A-Class Worlds: Ashby on course for another title
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz 14 Nov 2018 21:49 UTC
15 November 2018
Glenn Ashby on his way to winning the 2014 World titles in the A-class Catamaran off Takapuna © Richard Gladwell
Emirates Team New Zealand skipper, Glenn Ashby, is on track to win another Australian National championship in the Int A-Class foiling catamaran.
With one day's racing left in the 2018 Australian National titles being held at Hervey Bay, Queensland, Ashby enjoys an eight point lead over Darren Bundock (AUS). Ashby has won three races of the four sailed.
Bundock and Ashby are both Olympic Silver medalists from the Tornado class - where Bundock was the skipper and Ashby forward hand on the Australian multihull entry.
Further down the fleet, two more members of the winning Kiwi crew in Bermuda, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke show they have a bit of work ahead of them if they are to repeat the result of the 2014 A-Class Catamaran Worlds sailed at Takapuna, where Emirates Team New Zealand sailors took four of the top five places, including all the medals.
So far Burling has reversed the tables on Tuke, respectively they lie in fifth and ninth overall. But both had an uncharasteric placing in the 20's which is still being counted in the overall score.
Further down the fleet Carolijn Brouwer, Bundock's partner, is sitting in 25th place in the 60 boat fleet in the foiling catamaran fleet. She was a crew member on the Volvo Ocean Race champion, Dongfeng, and last month was made Rolex Sailor of the Year for that feat. She was previously a top sailor helming the Olympic Tornado class catamaran, and is a three-time Olympic contestant, representing three different nations in three different classes in three successive Olympic Regattas - a unique feat.
Racing in the Nationals finishes today, Thursday. The World Championships get underway on Sunday Nov 18 and finish on Friday Nov 23.
For full results click here