12:46 AM Mon 15 Mar 2010 GMT 'International 420s at a rounding mark in the Tasmanian state titles.' Richard Scarr The sailing skills, both in seamanship and tactics, of young Tasmanians were apparent over the weekend when Sandy Bay Sailing Club conducted the Tasmanian State championships for the International 420 and the International Optimist class on Hobart's River Derwent. In the 420s, current Australian women's champion Lucy Shepherd, sailing Clueless with new crew, George Toner from Queensland, won six of the eight races over the weekend in the performance dinghy that is a class at the ISAF world youth sailing championship. Second place on a countback went to class newcomer Alec Bailey, who is also the current national champion in the International Cadet class. His crew in Hit & Run was Henry Goodfellow. Hit & Run tied on 15 points with Doug Shepherd and Tom Ransley in The Usual Suspects, which dropped to third after the countback. A countback of placings was needed to decide the winner of the International Optimist class, the only international single-handed dinghy, with Sam Abel,sailing The Stig, taking first place from Downunder, sailed by Silas Hamilton. Third place went to Christopher Bouldt, sailing The Endeavour,six points behind. In the Optimist Green fleet for class newcomers, Damien Messmer, sailing Tasmanian Bakeries, won from Hugh Hickling in VSL and Jasmine Galbraith in Bombora. International 420s sailors at Sandy Bay Sailing Club after the Tasmanian championships. - Richard Scarr Click Here to view large photo by Peter Campbell Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:

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