| Sailing legend looks forward to worlds at Howth |
Sailing legend John Bertrand, America’s Cup-winning skipper and Olympic medallist, has confirmed his entry for the Etchells Worlds in August and recently visited Howth to test out the race track for himself, three months in advance of the event.
Bertrand, who finished 3rd at the last Worlds in Melbourne, was certainly impressed with the set-up and reckons the championship is shaping up to be an outstanding event.
“Sailing conditions are absolutely world class,” he said, “the local restaurants are great and the people….well, the Irish, wonderful people!”
Bertrand, who also took bronze in the Worlds in Brisbane in 1993, is a committed Etchells sailor and is enthusiastically looking forward to the Irish venue. His own boat is currently in transit to Ireland and he will be practising on the local waters in a borrowed boat with his own crew Tom Slingsby and Andrew Palfrey who arrived in Ireland recently.
The first boat from the USA arrives in Howth this week and a number of American crews are due to fly in for the Etchells East Coast Championships in June to familiarise themselves with the Howth waters. |
