Howth Yacht Club's Rocco Wright Holds Narrow Lead Going into Final Day of Australian Optimist Championship

8th January 2020

WM Nixon

Howth's Rocco Wright leads the Optimist fleet in Melbourne

Rocco Wright of Howth Yacht Club holds a one-point lead facing into the final day (January 9th) of the 255-boat Australian International Optimist Championship 2020 at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Melbourne on Port Philip Bay, with the complex championship continuing its full programme despite some experience of poor air quality ashore and afloat from the bush fire conditions continuing in nearby parts of the region.

Although the 13-year-old Howth sailor’s combined overall scoreline in the Gold Fleet after today (Wednesday’s) racing reads as 1,1,7,1,1,6,1,14, and 6, the final two days fleet lineup has seen the American sailor Samara Walshe making a challenge which has displaced Wright’s earlier closest contenders of France’s Zou Schemmel (now back in 9th) and Australia’s Joel Beashel (currently in 12th).

Current results here

Published in Optimist

Tagged under

Optimist

About The Author

WM Nixon

Email The Author

William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.