NSW Etchells Championship to Rob Brown

12:28 PM Mon 1 Dec 2008 GMT

'Rob Brown and Steampacket 7' Positive Image

Pittwater Fleet's Rob Brown, the former world 18-footer champion, Australia II crewman and 2008 Australian Olympic Program Manager, has added another title to an illustrious sailing career, winning the International NSW Etchells State Championship.

Helming Steampacket 7, Brown won the weather-shortened championship, conducted last weekend on Brisbane Waters by the Gosford Sailing Club.

The fleet of 34 boats enjoyed excellent sailing on Friday and Saturday, but frustrating,unstable weather on Sunday forced race officials to abandon the final heats with the series cut from eight to five heats, with one discard.

Brown notched up a winning sequence of 6-2-6-1-1 to finish with 10 points after the drop race, comfortably clear of Lake Macquarie Fleet's Gary Boyd, sailing B Squared on 15 points from placings of 8-3-2-7-3.

International Etchells NSW State Championship 2008 - Positive Image

Two Sydney Fleet boats, Fifteen (David Clark & Andrew Smith) and Avalon, owned by Tony Bellingham but helmed by former world champion Peter McNeill from the Lake Macquarie Fleet, each finished with 16 points while Loco (Cameron Miles) finished on 18 points.

Fifteen, with placings of 1-4-4-11-7, took third place overall on a countback from Avalon which had a scorecard of 4-7-1-6-5.

Back-to-back International Laser dinghy world champion and Olympian Tom Slingsby, in his first season in Etchells with the Gosford Fleet, finished a creditable sixth at the helm of Pointless, finishing second in each of the last two races and has qualified to represent Gosford at the Etchells world championships in Melbourne in March 2009.

by Peter Campbell