Queensland Youth Sailors well served

12:45 AM Mon 7 Dec 2009 GMT

'Klaus Lorenz on the rail of Another Fiasco' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy Click Here to view large photo

Klaus Lorenz could very well be described as the come-back kid following his meritorious Optimist class victory in the Yachting Queensland Sail Brisbane regatta on Moreton Bay.

His championship prospects hung in the balance when the talented young Whitsunday Sailing Club skipper trailed his Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron rivals Charlie Wyatt and Hugh Cronin with a score of 3-3-8-7 after four races.

Ultimately his 8-7 results became his discards in the nine race two drop series with the best seven races to count but he remained under pressure in what proved to be a nip-n-tuck duel for the championship trophy between the three equally determined young skippers.

All three held a winning chance when they sailed onto a 'sloppy' Waterloo Bay for the final with young Klaus Lorenz needing to produce the tactical strategy of a more mature skipper to protect his ranking as Queensland's most successful Optimist dinghy sailor.

He only had one purpose in mind and that was to sail safe and fast which became extremely difficult when the North East breeze increased in velocity under the influence of a summer storm.

However while the notorious 'Waterloo Slop' presented a supreme test of steering skill to maintain a dry boat it soon became evident that Klaus Lorenz not only had the physical stamina but he also capped this with the strategy to successfully match race both Charlie Wyatt and Hugh Cronin.

The combination of his determination, heavy wind sailing technique and safe tactical sailing eventually allowed him to secure the final heat win, the result he needed to claim the championship on count back over Charlie Wyatt after both skippers finished with 15 points from their best seven races.

Hugh Cronin who set the pace in the first five races with impressive 2-2-1-1-2 results compared with Klaus Lorenz 3-3-8-7-1 finished another point away in third place.

All three young skippers are another example of the emerging talent produced first from club coaching and further refined by the progressive sail training camps hosted by Yachting Queensland.

Both Klaus and his younger sister Eva who attended the Yachting Queensland camp at the Keppel Bay Sailing Club earlier this year have continued to improve their individual technique under the Youth development program with the coaching clinics hosted by Ben Callard and Queensland based Yachting Australia high performance coach Adrian Finglas.

Since his appointed Adrian Finglas has been instrumental in developing Queensland's talented youth sailors into the best in the nation with four selected to represent Australia at the 2009 Volvo Youth World championship in Brazil.

Finglas who developed his own career from winning an Australian Sabot championship to coaching the women's Yngling crew at the Beijing Olympics will have the opportunity to further expose his skill with sailing now officially included in the Queensland Academy of Sport.

This announcement combined with the support services provided by the modern Yachting Queensland facilities on the shore-side of Brisbane's Waterloo Bay has provided a confidence boost for all Queensland sailors including the Youth team who will defend their National team title in the New Year.

by Ian Grant

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Queensland Youth Sailors well served

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