth and the NZL Sailing Team’s Laser Squad featured strongly at the top of the board once more. Andrew Murdoch finished fifth, with Andy Maloney close behind in sixth place while young Sam Meech was eleventh.

Also among the top ten in their fleet were both New Zealand entries in the Men’s 470 class. Mark Overington and Ben Goodwin finished sixth, while Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders finished eighth.

In December next year Perth will host the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, where all eleven Olympic class events contest their world titles consecutively and side by side, an occasion which comes about only every four years. The 2011 event will attract huge fleets and feature the world best as sailors compete for not only their world title but also for national qualification for the 2012 Olympic Regatta.

Perth International Regatta 2010: New Zealand’s Final Results
See the regatta website for full results and images

Men’s RS:X (18 entries)
3rd - Jon-Paul Tobin

Laser (68 entries)
5th - Andrew Murdoch
6th - Andy Maloney
11th - Sam Meech
20th - Mike Bullot

Laser Radial (45 entries)
19th - Sara Winther
30th - Cushla Hume-Merry

Men’s 470 (25 entries)
6th - Mark Overington and Ben Goodwin
8th - Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders

Women’s 470 (14 entries)
4th - Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie

49er (34 entries)
4th - Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
29th- Marcus Hansen and Aaron Hume-Merry

Finn (20 entries)
16th - Matt Coutts