Cork Harbour's Chris Bateman and Lucy Loughton sailing Squirrel are off to a great start in the first races of the B14 World Championships in Sydney, Australia, on Monday (January 6th).
The Monkstown Bay Sailing Club (MBSC) pair won the first two races but missed a shift in the day's final race and finished sixth to spoil an otherwise perfect scorecard.
The championships opened with a building tide and a NE breeze of 15 to 20 knots in relatively flat water.
Overall, the only Irish contestants are second, with Australia's Craig Garmston and Paul Fleming sailing Snatch from Safety Beach Sailing Club leading with a 2,2,1. Great Britain's Nick Craig and Toby Lewis sailing Harken from Burghfield are in third place with a 3,3,2.
The 2025 World Championship is being contested by 29 teams, including Australia, the UK, and Europe. It is being hosted by Woollahra Sailing Club.
As Afloat reported earlier, Bateman and Loughton are on form. However, they narrowly missed out on the pre-worlds title due to gear failure in Saturday's final race of that championship.
Racing was abandoned on Tuesday due to strong winds. Results are here
