International One Metre World Championships in Gladstone, Australia – Day 3
by IOM Worlds 24 Oct 19:23 PDT
20-28 October 2024
International One Metre World Championships in Gladstone, Australia Day 2 © Jennifer Golison / IOM fleet
The IOM World Championships in Gladstone felt like déjà vu once more. For the third consecutive day, a North Westerly breeze greeted us. This condition made it impossible to set a course where competitors could see the starting line, forcing us to delay racing until the wind shifted North.
After several hours of waiting, the wind eventually changed direction and strengthened, allowing racing to resume. We had anticipated more wind today and expected to see more B rigs come into play. Initially, competitors started with A rigs, but as the day progressed and the wind increased, they transitioned to B rigs, and later in the day reverted back to A rigs.
Watching the races was exciting. The course ran parallel to the jetty, providing excellent live viewing opportunities. The event organizers enhanced the experience with a broadcast featuring multiple cameras, drones, and a commentary team, attracting a substantial global audience for the live stream. Gladstone has also blessed us with beautiful weather, ensuring competitors and supporters enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
In IOM racing, each race consists of five fleets. The completion of all five fleets marks the end of a race. At the conclusion of day 3, we had successfully completed eight races, resulting in 40 individual starts and finishes. Competitors aimed to stick with A rigs as long as possible, leading to thrilling moments downwind when gusts would surprise them, causing nose dives and broaches. In race 7, Brazilian sailor Claudio Vaz-Mendonca and Pierre-Yves Mechin from France took the top two spots with their B rigs, challenging a fleet of A rigs and prompting quick rig changes throughout. Later in the day, however, Jose Valverde-Alcaraz of Spain switched to an A rig and surged through the fleet after a shaky start. The decision regarding rigs remains one of the few pressure points in IOM sailing.
Port tack starts are typically tricky in one metre racing, but yesterday marked a highlight when Mark Golison from the US executed a flawless port tack start. He noticed left pressure that would emerge right at the start, sailed down the line towards the pin, transitioned to port, and effortlessly crossed the fleet.
Two standout competitors emerged from the day. Ian Vickers from New Zealand scored 1, 1, 2, 2, while Zvonko Jelacic from Croatia achieved a scorecard of 3, 9, 1, 1. They currently lead the World Championships with totals of 8 and 10 points, respectively, accounting for two drops. Alexis Carre from France follows in third with 26 points, maintaining consistency with a 5, 4, 7, 9 scorecard. Notably, both Ian and Zvonko are designers and builders in the class, each showcasing their unique designs.
After three days of racing, a lay day follows, with action resuming on Saturday. The weather forecast anticipates a breeze shifting to the South East, which is ideal for the race course. This suggests an action-packed remaining three days. All races will be live streamed on YouTube, and you can find the links for the stream and results at www.iomworlds.com.
