Canadians Win Melbourne

Michael Leigh and Paul Tingley have both won 1st overall in their respective classes at the 1st stop of the ISAF World Cup, Sail Melbourne, the Asian Pacific Regatta. Both sailors were challenged by close contests. After yesterday's racing, Leigh had slipped from 1st overall to 2nd, 4 points behing U.S. sailor Clayton Johnson in the Laser full-rig.Then, in the final medal race, Leigh took 4th, enough to triumph. “I couldn’t have asked for a better medal race,” said Leigh. “I kind of figured that Clayton and I would have a little bit of a pre-start match race, we were playing cat and mouse out there. But once we got underway he went left and I went right and I just had him at the top mark.” “It was tight the whole way and came right down to the final downwind, there was nothing between the ten of us the whole race,” he said.

In the 2.4mR class, Paul Tingley won the final medal race, giving him the regatta. Said Tingley. “The wind was a little more consistent and it was more about boat handling out there, going into the race I kept it simple, I knew if I could win the race the overall win would be mine as well.” “I started at the pin end and had good speed off the start, I made sure I protected the left and covered Michael (Leydon) throughout the first half of the race until I had a good lead,” he said.

Picture and story on Sail Melbourne.

Ralph - Montreal Sailing