Outteridge and Belcher to take on SB3 Dart championship

10:19 PM Tue 4 Oct 2011 GMT

'Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen racing in Weymouth - Weymouth and Portland International Regatta 2011' Thom Touw &copy

Australian Olympic team sailors Nathan Outteridge and Matthew Belcher have announced their intention to contest the 2012 World SB3 Dart Sports boat championship at Hamilton Island.

The exceptionally talented 49er skiff skipper Nathan Outteridge who already has a number of world championship medals in his trophy cabinet is regarded as a strong prospect to contest the Olympic Gold Medal round in London.

A similar expectation surrounds the combination of Matthew Belcher and crew mate Malcolm Page who are presently hold the premier number one ranking in the tactically demanding 420 class.

Both Matthew Belcher and Malcolm Page took a welcome break from their physically demanding circuit of international racing to contest the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week SB3 Dart championship in late August.

Unfortunately two on course starts and ultimate disqualification from races five and six placed the title winning prospects in jeopardy however like true champions they recovered to win the Bronze Medal behind the Glenn Bourke helmed Club Marine Blue and Tasmanian skipper Brett Cooper in Please Explain.

The 12 race series proved to be a supreme test of fresh wind sailing skill resulting in a runaway Queensland Championship win for Glenn Bourke and his crew of Sunshine Coast sailors Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith.

They were particularly impressive in mastering the gusty 25-30 knot breeze where the sail handling skills of Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith allowed skipper Glenn Bourke with the advantage to avoid being slammed into a time consuming 'wipe out'.

470 sailors Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page - &copy Victor Kovalenko Click Here to view large photo

'There were times when we were on the edge but thankfully we stayed upright' Glenn Bourke said.

Sure the gusty nature of the breeze and the associated strong flowing current on the windward leeward type course set in Dent Passage allowed plenty of scope for the crews to express their tactical skills.

But after 12 energy testing races Club Marine Blue emerged as the runaway champion however the crew of Glenn Bourke, Rod Jones and Greg MacAllansmith who finished fourth at the 2011 World SB3 Dart championship in England have been forced to respect the sailing skills of the Olympians in Performance Sailing as the countdown for the 2012 World championship begins.

Both crews almost shared the same sea space when they became engaged in an exciting match racing duel over the final six races which provided a single point separation when Club Marine Blue finished with a 1-3-2-1-2-1 compared with the Performance Sailing combinations 3-1-1-3-1-2.

Naturally interest will continue to gain momentum as the Australian fleet continues to attract some of the nations most talented one-design racing crews to be on the start line for the World Championship at Hamilton Island in 14 months time.

by Ian Grant

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Outteridge and Belcher to take on SB3 Dart championship

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