FREMANTLE sailors have maintained their dominance in the Laser Radial class by snaring all three podium finishes at the recent Laser National Championships.
Fremantle Sailing Club’s Alistair Young and Tristan Brown swept the field of 42 boats with almost perfect scores over the 12-race series, while Conor Nicholas took out third.
Young, a year 12 student at Scotch College, amassed 10 firsts while Brown, a two-time world champion with three national crowns under his belt, racked up seven wins. The trio’s performances mean FSC boasts five of the nation’s 10 best Radial sailors and is the nation’s top Laser club.
Their feats were supported in the bigger Laser Standard class where FSC notched up three sailors in the top 10, including national runner-up Matthew Wearn, while in the Laser 4.7 class Zac Littlewood recorded fifth after just one year in that class.
Fremantle’s Laser run was backed up by a national crown in the 420 class (Lachy Gilmour and Emerson Carlberg), while FSC’s Nia Jerwood and Lisa Smith were the nation’s top-ranked females, finishing sixth out of 36 competitors. Their performances ensured FSC remained the top club in the 420 class.
• Charlie Piacun, 12, came across from Queensland with his mum, dad and their powerboat and Laser yacht. The 12-year-old has been sailing for two years. He was competing in the Optimist class, where over five days of racing the youngsters spent about four hours a day in their boats. Photos by Matthew Dwyer
And if you’re still seeing a sea of sails off the waters of South Beach and Fishing Boat Harbour you’re watching the Optimist class national championships, or the youth championships, both of which finish Saturday January 10.
The spectacle is part of FSC’s Summer of Sail extravaganza which started with the club’s Sail Fremantle regatta in October and culminates in the Fremantle to Bali race in May.
Former FSC commodore Bob Kucera says the series of events is expected to attract up to 1700 competitors and more than 2000 volunteers, spectators and officials to Fremantle over the summer.
“This is great for Freo,” says Mr Kucera, who has been signing in and out the more than 200 competing Optimist sailors.
“In just five years the club made a conscious decision to push junior sailing and this section has grown from a handful of boats on a Saturday morning to around 170 now.”
And just to underline Freo’s dominance across all junior classes, Rome Featherstone was in the box seat to snare the national Optimist crown with just Saturday’s sailing to complete.
by EDDIE ALBRECHT