News

ISAF World Sailing Rankings By Courtesy ISAF, 10:45 AM Thu 30 Jun 2005
The latest release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings today introduces the new Olympic event definitions and there are three new leaders, including Spain’s new team of World Champions. ...[more]

Rechichi and Parkinson claim victory at Kiel By Jo Dikkenburg, Sydney , 3:27 PM Mon 27 Jun 2005
Australian’s Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson (both AIS/WAIS) have claimed victory in the 470 class at the Grade 1 Kieler Woche in Germany. ...[more]

Rechichi/Parkinson lead Aussie efforts in Kiel By Di Pearson, 11:31 AM Mon 27 Jun 2005
Australian athletes have continued their dream run at Kiel Week in Germany and with only one day remaining, Elise Rechichi/Tessa Parkinson remain at the top of the leaderboard in the Womens 470 event. ...[more]

Rechichi and Parkinson take lead at Kiel Week By Sam Maffett, Kiel, Germany , 7:02 AM Sat 25 Jun 2005
Day three of the Kiel Olympic Classes Regatta started with an optimistic forecast for a little more wind than came on Day 2 when several classes did not get on the water all day through lack of breeze. ...[more]

Aussies trip in the light airs of Kiel By Di Pearson, 9:56 AM Fri 24 Jun 2005
Very light 6-9 knot easterly winds and warm temperatures (25-28 degree heat wave by German standards) was the fare of Day 2 at Kiel Week in Germany. ...[more]

Australia in good shape at Kiel Week By Sam Maffett, Kiel, Germany , 9:38 AM Thu 23 Jun 2005
Australian sailors competing at the ISAF Grade 1 Olympic Classes Kiel Week in Northern Germany are right on the pace after the first day of sailing. ...[more]

Coutts returns to Olympic sailing at Kieler Woche By Courtesy ISAF, Germany , 9:27 AM Tue 21 Jun 2005
The ISAF Grade 1 Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany, starts this week with the world’s best Olympic classes sailors battling it out in one of the prestige events on the European sailing tour. ...[more]

Australia medals at Holland Regatta By Di Pearson, 8:58 AM Mon 30 May 2005
Australian competitors won two classes and medalled in all but one at the newly named Holland Regatta, which finished in Medemblik, Holland, Sunday local time. ...[more]

Australia’s good form continues at Holland Regatta By Di Pearson, 11:37 AM Sat 28 May 2005
Australian competitors contesting the ISAF Grade 1 Olympic class Holland Regatta at Medemblik have continued to pull out all stops on day three. ...[more]

Strong Australian performances at Holland Regatta By Di Pearson, 9:55 AM Fri 27 May 2005
Day two of the ISAF Grade 1 Holland Regatta in Medemblik and the Australian team continues to perform well, including a lift up into podium places in both the Mens and Womens 470 fleets. ...[more]

Slingsby and Bundock lead charge in Medemblik By Di Pearson, Sydney , 10:27 AM Thu 26 May 2005
Australia’s Tom Slingsby and Darren Bundock are leading the 15 strong Aussie charge on day one of the Olympic class Holland Regatta being sailed in Medemblik. ...[more]

ISAF World Sailing Rankings By ISAF, 6:58 AM Sat 5 Mar 2005
The second release of the ISAF World Sailing Ranking for 2005 include the results from nine ISAF Graded events including one World Championship, one C1 event, one Grade 1, three Grade 2 and three Grade 3 events. ...[ more ]

Hot Competition at ISAF Grade 1 Laser Regatta
New Zealand Yachting Jodie Perkins
The strength and ability amongst the women sailing in the Laser Radial fleet bodes well for the class which is now the Olympic single-handed women's class. Current World Champion Krystal Weir (AUS) proved too good for her New Zealand rivals this time ...[more] Hot Competition at ISAF Grade 1 Laser Regatta

Krystal Weir top female in Laser Asia Pacifics

Matt Blakey won a close battle to take the top spot in the Laser fleet at the ISAF Grade 1 Laser Asia Pacific Championships. Krystal Weir of Australia edged out the New Zealand women in the Laser Radial. The Grade 1 regatta was held over four days in Wellington last weekend.
Only eight points separated first and fifth place in the Laser fleet going into the final day of competition. In a steady 25 knots of breeze the final leg in the final race of the regatta determined the placings and saw Blakey take out the regatta on 24 points. Andrew Murdoch took second place on count back finishing on 25 points along with 2005 National Champion Michael Bullot finished the regatta in third place.

