Sailors preparing for Sabot Australian Championship

3:51 AM Mon 22 Dec 2008 GMT

'Klaus Lorenz, back in 2007 at Airlie Beach Race Week.' Sail-World.com /AUS &copy Click Here to view large photo

The 2008 Rolex Sydney Hobart race will dominate the news headlines while the next generation of potential Olympic champions and blue water racing sailors test their endurance and tactical skill on the warm waters of Pioneer Bay.

Sabot dinghy sailors representing clubs from Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland will 'set up camp' in the grounds of the Whitsunday Sailing Club later this week to begin their personal preparations for the important Australian championship.

Local crews headed by the talented teenager Klaus Lorenz hope to express the advantage of local course knowledge in a championship series which has attracted Australian best including 15 year old Keppel Bay Sailing club girl skipper Shelley White.

Both Klaus Lorenz and Shelly White contested the recent Sail Brisbane regatta in Brisbane and are well prepared to race at their best off Airlie Beach. They have been listed among the top chances but first they will have to master the technique of starting in clear wind against a high number of equally skilled rivals.

This will become a test of character for Shelley White who will be outnumbered by her male rivals, however while the going will be tough the Yeppoon schoolgirl has no intention of backing away from protecting her sailing space.
She will certainly have her dinghy Stay Tuned well placed in the front line and her male rivals should be warned that she has a good knowledge of the rules and will not hesitate to fly 'the angry' protest flag if a rule breach prevents her from starting in clear wind and sea room.

The younger Klaus Lorenz has personally shown his class in recent months with Silver Medal result in the Australian Open and Junior Corsair championship contested on Brisbane's Bramble Bay 'Torture Track' in September and an impressive result in the New Zealand Optimist championship.

He has high hope of translating this success into a high scoring place in the Australian Sabot title series.

His sailing gear has hardly had time to dry in the warm and humid tropical climate following an extensive schedule of practice on the championship venue.
Understanding the local conditions will be important but the real value of training has to be converted into consistent results and this will prove to be a tough mission in a competition which will showcase the best 'snub-nose' dinghy sailors in the Nation.

by Ian Grant

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Sailors preparing for Sabot Australian Championship

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