Completion of the 29er and 49er National Championships

8:45 PM Mon 12 Jan 2009 GMT

'Leading two boats in 29ers' Peter Kovesi

The final races of the 29er and 49er Australian Championships were held at Mounts Bay Sailing Club in Perth on 5th January 2009.

With the need to get two races completed before packing up boats and going in to presentations, the Fremantle Doctor was happy to provide an early sea breeze to complete the event. The regatta which consisted of 14 short windward-leeward races held over four days for each fleet, was held in the flat waters of Matilda Bay directly in front of the Mounts Bay club house.

49er Youth Winners Tom and Rees - Peter Kovesi Click Here to view large photo

The 49er Championship was won by Victorian brothers Will and Sam Phillips from SSCBC sailing Bush Pig, closely followed by NSW's David O'Connor and Iain Jensen. Third place went to local Mounts Bay sailors Steven Thomas and Luke Parkinson. The Youth Championship in the 49ers was won by MBSC crew Tom Johnson and Rees Howell.

In the 29ers, Victorians James Sly and Andrew Gillies from Mordiallic Sailing Club took out a closely fought Championship, with local Mounts Bay sailors Daniel Roberts and Leo Showell as runners up. Third place went Queensland crew Angus Rankin and James Dahl.

The first 29er Female Skipper award went to Bec Tuma from Victoria, and the first All Female Crew was awarded to Belmont's Phoebe Freeman and Elizabeth Dallen.

Leading two boats in 29ers - Peter Kovesi Click Here to view large photo

The event, which attracted major sponsorship from Mermaid Marine and ASP Ship Management, was considered a great success by all. At the presentation evening the MBSC Commodore Matt Jahn (who sailed a 49er in the event) thanked all those involved, and noted that WA has seen a significant increase in both classes over the last two years.