Cole Tapper and Tyler Creevey have scored - by their own admission - a surprise but well deserved victory at the U17 420 European Championship at Sesimbra in Portugal, surviving a late scare to eventually run out comfortable winners.
The Sydneysiders scored a discarded 35 in the last race of the regatta but, in fact, sailed brilliantly to steer the Polish team out of contention.
The winners with their prize. PHOTO: Luis Fraguas
"This is pretty massive for us as it is our first international regatta win so we are really happy with that,” Tapper told the class association's website. “There was lots of pressure on today on the water and we are really happy to have got the job done."
Creevy admitted he “wasn’t really expecting this at all”. “I just treated every race as its own and sailed the best we could,” he said.
Countrymen Ryan Littlechild and Jack Ferguson came 5th in the 44-boat fleet.
TOP FIVE PLACES:
1. Cole TAPPER/Tyler CREEVEY (AUS) - 70 pts
2. Jacobo GARCÍA GARCÍA/Antoni RIPOLL GONZÁLEZ (ESP) - 82 pts
3. Jakub GOÅĘBIOWSKI/Filip SZMIT (POL) - 87 pts
4. Oliver HURWITZ/Ethan FROELICH (USA) - 99 pts
5. Ryan LITTLECHILD/Jack FERGUSON (AUS) - 108 pts
FULL RESULTS
FINAL DAY REPORT
420 Class On Facebook
Follow the Australian Sailing Team
Web: www.australiansailingteam.com.au
Instagram: @aussailingteam
Facebook: @aussailingteam
Twitter: @aussailingteam
YouTube: AusSailingTeam
Follow Australian Sailing
Web: www.sailing.org.au
Instagram: @austsail
Facebook: @austsail
Twitter: @austsail