Tasmanians dominate Cadet National sailing title

9:39 AM Sun 17 Jan 2010 GMT

'Alec and Samantha Bailey - International Cadet Australian champions. Photo Don Bailey'

Sandy Bay Sailing Club's Alec and Samantha Bailey have not only won the International Cadet Australian championship in Adelaide, but four other crews from the club have finished in the top ten in the huge fleet of 81 boats.

Strong winds today forced Adelaide Sailing Club officials to abandon the three races scheduled for the final day of competition, leaving Alec (15) and his sister Samantha (12), the 2010 champions by the massive margin of 27 points.

For Alec the win made up for losing the lead and ending up second overall at the 2008 championships in Port Lincoln, but also follows the siblings outstanding effort in finishing third overall and Alec leading skipper under 16 at the recent Cadet world championships in Argentina.

Alec began his sailing in Optimists, then moved to Sabots in the DSS/RYCT Dinghy before moving into the Cadet. 'He always wanted to sail a two-crew boat and he has achieved his ambition in winning the Cadet nationals,' his father, Don Bailey said in Adelaide today.

'If they had sailed just two races today, Alec and Sam would have been unbeatable whatever their placings; but a third race could have changed the end result,' Bailey added.

In an outstanding result for Sandy Bay Sailing Club, Impulse (Alec and Samantha Bailey) won the championship on 41 points with Samantha also winning the trophy for first girl crew. Victorians from Sandringham Yacht Club placed and third, with Insayne (Isabella Say and Benjamin Brill) on 40 points and Samaran (Anton and Julian Sasson) on 62.5. Isabella Say won the Mermaid Trophy for the first female skipper.

Next of the Sandy Bay Sailing Club team were Ella Connor and Hannah Chadwick sailing Sirocco into sixth place, with Hyper Hyer (Cara Swan and Caitlan Moody) eighth followed by Pelorus (Eleanor Ransley and Laura Barker) and
Pour Quoi (Georgina Kennedy and Silas Hamilton) in 10th place.

One of the youngest Tasmanian skippers, Oliver Burnell, son of former International Cadet world champion Paul Burnell, now commodore of Sandy Bay Sailing Club, finished an impressive 16th overall with his crew Sam Abel,
sailing Winning Edge.