12:26 AM Mon 23 Nov 2009 GMT
Whitsunday Sailing Club's Klaus Lorenz will gain further experience when he contests the Yachting Queensland International Sail Brisbane regatta over the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron courses this weekend.
Klaus, already rated as one of the rising young stars in the sport, will compete in the Optimist dinghy class where he is favoured to win another major medal.
The talented skipper, winner of the silver medal in the New Zealand Optimist Dinghy championship earlier this year, has gained valuable experience from racing in Whitsunday Sailing Club events on Pioneer Bay but he is now ready to continue his career with regular regatta racing at the top level.
This commitment, including regular Yachting Queensland hosted training sessions under Queensland based Yachting Australia high performance Coach Adrian Finglas, has been instrumental in his development and his improvement in the Australian Optimist class rankings leading into the 2010 Oceania championship in Adelaide from January 5-10 2010.
Meanwhile the relatively modest young skipper who has travelled extensively over the past year, will focus his attention on sailing well in the important Sail Brisbane regatta, which has attracted 162 entries from eleven countries for the 14 class championship series.
Klaus is very familiar with the sailing conditions on Waterloo Bay and has developed a hiking style and steering technique to master the confused and choppy sea surface known as the 'Waterloo Slop'.
Both Klaus and his training partner Eva are clever young sailors who have shown the ability and determination to do the hard yards.
Recently Eva (11) won the admiration of senior Queensland sailors when she sailed through 25 knot winds and white crested waves to complete her Queensland Youth Development Squad event on Keppel Bay.
Klaus and Eva possess a unique brother-sister bond with Klaus making sure Eva is kept 'up to speed' with all the latest developments gained during his frequent trips away.
He will be given the opportunity to become exposed to a wealth of sailing talent, including the successful Olympic Gold Medal winning coach Victor Kovalenko and several World champions like Beijing Olympic Laser skipper Tom Slingsby and 2009 Etchells Gold Medallist Bucky Smith who begins his Olympic campaign in the Finn Class.
There is no doubt that young Klaus, who will miss his normal class room environment, will further his knowledge on mastering the aquatic challenges while seeking some good career advice and education from his respected peers in the sport.
Klaus is an enthusiastic young sailor who is progressively showing the benefits from his club racing and testing his skill at major regattas and this is acknowledged by a number of high profile sailors and coaches.
'He is showing all the required personal technique and skill to develop into a future senior class champion' said Yachting Australia accredited high performance coach Adrian Finglas.
by Ian Grant
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Valentine, Lake Macquarie, NSW
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