3:08 AM Fri 8 Jan 2010 GMT
Sunshine at last for the Contender sailors preparing their boats ahead of the first races in the 40th Contender World Championships, being sailed out of Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron today.
While breezes of 12-14 knots were anticipated, it's currently gusting up to 16 knots on the Waterloo Bay course and the 60 boat fleet can expect some wet and wild rides today.
While the breeze strength is probably more than some of the European sailors would like, the locals are well pleased.
'I need every little knot I can get' smiled the new Australian Contender champion Matt Mulder as he awoke from a nap in the air-conditioned media centre at RQ a few minutes ago. Mulder is in theory 95kg but there are suspicions he is the fleet 'heavy weight'. He rocketed in the heavy conditions on the first two days of the Australian titles.
The first race is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time, which is 15:00 AEST.
by Al Constable
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