Airlie Beach local Dennis Winstanley has shown the high calibre of NQ sailing talent in the Windsurfer World Championships held over the New Year at the South of Perth Yacht Club in Western Australia, winning gold in the heavy weight Course Racing and silver in the Marathon.
The 2023 Worlds were held in Australia, following the successful reboot of Windsurfer World Competitions in Italy in 2022. Taking the opportunity to attend a rare ‘home’ Worlds, Dennis, former 2001 World Champion and multiple national champion travelled with his family to WA in the hope of using the windy west coast as a good training ground in the lead up to the event as he hadn’t competed nationally for 5 years.
The spectacular Marathon had 250 competitors start on a near kilometre-long starting line. Dennis and Australian Olympic medalist windsurfer Lars Kleppich broke away from the fleet early on and battled it out for first and second the entire two laps of the river with the lead changing multiple times. Dennis finished second place by only a few metres in an awe-inspiring race between long term friends and on water rivals.
Fellow Port Denison Sailing Club member and Bowen local Sam Belyea (aged 16 at the time) joined the medium weights and was awarded the Western Australian Junior Champion at the WA States prior to the Worlds. He also positioned 12th overall in the medium weight course racing in his very first World Competition and gained invaluable large fleet experience.
Dennis credits his time sailing over the years from Hamilton Island, Airlie Beach, and Bowen for his ability to adjust to all wind, wave, and tide conditions on the water, and looks forward to the racing season beginning on February 11th at Port Denison Sailing Club, Bowen.
Port Denison Sailing Club will also host the Qld Windsurfer State Championships mid-year, with dates TBA, and it is hoped that interstate competitors will travel to pit themselves against the hot Qld contingent in preparation for the Worlds in September.
Dennis Winstanley practising on the Swan River just prior to the main event. Photo credit: Windsurfer Class Association of Australia
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