Grey, buckets of rain, cold, no breeze, swirling light air – the penultimate day of the 2025 Hansa and Para World Championships on Pittwater gave competitors everything except a steady breeze and sun – which meant one race each in two classes only and four new world champions declared.

In a sliding doors moments, Rory McKinna (GBR) and Jess Wong won the Hansa 303 Two-Person Worlds from Chris Symonds and Maunela Klinger (AUS) and Piotr Cichocki and Olga Górnas-Grudzien (POL), who despite winning the final race, dropped to third overall after taking a penalty in Race 5 yesterday, which cost them the World crown and second place.

McKinna, from Ayrshire, then explained, “This is my first time in the Southern Hemisphere. I was originally only going to sail in the 303 One Person event and decided late that I would also sail in the Two Person event. So, I asked Chris Symonds if he knew anyone…

“Through him, Jess (an Australian) came to sail with me and she is new to sailing Hansas. We’d not met, let alone sailed together before. You know within five minutes of being in the boat whether it will work out or not – and I knew it would.”

Wong added, “It wasn’t particularly hard getting together. I knew I was in good hands. I felt comfortable with him straight away.”

McKinna went on to say, “We’ve had a very interesting week to say the least. We got off to a very good start with the Practice Race, but then we took a backward step in the first race. From there, though, we went up and up, so consistency was the name of the game.

“I wasn’t expecting to win. I never even envisaged winning the Two Person, I’ve always been a singles sailor. We’re not entirely sure how to feel at this stage. I don’t want to get excited just yet, because I’m hoping to get out tomorrow in the singles if the weather lets us. I’ve dropped to eighth, but I want to do my best. You never know what can happen.”

McKinna knows he can’t win or place second, as the top two have hardly strayed outside winning races, but third is achievable – and so far fate has been on his side.

No matter, the Scotsman is going home with a world championship trophy, just not the one he envisioned!

The only other class to race was the SKUD18. Daniel Fitzgibbon and Chris Somers (AUS) won all seven races to win these Worlds. Fitzgibbon owns two gold and one silver medal from three Paralympic Games. Although he had not sailed the boat since the 2016 Rio Games, it all fell into place with some practice.

Fitzgibbons’ team mate, Somers, is an old friend he sailed in the 420 class with back in the day, so the combination was a natural one.

Second and third places overall also remain unchanged, going to Australian teams Neil Rowsthorn and Jack Wallace and Naomi Ohue and Joe Thompson respectively.

“Rainy, light and shifty. Very unusual conditions – a south-wester. It was about sailing in pressure and you couldn’t always find it. It was like finding your way in the dark,” Fitzgibbon said.

“We didn’t have it all our own way today. We had to fight our way back to the front,” he admitted.

“Chris and I had to work out our communication. It took us a couple of days, but we managed that – and to stay friends! He loved it so much here and loved being involved with all the different people from around the world. He embraced it all.

“It’s been enjoyable sailing here. I’m just so happy to come back into sailing and see old friends. And the regatta was run very well by the RPAYC. The Commodore (Rob McClelland) was running the crane and craned us all out of the water this afternoon. Where else do you get that? Rob’s a great guy, he genuinely enjoys helping people,” Fitzgibbon concluded.

Because of the tricky conditions, the Liberty and Hansa 2.3 did not get to race, so their World Championships were decided on six races each.

Lou Hutton, Race Officer on Bravo course explained: “We had 5-7 knots, it dropped out to 2-3 knots and like the rest of the week, it was very shifty. It was south-west, pretty much, but there was a fair bit of movement in that.

“We sat for a while and could see it wasn’t going to get any better, so we came home. We had to consider the competitors in the cold and rain and decided they should come in.”

Yui Fujimoto (JPN) is the new World Champion in the Hansa 2.3. Counting four wins, a second and a third, she deserved to win. Daisuke Zenju and Koji Harada filled out the podium. The Japanese trio started top three from Day 1 and were never headed, they were just too good.

It was a different story in the Liberty class where the top places fluctuated between four sailors and then three.

Yuen Wai Foo (HKG) won the Championship, but on countback to Charles Weatherly (AUS). The two found themselves in this position twice. Vera Voorbach (NED) took the final podium place and was just one point behind the top two. She spent the week moving up the leaderboard. She and Weatherly were looking forward to more races, but it was not to be.

The Hansa 303 One Person is the only class scheduled to race tomorrow, but it depends on the conditions. As Hutton explained: “A small problem is the current gale warning. It will be looked at. We are intending to start racing at 11am – if it is safe to go out there,” she said.

The Worlds include the Hansa World and International Championships, Australian and NSW Hansa Class Championships plus the Para World Championships. All winners will be announced at the Presentation, followed by the Closing Ceremony at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) tomorrow, once the Hansa 303 One Person top three are established.

Sixteen nations have been competing at the Championships hosted by RPAYC on Pittwater in NSW: Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and USA.

For all information on the event, including entries, please visit: https://hansaworlds.org/

For all information on RPAYC and its facilities, please visit: https://rpayc.com.au/

By Di Pearson/Hansa Worlds

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MEDIA RELEASE 28 March

The Hansa 303 One-Person fleet was the only one out racing on Day 4 of the 2025 Hansa and Para World Championships at Pittwater, while the other classes enjoyed a lay day, although some chose to go out and practice in preparation for Saturday’s races.

