ZHIK Australian 49er National Championships

Warm conditions and shifty breezes marked the first day of racing for the Zhik 49er Australian Championship today at Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie. Equal in first place with seven points after four races are Australia’s Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, and New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. “It will be tight racing all week,” said Outteridge.

“Conditions were quite shifty as the northeaster didn’t really come in”, said Blair Tuke. Conditions ranging from six to sixteen knots resulted in some capsizes in an otherwise incident-free day. Ireland’s Ryan Seaton and Mat McGowern enjoyed the “perfect 49er racing conditions”.
The next 49er World Championships will be held in the Bahamas in January 2010 and the Wangi Nationals is a lead-in and testing ground for this event.

Ryan & Matts results for day 1

Race 1   8th

Race 2   OCS

Race 3   3rd

Race 4   3rd

Overall   8th

Results of day 2 to follow