Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

2024 ILCA Masters World Championships at Adelaide Sailing Club - Day 4

by Harry Fisher, Down Under Sail 8 Feb 11:36 UTC 24-31 January 2024

Age no barrier for ILCA Legends, hiking hard into their 80s

While sailing may not be a sport for everyone, it is without a doubt a sport for anyone.

As the 2024 ILCA Masters Worlds gets closer to completion, it was a chance to take a closer look at some of the more senior members of the fleet, more specifically the ILCA 6 Legends division made up of sailors more than 75 years old.

There are 20 Legends in Adelaide competing this week, 19 of them battling it out in the ILCA 6 division - and a sole ILCA 7 sailor bravely competing alongside the Great Grand Masters (65-74 years old) on the other course.

The two oldest Legends here are both 86 years old and will turn 87 later this year just a month either side of each other.

ILCA class veteran and multiple ILCA Masters world champion Peter Seidenberg made the trip to Adelaide from Newport, Rhode Island in the United States and said he had been to the last 40 ILCA Masters Worlds.

"I got my first (ILCA) in 1973, so that is now 51 years since I've sailed (ILCAs) pretty well exclusively, I just love the boat, it's a truly one-design boat, we're sailing man against man, not boat against boat," he said.

"I just love the Masters World Championships, it has taken me around the world, to different places that I would probably have never gone to before.

"I love sailing and I love the camaraderie, I like to meet people again, over and over again, so it's a great sport."

Australian Peter Craig, also 86 years old, took some time off from sailing but has returned the last few years and thought a Masters Worlds in his home country was a great opportunity to get back into some high-level racing.

"I hadn't sailed for 30 years and decided to take it up again," he said.

"I live in Brisbane and I sail in the river, which is really flat water and not conducive to what we're seeing here in Adelaide, but we're up to the challenge."

Paying tribute to his opponent, Craig said Seidenberg was probably one of the "best Masters sailors ever".

"I think he's won 13 Worlds and got a second in the first race - I know my capabilities, I'm here for the good fellas to have somebody to beat, so I'm where I should be and enjoying it," he said.

After eight races it's American William Symes leading the way in the ILCA 6 Legends fleet with a near-perfect scorecard of six race wins, however today's 4,2 results coming as his only blemish.

He was bested by Australian Tim Alexander who took both race wins today and sits second overall.

In the Great Grand Master fleets, Australian Steve Gunther has been dominating in the ILCA 7s with six wins from eight races, while in the ILCA 6s Australian James Mitchell has edged out a four-point lead to Great Britain's Terry Scutcher after a good day today.

In the Grand Masters, Brett Beyer (AUS) continued his strong form with two more wins today to sit well clear in top spot of the ILCA 7s, while Mark Tonner-Joyce (AUS) maintains a comfortable seven-point lead in the ILCA 6s.

In the Masters fleets, Brendan Casey (AUS) has created a fairly safe five-point buffer over Christoph Bottoni (AUS), while Simon Small (AUS) has increased his lead over Jon Emmett (GBR) in the ILCA 6s after a strong day today.

And in the Apprentice fleets, New Zealand's Luke Deegan is just about home and hosed in the ILCA 7s, while Argentina's Franco Riquelme Antonetti put two more wins on the board in the ILCA 6s to move two points clear of Adil Khalid from the United Arab Emirates.

Video by Jordan Roberts, Down Under Sail:

Tomorrow looks like more glamour sea breezes off the coast of the Adelaide Sailing Club as we head into the final two days of sailing.

For full results, and more information about the event, head to ilca2024adelaide.ilca-worlds.org

Related Articles

Top 10 baits from Toyota Series Championship
The jighead minnow accounted for yet another big win While the infamous jighead minnow proved to be the winning lure for rising star Hayden Marbut at the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Bass Boat Technologies, it was far from the only way to catch bass on Wheeler Lake. Posted on 13 Nov
Contender Boats rolling in new features for 2025
Get ready to fish harder with new innovations on all 2025 Contender models Get ready to fish harder with new innovations on all 2025 Contender models. These exciting updates are geared towards improving functionality, reliability, and overall experience for Contender Boats' 2025 models. Posted on 13 Nov
Nauticstar More Bay Boat coming soon
Big enough to explore, sized to go anywhere Need a bigger bay boat that can still get into the narrows and shallows? Want a larger deck without giving up maneuverability? Posted on 12 Nov
Advanced Weather Integration for Safer Boating
Savvy Navvy's integration of Meteomatics allows boaters to see precise wind speeds and directions Meteomatics, the global leader in weather intelligence, looks at how their data integration supports digital navigation for boaters. Posted on 12 Nov
Tide To Table Season 1, Episode 1
Serving up Charleston's Coastal Bounty Chef John Ondo and Captain Chris Chavis connect over a shared respect for the ocean's bounty around Charleston, SC in this first Tide To Table experience brought to you by PENN. Posted on 9 Nov
Marine Auctions: November Online Auction
idding to open on Friday 22 November and close on Thursday 28 November Bidding to open on Friday 22 November and Close on Thursday, 28 November 2024 at 2pm AEST. Posted on 8 Nov
Science-based Red Snapper management
Spread the word! Tell NOAA to support it South Atlantic red snapper have rebounded so much that scientists and fishermen both agree the stock is at record abundance and there are more red snapper in the South Atlantic today than any living person has ever seen. Posted on 7 Nov
Scout has successful 2024 FLIBS
Another record setting Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show Scout Boats, Inc. enjoyed another record setting 2024 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) with 30 boats sold during the five day event. Posted on 7 Nov
Michael Rybovich & Sons construction updates
Progress on hulls from 82', 62' down to 42' New construction updates of 62' S/F hull # 8, 70' S/F Hull # 9, 42' S/F hull #10, 75' S/F hull #11, 82' S/F - Hull # 12 Posted on 6 Nov
Making time to take time
Selene might not be top of mind, but you'll be happy you took time to find out Funny thing is that this title applied to both parties. Me, because we had to make time to find out more about Selene, as they are not what you might refer to as 'top of mind'. It's OK. They admit to that. Posted on 6 Nov
Savvy Navvy 2024Maritimo 2023 M600 FOOTER