After no sailing was possible on the penultimate day of the regatta only one race was sailed on the final day of the Flying Fifteen World Championship at Fremantle. With an unassailable lead Graham Vials and Chris Turner (GBR) won their unprecedented fifth World Championship in the class. Vials and Turner from Derwent Reservoir / Lyme Regis SC won 5 of the 10 world championship races and with drops of a 4th and 8th they could not be beaten.
The final race of the series was started at 1030 hrs on a sultry Saturday morning in a fading Easterly breeze which started at around 10 - 11 knots and by the end of the two lap windward / leeward course with a final upwind to the finish line, had dropped to a soft 6 knots.
Nick Jerwood and Brad Sheridan from South of Perth YC/Fremantle SC led the final race from start to finish extending on every leg. The Australian pair did everything possible to close the points gap on Floaty McFloat Face (Vials / Turner) but ended up just three points shy of the British boat.
Going into the last race the there was only one point difference between third and fourth place overall. The youngest crew in the fleet, ex Olympic sailors Lachy Gilmour and Ryan Donaldson from Royal Freshwater Bay YC / Esperance Bay YC had steadily improved throughout the regatta and again today had to work their way through the leading bunch to take second in the last race and secure an excellent third overall. Initially on the first lap of the course they trailed the British boat sailed by Ian Pinnell and Ian Cadwallader but a slow gate rounding gave the opportunity to get away to form a comfortable gap.
‘Nellie and Caddy’ (Pinnell and Cadwallader) from Northampton SC slipped to 6th in the final race which dropped them to 4th overall. Hamish Mackay and Andrew Lawson representing the Royal Thames YC maintained fifth overall.
In the final race of the series a couple of boats sailed outstandingly, Kim Peaker and Neill White (SoPYC) finished in third and Esperance Bay boat sailed by David Swan and Matt Elliot finished 4th their best result of the series.
The 2023 Flying 15 World Championship comes to a close with presentations at the organising club the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club.
Links:
website link: www.flying15worlds2023.com
results, entries, sponsors & supporters links via the worlds website
social media links: facebook: www.facebook.com/Flying15worlds2023
by Jonny Fullerton - Regatta Services