G4S 2007 Tasar World Championships
The
G4S Tasar World Championships, held in Phuket Thailand from
2nd to 11th July
2007 have come to a very successful close.
Olympic sailor
Jonathan McKee and his wife Libby Johnson-McKee of the USA sailing West Coast Sailing
clinched the championship on the last day of competition with a razor slim margin of two points. West
Coast Sailing overcame a very tough patch in the middle of the series to storm home to a great finish.
Until
the final two races held on the last day, either of the top two boats could easily have won. The reigning world champions, Australian father / daughter team Rob and Nicole Douglass, sailing Chukkel,
faded in those last critical races, finishing third and fourth. At the end of the day they were forced to settle for the overall number two spot.
Another
Australian boat, Code Flag Z, sailed by Brett Young and Kevin Kellow, came on strong over their last
four races with two firsts and two seconds, but it wasn’t enough to stop the McKees. Code Flag Z finished
a respectable third overall.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee,
Jonathan Ross, and his team of Paul Ridgway and Alistair Murray were ecstatic at the end of the regatta
in the way it all came together. Their gamble of holding the G4S 2007 Tasar World Championships at a distant resort venue, without support
from a local yacht club, had paid off beyond their hopes. The benefits of all competitors living in a compact resort setting with the sailing at their doorstep
created an unprecedented level of camaraderie throughout the fleet.
 | The
Naming Sponsor, G4S, took sponsorship of the event to a new level with their direct contribution as
well as participation throughout the regatta by Gordon Blackwood, Managing Director of G4S Thailand,
and Michael Turner, Regional Director. Strong support from other Sponsors including Ronstan, Halcyon
Daze, and the Cape Panwa Hotel was evident throughout the event, as was that of the Support Sponsors,
Asia web Direct, QBE Insurance, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Regatta Manager. |
Race
management under the experienced guidance of international race manager Kevin Wilson was, according
to Jonathan Ross, "absolutely flawless." Making up for the lack of a host yacht club, Robert
Warnes,
a noted Phuket sailor, assembled a team of local volunteers who played key roles throughout the regatta.
"We couldn’t have pulled it off without them." noted Paul Ridgway.
Overall
Placings
- World
Champions - Jonathan McKee and Libby Johnson-McKee - USA
- Second
Place Overall - Robert Douglass and Nicole Douglass - Australia
- Third
Place
Overall - Brett Young and Kevin Kellow - Australia
- Fourth Place
Overall - Craig
McPhee and Gillian Berry - Australia
- Fifth Place Overall - Paul
Ridgway and
Bronwyn Ridgway - Australia
Special Trophies
- First
Lady - Libby-Johnson McKee - USA
- First
Female Helm - Heather Macfarlane - Australia
- World Super Grand
Master Champions - Tony
Creak and Julie Creak - Australia
- World Grand Master Champions -
Paul Ridgway and
Bronwyn Ridgway - Australia
- World Master Champions - Jonathan McKee and Libby
Johnson-McKee - USA
- World Junior Helm - Tom Basquin - Thailand