Shipping causes havoc on first day of titles

Commercial shipping interrupted the first day at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Western Australia yesterday.

Only seven of the 10 flights of women’s match racing round robin events were completed after a delay caused by two container ships navigating through race venue Fremantle Harbour.

Although the race area was sectioned off, organisers appear not to have anticipated the possible disruption at the working port.

The three Group A flights that were unable to be completed will be held tomorrow, with Group B racing commencing today.

Despite the setback, there was some exciting racing to open the round robin section of the championships, which run until December 18. At the end of the day’s racing, two crews were unbeaten, the Australian trio skippered by Nicky Souter, and the Finland boat, with Silja Lehtinen at the helm.

Both boats ended the day with the maximum four points from four races.

Souter, ranked eighth in the world, won three close races by less than 30 seconds, including a narrow 10-second win over Portugal’s Rita Goncalves.

The ninth-ranked Lehtinen, 26, was also unbeaten on the day after a couple of close wins.

World number one and 2011 ISAF World Sailor of the Year Anna Tunnicliffe, of the USA, won both her races in a strong start to the event, as did Germany’s Silke Hahlbrook.

New Zealand skipper Stephanie Hazard won three of her four races, while 10th-ranked Frenchwoman Anne Claire le Berre had a mixed day, with two wins from four races.

Today’s racing will be highlighted by the appearance of the 2010 world champion Lucy McGregor, of Great Britain.

Nine of the 12 spots in the event at next year’s London Olympics are up for grabs.

Maltese participation

Meanwhile, Maltese sailor Maya Podesta will begin her quest to win one of the qualifying spots for next year’s Olympics in London tomorrow when she takes the water in the Laser Radial class.

Podesta, winner of a silver medal for Malta in the 2009 GSSE in Cyprus, will be competing against 102 sailors from 51 countries.