International One Metre World Championships in Gladstone, Australia - Preview
by IOM Worlds 21 Oct 22:48 NZDT
20-28 October 2024
International One Metre World Championships in Gladstone, Australia © IOM Worlds
Racing starts tomorrow for the International One Metre World Championships in Gladstone Australia. The competitors have spent the past two days measuring their boats and practising on the course. And now the racing starts in earnest.
To put on the best World Championship event they can and nearly all of the 35,000 locals have tried to help in some way. Racing is being held at the Spinnaker Park basin. Infrastructure has been brought in to cover every need of the competitors and officials. And for the first time ever at a World Championship, no one has said you should have been here last week. Conditions are looking fantastic.
Racing is being conducted over 6 days, Tuesday to next Monday with a lay day on Friday. All of the racing is to be livestreamed on Youtube for free throughout the week and will be hosted by a team of expert commentators. Please note, you don't have to subscribe to a profile. That is a scam. There is a webpage where you can find information. www.iomworlds.com
The IOM is a dynamic highly tuneable racing boat. They are built to a box rule with very strict measurements which allows development and evolution, but equality. Competition promises to be intense with the current and the past World Champions here, plus a fleet of outstanding challengers. You must qualify to attend the IOM Worlds, each region selecting their best sailors to send. The fleet consists of elite sailors from all corners of our sport. World Champions, National Champions, Pro sailors, Round the World Sailors
There are no restrictions when sailing IOMs' neither age, size, language or handicap constrain your performance. Plus, they are easy to transport, so it is easy for competitors to attend, (if selected). The event in Gladstone is fully subscribed, with competitors from 20 different countries.
It is important to note, racing is conducted utilising HMS Fleet racing for scoring. There are a maximum of 76 boats. They are split into 5 fleets. One race is when all five fleets are sailed and decided. For the first race, the fleets are decided at random. Your position in that heat determines which fleet you sail in next. The top fifth of a heat go to fleet A, the second fifth to fleet B and so on. So when you start Race 2 if you finish last in fleet E you will score 76 points. If you are first in Fleet A you will get 1 point. Also, if you finish in the top 6 in your Fleet - you don't score (yet), you get promoted and will now sail in next Fleet up. If you are in the bottom 6 you do score, but also get demoted. This makes finishing in the top six of your fleet vital and with it will bring intense racing.
Great racing, great location, great conditions and great coverage. What more could you want. The organisers even got the Cup to finish before, and the Vendee to start after. Tune in and enjoy.