Adelaide Crew??s Good Form In Etchells Worlds Lead-Up

Adelaide yachtsman Chris PRATT and his crew, Nick PATERSON and Grant EVANS, will be strong contenders for next week’s World Championship Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, after placing equal third on points in the final pre-worlds regatta this weekend.

Sailing Squid, Pratt finished level with former America’s Cup winning skipper John Bertrand, at the helm of of Two Saints and a Magpie, with Bertrand taking third place trophy on a countback.

Pratt had placings of 2-23-5-3, Bertrand 27-1-3-2, with New Zealander Cameron Appleton winning the regatta from Victorian Mark Bulka, who earlier this year won the 2004 Australian championship in Adelaide.

Both PRATT and Bertrand are former Olympians in the single-handed Finn class, Bertrand representing in 1976, Pratt in 1984 and 1988, and both now enjoy international class racing in the three-crew Etchells keelboat class.

The Adelaide Etchells fleet will be represented at the Worlds by five boats, the others being Bohica! (David ROYLE), La Vie Dansante (Simon ESTELLA), Fish Factory (Mark SOULSBY) and Pleasure and Pain (Shane DEUSSEN) all from the Adelaide Sailing Club.

Apart from being Australian champion and a two-times Olympic team member in the Finn class, Pratt is also a winner of the Lexcen Cup Australian team racing championship, while his crew are both former Australian champins in Sharpies, 505s and Taser classes.

David ROYLE is also a former Australian Sharpie champion while crewman John WARD is a former World champion in the Fireball class.

Mark SOULSBY is a past Australian champion in Sharpies, as is crew member David LANE. Shane DEUSSEN is another past Australian champion in Sharpies and also in 505s.