World champions!

[longjohnsilver]

Well done to Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, Exe Sailing Club, on their Gold Medal in the 49er class and on being almost certain selections and hopefully favourites for the 2008 Olympic gold medal.

They've worked long and hard for their success and both follow in the footsteps of their dads, both execllent sailors themselves, in fact Phil Morrison was a world champ himself a good few years back. Not too many father and sons who can boast of that accolade!

Disappointed that their success does not seem to have appeared on the YBW radar, we don't have that many world beaters.

 

[gardenshed]

Well done indeed.

YBW doesn't register any significant racing sailing achievements unless multi millions of dollars are spent or unless it is the solent based gliterai who are present.

This week, there are 500 boats competing in Dubln bay, covering everything from water wags (100+ year old dinghy class) to TP52's. Any coverage in any of the publications? Any generation of interest and encouraging of Welsh/Cornish based sailors to cross over and participate? No

Amongst all this was the Half ton Classic where old IOR Half tonners have been revived and had their world champoinship. Strictly amateur but very competitive. A case study in bringing back life to older boats and to getting good racing without spending a fortune.

Scottish Series (200+ boats), West Highland Week, Strangford Lough Week, Burnham Week etc etc.... are all getting no coverage. These are the good local events that bring real sailors onto the water, the ones who use their annual holidays to go sailing & prepare their boats and the ones who use after tax earnings to buy all the gear that is advertised in PBO/YM/YW etc.

Why do should we care about racing? Well it is a great way of bringing people into the sport, generating camarederie and teaching boathandling/seamanship/pilotage etc. Ideas and equipment do trickle down and make better cruising boats and kids participating with Mum & Dad can go onto greater things, just like Stevie Morrison.

Well done and keep it up and editors take note. Reporting on the bigger sailing events and not just the commercial ones (I'd bored with the ARC repetitive coverage) would be great.

 

[Lakesailor]

There wasn't much earlier in the year about

[ QUOTE ]
Anna Mackenzie and Holly Scott
Description: Mirror World Champions 2007.

After two races sailed today and for the first time in living memory the Mirror World Championships being sailed in Port Elizabeth, South Africa have served up four firsts:

1. The FIRST female Mirror World Champions - Anna Mackenzie and Holly Scott (GBR), and
2. The FIRST time that the same team - Anna Mackenzie and Holly Scott (GBR) - have won BOTH the Mirror Pre Worlds and the Mirror World Championships.
3. The FIRST GBR team to win since 1997.
4. The FIRST time that current or former members of the RYA Junior Development program have won a Mirror World Championships.

Anna Mackenzie and Holly Scott finished today on a nett total of 28 points. The next closest boat, Nick Davis and John Collova (Australia) are on a nett of 46 points. If Anna and Holly do not sail to-morrow they will discard the maximum and get 16 points added to their total for a nett total of 44 points which is still 2 points ahead of Nick and John. Extremely consistent sailing from a likeable team of girls who also get the prize for being the prettiest sailors to ever win the Mirror World Championships.

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[Searush]

Now that's the way to sail a Mirror; planing with a bottle of bubbly in your hand! Cool!