Yachting New Zealand National Coach, Ian Neely is pleased with the form the top sailors have shown over recent weeks.
"What a way to finish the 3 regattas, Sail Auckland, the Laser National Champs and the Asia Pacifics. This was a great contest and there were so many positives," comments Neely. "All 3 guys dominated the regatta at various stages; Blakey at the beginning, Bullot in the middle and Murdoch at the end. They are all sailing consistently well and the nice thing is they all know that they have areas where they can improve."

First youth, Blair McLay finished 5th, continuing the excellent form he has demonstrated already this season.
"McLay managed to put in another good regatta which is an excellent build-up towards the Youth Trials in April this year," says Neely.

The strength and ability amongst the women sailing in the Laser Radial fleet bodes well for the class which is now the Olympic single-handed women's class. Current World Champion Krystal Weir (AUS) proved too good for her New Zealand rivals this time. Sara Winther of Takapuna Boating Club in Auckland was 2nd while Athens Olympian Sarah Macky from Kohimarama in Auckland was 3rd.

Neely is impressed with the fleet. "Within months of the Olympic class change decision we already have a substantial sized and top quality fleet. Weir (AUS) took out the title by sailing fast and smart in the conditions. Sara Winther (NZL) was a standout, sailing consistently in the lighter winds earlier in the regatta and then performing extremely well in the heavier conditions towards the end of the regatta."
"We are so lucky to have so many talented ladies currently sailing the Laser Radial. All the girls have different strengths and weaknesses and by managing to keep them sailing against each other, they will keep improving."

2005 Asia Pacific Laser Championship Final Top Five Results
1st - Matt Blakey (Tamaki Yacht Club)
2nd - Andrew Murdoch (Kerikeri Cruising Club)
3rd - Michael Bullot (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
4th - David Weaver (Titahi Bay Boating Club)
5th - Blair McLay (Torbay Sailing Club) - 1st Youth

2005 Asia Pacific Laser Radial Women's Championship Top Five Results
1st - Krystal Weir (Sandringham Yacht Club, Australia)
2nd - Sara Winther (Takapuna Boating Club)
3rd - Sarah Macky (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
4th - Miranda Powrie (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
5th - Jo Aleh (Kohimarama Yacht Club)

Go to the regatta website or full results by clicking the link below.

[ Regatta Website ]

Weir wins battle of the girls at Asia Pacific champs By ISAF/amended by Sail World, Wellington, New Zealand , 9:07 AM Tue 22 Feb 2005
Krystal Weir (AUS) has beaten her female contenders in the Laser Radial at the Laser Asia Pacific Championship in New Zealand, only once scoring outside a top three finish and only beaten by one point for the overall title by Mark Orams (NZL). ...[ more ]

Weir leads Laser Radials at Asia Pacific champs By ISAF/amended by Sail-World, Wellington, New Zealand , 8:30 AM Sun 20 Feb 2005
Two days of racing have now been completed at the Asia Pacific Laser Championship after a disappointing Day One with Wellington in New Zealand living up to its windy reputation and delivering a blasting 50 knots. ...[ more ]

Kiwi Athens Olympian wins Laser Radial title By Jodie Perkins, Yachting NZ, 8:23 AM Wed 16 Feb 2005
Athen's Olympian Sarah Macky took out the New Zealand Laser Radial nationals in a close tussle with 2004 New Zealand youth champion, Jo Aleh. ...[ more ]

ISAF World Sailing Rankings By ISAF, 9:40 AM Thu 3 Feb 2005
There are three firsts for this ISAF World Sailing Ranking - it is the first ranking release of 2005, it is the first ranking release to include the Laser Radial and it is the first ranking release to count the effects of the new 'quality factor' calculation for Continental events. The ranking includes the results from nine ISAF Graded events - one C1, four Grade 1, one Grade 2 and three Grade 3 events. ...[ more ]

Light weather Sail Melbourne excellent trial for 2008 By Di Pearson, 7:43 AM Mon 17 Jan 2005
Conditions were so variable at the Olympic & Invited Classes of Sail Melbourne International Regatta 2005 it tested all sailors, but particularly those not used to light airs and it reflected in the overall results, including those of the Australians. ...[ more ]

New champions announced at Sail Melbourne By Di Pearson, 6:07 PM Sat 15 Jan 2005
The Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta at Sail Melbourne ended with dominant performances in many classes. ...[ more ]

Weather Gods have finally smiled on Sail Melbourne By Michelle Ainley/Di Pearson, 6:03 PM Fri 14 Jan 2005
Sailors in the Olympic & Invited Classes regatta left Sandringham Yacht Club at noon for their penultimate day of racing at Sail Melbourne in ideal 10 knot south-south easterlies breezes that steadily built to 15 knots and, by 3.00pm, to 23 knots with steep sharp seas. ...[ more ]