Three races were run under gloomy skies with the sun teasing by poking its head out every now and again. So, six races have been sailed in total, with three more scheduled for Sunday’s showdown. On a tight scoreboard, six internationals hold the cards – and it could go to any of them. However, Gauthier Bril (FRA) is the one to beat.

Bril has sailed the most consistently, counting four wins and a pair of second places in the six races. And despite taking the lead on the first day of the competition, fired a warning salvo: “I need to try harder, I’m here to do my best.” In other words, second places are not good enough!

His leading margin is slim though, as Piotr Cichocki (POL) is one point behind. Jens Kroker (GER) has come into the picture today, his 10 points with a drop in play mean he is just four points off the lead.

After scoring 2-1-5 results, Kroker, who skippered German Paralympic Sonar teams to silver, gold and silver medals at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games respectively, has Davide Di Maria (ITA) on equal points with him, but is fourth on countback. And Spain’s Pau Toni Homar is breathing down their necks. Sunday will be all to play for.

Kroker said this afternoon, “It was a very intense and challenging day on the water, because it was very, very shifty. You had to go with shifts, but keep looking at the bigger picture at the same time. The top sailors did a very good job all day. Many of the same people finished in the top places.”

To make the point, after winning the second race of the day, Kroker was in 12th or 13th place in the third race and moved up to finish fifth overall.

“I was able to move up. A lot of the sailors were moving up and down quite a bit.”

The top sailors move into the Gold fleet for Sunday’s races, while the other half go into the Silver fleet. They are planning three races for Sunday in the Gold and Silver fleets.

“The weather forecasts for Sunday look very challenging – up to 30 knot gusts. They might start us two hours early. They will decide in the morning,” Kroker said.

On his chances of winning, the German sailor said, “I am more like a leisure sailor these days, I have no time to practice anymore, which makes it more challenging. Once you reach a certain age and you are doing other things, it becomes difficult to practice.”

Kroker was complimentary of RPAYC which is hosting the Worlds.

“This is really an outstanding example of inclusion. They are marvellous. There are lots of volunteers who are always kind and happy and willing to help. The Club is setting an example. I will take it home to Germany to my work, Turning Point, to see if we can replicate what they have done here at the Club.”

Turning Point unites several hundred years of experience in sailing for people with disadvantages. And Kroker says, “Those affected by a disability often lack the necessary self-esteem and courage to discover their talents and realise them in a self-determined way. Our focus is to help turn that around.”

On the ground at RPAYC and running around at this event is Chris Mitchell. As RPAYC Commodore, Rob McClelland, pointed out in his speech at the opening of the Worlds on Monday: “Of course, none of this would have been possible without one man’s vision—Chris Mitchell. Chris is the founder, designer, and driving force behind the Hansa class.”

Mitchell, it transpires, had been all over NSW prior to the event: “We collected around 70 boats from around NSW, mainly thanks to Sailability NSW, plus brought 25 of our own boats to the Alfreds. We collected Libertys and took them home and fixed and buffed them,” he said.

“We went past Orange to get boats, Port Macquarie, Moruya, Sydney, Gosford and put them in the Crystal Bay carpark at the Alfreds. It took around two weeks to get them all here. We started on the 10th of March and last ones came in on 22nd March,” Mitchell explained.

When Sunday afternoon comes around, all those who own their own boats will leave first and then Mitchell will spring into action again.

“We bought some discs and marked all of charter boats with them, so that when they come out of the water on Sunday, we can recognise them straight away. We got some second hand carpet and we’ll put them on that in carpark and then we’ll take them back to where we collected them from on two trailers.”

Mitchell said, “It’s terrific seeing all these people here sailing the boats, but this is just a milestone, a step, we think in terms of vision for the future.”

And some of that future involves trying to get sailing back into the Paralympic Games in time for Sydney 2032.

During the event, Mitchell is not sitting idle either. “I am running around fixing competitors’ boats. I also go on the water with Jackie (Jackie Kay is the International Hansa Committee Association Treasurer/Secretary). We went out with Allen Stormon yesterday and tomorrow we’re going on Pretty Woman with Richard Hudson.”

“The Alfreds are fantastic. The dockmaster, Phil Burgess, and past commodores Russell Murphy, the volunteer’s coordinator and Allen Stormon, who is coordinating measurers. Everyone is pitching in,” Mitchell ended.

Racing at the Worlds continues tomorrow from 1pm, weather permitting, when all but the 303 One Person classes are back on the water for the penultimate day.

A total of nine races are scheduled for each class. The Closing Ceremony and Presentation will follow the last race on Sunday.

The Worlds take in the Hansa World and International Championships, Australian and NSW Hansa Class Championships plus the Para World Championships.

Sixteen nations are competing at the Championships hosted by Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (RPAYC) on Pittwater in NSW: Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and USA.

For all information on the event, including entries, please visit: https://hansaworlds.org/

For all information on RPAYC and its facilities, please visit: https://rpayc.com.au/

By Di Pearson/Hansa Worlds

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