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2010 NSW OPTIMIST CHAMPIONSHIPS............NOTICE OF RACE NOW AVAILABLE   After successfully hosting the East Coast Optimist Championships last year, Northbridge Sailing Club was very keen to host another Optimist regatta, and NSWIODA didn't hesitate to accept their offer to host the 2010 NSW Optimist Championship (27th and 28th March). The Australian Optimist Sailing Team will be in Sydney for a couple of days training immediately before this year's event and the AOST sailors are expected to significantly lift both the fleet numbers and the level of competition for the local fleets. Click on the headline for a link to the Notice of Race. AUSTRALIAN OPTIMIST SAILING TEAM (AOST).............RACING TO THE TOP   Congratulations to the sailors from Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales who were selected in the Australian Optimist Sailing Team (AOST) for 2010. The team was announced at the completion of the Australian and Oceania Championships in Adelaide, and each team member will be given an opportunity to represent Australia at an international event during 2010. Click on the headline to view the Australian Optimist Sailing Team. OCEANIA AND AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS............DAY FIVE REPORT   With extreme 42C temperatures there was little hope of the seabreeze arriving, and at 1.30pm the Race Committee called it a day, effectively bringing the regatta to a close. Singaporean sailors (Samantha Neubronner, Jia Min Audrey Lim and Jillian Lee), Hong Kong sailor (Wai Chi Wan) and USA sailor (Drew Gallagher) filled the top five places overall. Nia Jerwood (WA), the first sailor from an Oceania nation, is the new Oceania Champion and consequently has also won the 2010 Australian Optimist Championships. Eliza Wilkinson (NZ) finished second and Lachlan Gilmour (WA) was third. Lachlan Gilmour was second in the Australian Championships and Jack Felsenthal (Vic) finished third. Click on the headline for an IODA report, photos, and the final results..... NSW report coming soon. OCEANIA AND AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.......DAY FOUR REPORT   The Race Committee did a great job to complete three races on Day Four. After quite a long wait ashore a south westerly sea breeze settled in and the first 2 races were completed. The course was realigned for the 3rd race for what was expected to be a building breeze but unfortunately with one leg to go the breeze died leaving half the fleet on the left side of the course to battle the tide, many not making the time limit. Line honours went to the international competitors who won all 3 races in both flights. With one day to go Samantha Neubronner (Singapore) still has a 10 point lead. Click on the headline for updated results. AUSTRALIAN AND OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS..........DAY THREE REPORT   Day Three of the Australian and Oceania Championships proved to be a frustating one for competitors and Race Management alike. The first race was abandoned just before the leaders reached the first mark and the restarted race was a long and drawn out affair in a very light SW breeze. The fleet was then sent ashore to wait for the breeze to fill in, but after a short lunch break were sent back out for the second attempted race of the day. Unfortunately, the breeze didn't settle in and the fleet was sent ashore until after 5.00pm. The second race of the day got underway just before 6.00pm with half the fleet working the tide on the left side of the course while the other half of the fleet looked for more pressure on the right hand side of the course. After six races Jillian Lee has established a ten point lead over her compatriot Samantha Neubronner (Singapore). Click on the headline for a link to Day Three results. AUSTRALIAN AND OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS...........DAY ONE REPORT   What a fantastic day! Great venue, perfect weather, excellent race management and some of the best junior dinghy racing you're likely to see in Australia. The Open Fleet competitors, which were split into four fleets and two flights, were sent out at 2.00pm for the practice race, immediately followed by the first championships race. After some early regatta nerves and a couple of general and individual recalls, Nia Jerwood (WA) set the early pace in flight one with a convincing win while Jillian Lee (Singapore) won flight two. Click on the headline for a link to Day One results. THE GULF OF ST VINCENT REGATTA.........CHAMPAGNE SAILING CONDITIONS   What a difference a day or two can make! The Gulf of St Vincent Regatta has just been wrapped up, and the competitors have enjoyed two days of champagne sailing conditions, sunshine, flat water and a steady seabreeze. On Day One, Nia Jerwood (WA) showed how fast she is in these conditions, as did some of the American, Singaporean and Hong Kong sailors. Some sailors elected not to race on Day Two, preferring to rest up for the start of the Australian Championships at Adelaide Yacht Club. NSW's sailors had some mixed results, but at times showed some promising form for the Nationals. The two day regatta was wrapped up with a 'Dash for Cash' race up the coast to Adelaide Yacht Club, which Steve Bond (Ozi Opti) said was more fun and a lot less work than packing up all the charter boats and transporting them by road. Click on the headline for a link to the results. OPTI SAILOR WINS SABOT NATIONALS........CONGRATULATIONS JAMES BREWER   We don't normally publish commentary on other classes on NSWIODA's website, but when an Optimist sailor becomes the Australian Champion in another class we feel it is justified. James Brewer (NSW) has kicked off 2010 in the same form that he displayed at the Optimist World Championships in Brazil last year, where he achieved the best ever result by an Australian at an Optimist World Championship. On the local scene, James has now won the Sabot Australian Championships which were held at Gosford last week. Another high profile New South Wales Optimist sailor, Dylan Passmore, finished in a very creditable 4th place. Click on the headline for a link to the results.

Current Events

7 Feb - South Australian Youth Championships

Future Events

20 Feb - Lidgett Regatta 27 Feb - Victorian Optimist Championships 27 Feb - Victorian Optimist Championships 27 Feb - Western Australian Optimist Championships 6 Mar - AIRS Regatta