[Source: Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships] The first day of competition at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships saw Fremantle’s Inner Harbour come to life with the Women’s Match Racing crews setting sail in stifling 36C heat.

AUS-1 (Souter) and the Finnish crew (Lehtinen) led the day’s racing.

Despite difficult conditions and shifty winds as the day progressed, world number one Tunnicliffe (USA-1) sailed true to form, leading her team to win three of three.

“It was extremely tricky, the wind was very very shifty but it provided interesting conditions and kept you on your game,” Tunnicliffe said.

The first flight of the day saw world number five, Nicky Souter guiding AUS-1, in a neck-and-neck battle with Portugal, taking the lead mere metres from the finish line.

First day of match racing at the 2011 ISAF World Championship. Perth, 3 December 2011. Photo copyright Outside Images

Likewise, Finland, ranked world number nine, found competition difficult against their first opponent CAN-1, with the finish very close.

World number 10, FRA-2, with Anne Claire le Berre at the helm, could have started better, winning only two of four races, with lower ranked teams beating them over the finish line.

After a morning of hot easterlies, the onset of a cooler mid-afternoon sea breeze delayed the races while the course was moved closer to the ocean and away from the stands.

The afternoon’s first flight, flight five, saw superb tactics from Ferris Choat (CAN-1) land her crew an unexpected win against world number six, Russia.

Tunnicliffe described the afternoon’s conditions as light, but also very puffy and very shifty, saying “if you got a good start and were able to sail the shifts you had an easier time.”

Women’s Match Racing continues in the Inner Harbour Sunday from 1000 with the beginning of racing in Group B.
Group A flights eight, nine and ten will resume on Monday morning, 5 December.

First day of match racing at the 2011 ISAF World Championship. Perth, 3 December 2011. Photo copyright Outside Images

First day of match racing at the 2011 ISAF World Championship. Perth, 3 December 2011. Photo copyright Outside Images