VIS scholarship holders, Will and Sam Phillips, have snagged silver in the 49er class at the Sailing World Championships test event in Aarhus, Netherlands over the weekend.
After heading into the final event in front, the Victorian brothers encountered some difficulty and were knocked off the top by Austrian duo Bildstein and Hussl in the final race. However, the Phillips brothers managed to hold on for a top 2 finish, taking home the silver medal ahead of fellow Aussies, David Gilmour and Joel Turner, who finished with bronze.
“Our first two races went quite well and we had a two point lead going into the last race. Unfortunately in the last race we slipped back in the field and the Austrians were able to take the regatta,” Sam Phillips said after the race.
“However, we’re happy with how we’re sailing and we’re very comfortable going into the worlds,” said Will.
Over in the 49erFX class, VIS scholarship holders, Tess Llyod and Eliza Solly, narrowly missed out on a podium finish, finishing 4th overall. Their effort put them as the best placed Australians in their class at the regatta, with fellow Australian teams finishing 6th, 10th and 12th the class.
Post-regatta, Tess Lloyd told Australian Sailing that they hadn’t raced like that before, with the event serving as good practice heading into the World Championships.
The regatta served as a test event for the 2018 Sailing World Championships, to be held in Aarhus, Netherlands in August 2018.
Image: Beau Outteridge