A better day on the Bay at Sail Melbourne By Di Pearson, 7:00 PM Thu 13 Jan 2005
Variable but mainly light breezes on a beautiful sunny day on Port Phillip Bay for the Olympic & Invited Classes at the Sail Melbourne Regatta. ...[ more ]

Variable conditions mix up the results at Sail Melbourne By Di Pearson, 9:03 PM Wed 12 Jan 2005
Frustrating weather again on Day 3 at Sail Melbourne for the sailors in the Olympic & Invited Classes Regatta, the breeze lightning, then vanishing, and no racing for the Mistral board sailors, now four races behind schedule due to lack of breeze. ...[ more ]

Olympians clean sweep at Sail Melbourne By Di Pearson, Sail Melbourne , 7:56 PM Mon 10 Jan 2005
Two time Olympians, Darren Bundock (AUS) and Nicky Bethwaite (AUS) clean swept their classes on Day 1 in the Olympic & Invited Classes regatta at Sail Melbourne sailed on Port Phillip Bay today. ...[ more ]

Victorian Weir figures in first Radial World Rankings By Courtesy ISAF, 11:20 AM Thu 6 Jan 2005
The Laser Radial made its debut entry on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings at the ISAF Grade 3 St Nicholas Race in Pula, with Tina MIHELIC (CRO) taking the series. ...[ more ]

Sail Melbourne 2005 - enter now! By Di Pearson, 7:10 AM Fri 24 Dec 2004
First Entries for Sail Melbourne, Australia's lone Grade 1 event continue to come in and already it looks like another big roll up for this internationally acclaimed regatta sailed on Port Phillip Bay in December and January each year in a variety of classes and including Olympic & Invited classes, along with world and national championships. ...[ more ]

Sydney International Regatta final day By Event/Sail-World, 9:49 AM Tue 21 Dec 2004
Another successful year as the Yachting NSW organised Sydney International Regatta finished yesterday with the 196 boat fleet sailing in a south- east breeze which was patchy and peaked at 20 knots on Sydney Harbour. ...[ more ]

Difficult conditions beset SIRs competitors By Di Pearson, 7:44 AM Mon 20 Dec 2004
Entrants competing on Day 2 of the Sydney International Regatta yesterday experienced some of the most difficult sailing conditions on Sydney Harbour as the wind went up and down and around the clock throughout the day. ...[ more ]

Perfect conditions for Sydney International Regatta By Event/Sail-World, 8:28 AM Sun 19 Dec 2004
Over 275 elite sailors from 12 countries took to Sydney Harbour yesterday in the Yachting NSW organised 2004 Sydney International Regatta (SIRs). ...[ more ]

World class sailors for SIRs By Event Media, Sydney , 9:39 AM Fri 3 Dec 2004
Two-time Olympian Anthony 'Nocka' Nossiter will join the Finn class racing at the 2004 Sydney International Regatta on Sydney Harbour in December. ...[ more ]

NSW Laser Coasts Championship a great success By Richard Howard, Belmont, NSW , 8:03 AM Mon 18 Oct 2004
The final day of the NSW Laser Association Coasts Championships could only be described as hard work, for both sailors and officials alike. ...[ more ]

Full quota for Australian Youth Match Champs By David Staley, Yachting Victoria, 8:42 AM Thu 9 Sep 2004
Australia's premier match racing event for youth sailors gets underway at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria on September 18 with an extremely high quality field competing. ...[ more ]

Victorian sailors honoured By David Staley, Yachting Victoria, 8:30 AM Sat 14 Aug 2004
At a gala function held beside the bay at the Mordialloc Sailing Club, Victoria's outstanding yachtsmen and women have been lauded for their achievements over the past year. ...[ more ]

Blanck finishes fifth at Europe Worlds By Di Pearson, 8:15 AM Sun 18 Jul 2004
Siren Sundby (NOR) the No. 1 Europe sailor in the world, has successfully defended the Europe World Championship sailed from the Yacht Club Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, where the fight for the top five places continued all the way to the end. ...[ more ]

Europe World Championship gets interesting By Di Pearson, 9:49 AM Fri 16 Jul 2004
Eight races have now been sailed at the Europe World Championships continue at the Yacht Club Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, where the fight for the top five places in the Gold fleet continues, the lead changing once again. ...[ more ]

Pre-Olympic Regattas By Di Pearson, 9:19 AM Thu 15 Jul 2004
Australia has two entries from Victoria; Sarah Blanck, our Athens Olympic representative who has picked up from 17th from the previous day to currently lie in 12th place after a win in the last race of the day, Race 6, and one race drop. ...[ more ]

Blanck and Weir battle it out Europe Worlds By Di Pearson, 8:30 AM Wed 14 Jul 2004
Two Victorian girls, Athens Olympic representative, Sarah Blanck and her replacement-in-waiting, Krystal Weir, are two of the three Australian girls are amongst the 104 strong fleet contesting the Europe Worlds, hosted by the Yacht Club Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy. ...[ more ]

