Cowes Audi Etchells World Championship team find winning hard

11:12 PM Wed 11 Mar 2009 GMT

'Audi Etchells World Championship, Cowes skipper Geoff Gibbons and his Mayhem crew' Colleen Willis Click Here to view large photo

Cowes skipper Geoff Gibbons and his three crew are loving the experience of racing in their first Etchells World Championship being held in Melbourne, Australia this week.

With only one year under their belts in the class the ex-Mumm 30 crew of Gibbons, Wendy Minns, Dave Moy and Charlie Odell are happily placed mid-fleet among a wide number of highly experienced Etchells skippers and crews.

"One of the reasons I bought the Etchells was that I didn't want to go sailing where wining easy, I wanted to go sailing where winning was hard. Winning is very hard in the Etchells," Gibbons said.

When it came to selecting his crew for the Audi Etchells World Championship 2009, 58-year-old Gibbons automatically looked to his Mumm 30 team. Restricted in this class to an average crew weight of 75kgs per person and not knowing many rugby players, Gibbons chose to sail four-up for the Worlds.

"The crew have all done some time on the Mumm."

Choosing two girls for his Etchells crew was for Gibbons a matter of "picking the best possible crew for the regatta and there is obviously the crew weight limit".

Audi Etchells World Championship 2009, Cowes Mayhem crew Wendy Minns and Charlie Odell - Tracey Johnstone &copy

Mainsheet hand Minns and ex-SB3 sailor said they have not had to make any compromises with the boat equipment to allow her to sail the boat hard. The mainsheet fine-tuner is six to one, installed on the boat prior to Gibbons purchasing the boat.

"We have a whacking great fine-tuner on the main sheet which makes it a lot easier for me otherwise I would find it quite hard to pull on the mainsheet." All other gear on the boat, says the 24-year-old, is easily handled. "I don't find any of the loads that bad, just a lot of strings to pull."

On the bow 26-year-old Odell finds racing the Etchells relatively easy. "I don't have to pull any strings; I am just on the foredeck."

Like Minns, Odell has come from a dinghy sailing background where big fleets and high quality competition are often the norm. Racing against a fleet of 85 Etchells, many of them crewed by America's Cup, Olympic and world championship winning sailors, has not fazed these two talented women.

"The quality of people here is very good. A lot of other regattas attract good people, but this is probably better," Minns said.

"I have raced from a young age and I have done dinghy regattas where there are up to 100 boats on the start line. Here it is just bigger boats," Odell adds.

Five races down in the World Championship and four to go Gibbons is honest about his expectations for a reasonable finish for his Cowes-based crew. "We have not been in the Etchells class long enough to have ambitions. We have come out to learn, have some fun and fine some sunshine."

Full results and Championship information www.audietchellsworlds2009.com.au

by Tracey Johnstone

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