There has been low visibility at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron this week for the 29er Nationals
There has been low visibility at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron this week for the 29er Nationals

Challenging weather conditions that have seen smoke haze, low visibility, and a range of breezes has given race officials at the Australian 29er Nationals at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron quite a headache.

But as sailors and officials close in on the final two days of the event, racing looks set to get back on track.

The bushfires across eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales have this week shown how wide the devastation is with the smoke haze creating a blanket over the Mornington Peninsula that has lasted a number of days.

A number of international competitors have made it to Blairgowrie this week, some of whom have come from New Caledonia and Hong Kong, to compete in larger Australian fleets – something they don’t experience back home.

While the weather hasn’t played the game at times, these sailors are enjoying being around a larger event and honing their skills in different conditions.

“It’s quite awesome to have the chance to come here, it’s quite different from New Caledonia, because there’s much more boats,” New Caledonian 29er sailor Corentin Goulon said.

The Hong Kong sailors have really enjoyed the size of the event as well as the stronger winds that are more common in Australia.

“It’s been quite tough racing but it’s really good experience in the heavy winds,” Hong Kong sailor Jack Dingemans said.

“I think the main thing is just that there is a really big fleet in Australia that we don’t get in Hong Kong, it’s important experience for us,” Hong Kong sailor Pei Yip said.

Racing continues today and tomorrow to close out the series with plenty of races to catch up on.

Stay tuned to the Down Under Sail social media channels for ongoing updates, and also to www.downundersail.com.

2020 Australian 29er Championships – Day 4

With unprecedented bushfires across the country, a thick blanket of smoke set in across the bay at the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron, bringing visibility to as little as 200 metres, eventually forcing race officials to cancel sailing for the day.The forecast looks better tomorrow with the plan to play catch up with an early start. Today we caught up with a few of the international sailors to find out how the event has been for them so far.

Posted by Down Under Sail on Sunday, 5 January 2020