Accolade to young Victorian sailor By Ross Kilborn, Yachting Victoria, 7:10 AM Sat 3 Jul 2004
Yachting Victoria are pleased to announce that on Wednesday June 30 at the Victorian Sports Awards, Krystal Weir was awarded the Dame Mary Herring Junior Athlete Award, sharing the award with athlete, Ronnie Buckley. ...[ more ]

Blackburn and Weir win Radial World titles By Di Pearson, 10:20 AM Fri 9 Apr 2004
Michael Blackburn, the Sydneysider set to represent at his third Olympic Games when he goes to Athens in August, last night won the World Open Laser Radial Championship, sailed out of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane. ...[ more ]

Top positions remain unchanged at Radial Worlds By Courtesy RQYS, Queensland , 9:51 AM Thu 8 Apr 2004
Although the courses for the Men's fleet races at the Laser Radial Worlds from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane, were not ideal, in 15 knots the cream still came to the top with the joint series leaders, Michael Blackburn and Tom Slingsby from Australia ...[ more ]

The battle of Blackburn and Slingsby By Event media, 9:00 AM Wed 7 Apr 2004
Day 3 of the Laser Radial World Open in Queensland and the Women's Championship fleet challenged both the race committee and competitors as rain showers passed left and right of the course area exaggerating the already oscillating breeze. ...[ more ]

Weir, Slingsby and Blackburn strike By Di Pearson, 8:49 AM Mon 5 Apr 2004
Australians Tom Slingsby and Michael Blackburn continue to slug it out for the Open title at Laser Radial World Championship from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane. ...[ more ]

Weir, Blackburn and Slingsby early leaders at Worlds By Event Media/Di Pearson, 8:38 AM Sun 4 Apr 2004
Krystal Weir from Victoria in Australia has started her championship campaign in the best way possible, winning both the opening races on Day 1 of the Laser Radial Worlds from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane. ...[ more ]

Weir wins final race but Blanck wins series By Di Pearson, 4:45 AM Sun 18 Jan 2004
Krystal Weir (AUS) stepped into a Europe single handed dinghy for the first time three weeks ago, her sights set on an Olympic campaign in 2008. Today she won her second race of the Olympic & Invited Classes series at the Sail Melbourne Regatta to finish the second overall from Sarah Blanck (AUS) - both are from Victoria. ...[ more ]

Blanck displays her talent on Europe course at Sail Melbourne By Di Pearson, 10:09 PM Fri 16 Jan 2004
Sarah Blanck (AUS) is in fine form at the Sail Melbourne Regatta on Port Phillip Bay, notching up two more wins in Races 9 and 10 for an overall score of nine - 11 in front of her nearest competitor - she cannot be beaten in this regatta or for the Olympic spot in Athens. ...[ more ]

Blanck stamps her authority in Europe class By Di Pearson, 7:20 AM Fri 16 Jan 2004
Sarah Blanck (AUS) the only Victorian looking set to represent Australia in Athens, showed her determination in the Europe single-handed dinghy class at Sail Melbourne today, winning two out of three races, to lead the series nine points over her nearest rival, fellow Victorian, Krystal Weir (AUS). ...[ more ]

Australian cream rises to the top in Laser Championships By Bob Appleton (in conjunction with Darren Dunkley-S, Geelong , 7:15 PM Sun 11 Jan 2004
On Geelong's Corio Bay, 32-year-old Michael Blackburn of NSW took out his fifth National Laser Championship on Saturday. The Sydney Olympics Bronze Medallist sailed an almost perfect last day to take out the Championship by two points from Queenslander Brendan Casey. ...[ more ]

Sail Melbourne Australian Youth Championship By Sail Melbourne Media, Melbourne , 8:59 AM Mon 13 Oct 2003
Competitive racing in a learning environment, the Sail Melbourne Australian Youth Championship, being staged at McCrae Yacht Club from 12-16 January 2004, will help Australia's best young sailors grow into future Olympic Gold winners! ...[ more ]

Weir's costly second at Laser Radial Worlds By Courtesy Laser Radial Worlds, 9:04 AM Tue 5 Aug 2003
The final day of the Laser Radial World Championship provided drama, excitement and a cross-section of wind conditions. ...[ more ]

Weir holds on to second in fickle breezes at Laser Radial Worlds By Courtesy ISAF, 10:25 AM Sun 3 Aug 2003
Rain overnight and cloud once again prevented the thermal wind on Lake Garda from developing. After a short delay, the 290-strong fleet was sent afloat in 6 knots of northerly wind. ...[ more ]