Nathan Outteridge takes to A Class like a duck to water

Knowledge of the winds at Wangi Wangi, where he has done most of his sailing, and many hours on the wire of his 49er have made Nathan Outteridge a serious medal contender as the A Class catamaran nationals enter their final day.

Facing a field that includes four Tornado Olympic silver medallists, six America's Cup multihull sailors and countless world and national cat champions, Outteridge sits in third position with two races to sail, only three points behind the current A Class world champion, Steve Brewin, and ahead of 13 times world multihull champion Darren Bundock.

Outteridge lives just 200 metres from the launching ramp at the Wangi Wangi sailing club and he and his 49er partner Iain Jensen spend most of their Australian summer sailing the 49er and Moths on this part of Lake Macquarie.

Taking delivery of his A Class cat only days before the event started on January 3, Outteridge quickly mastered the art of sailing downwind on the wire, a technique that many of his more experienced rivals are loath to attempt in high winds. In the usual spirit of these top sailors, he has also had some excellent advice on boat set-up from the undisputed king of the A Class, Glenn Ashby, who currently leads the regatta by 11 points over Brewin.

Ashby, who was Darren Bundock's partner at Beijing when they won the silver medal in the Tornado, has won 14 world championships and is currently a member of the Emirates Team New Zealand America's Cup team, where his downwind skills have been pivotal in getting Dean Barker's AC45 crew to the front of the AC World Series standings.

Another local who has performed impressively is America's Cup winning helmsman, James Spithill. "Jimmy" also has a house on Lake Macquarie and has enjoyed his break from the AC World Series, putting together a consistent regatta to sit in fifth position going into the final day.

With clear skies over the lake, the usual January north-easter should appear in late morning to provide excellent racing before the celebrations begin this evening.

The full scorecard can be viewed at http://www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/results/wangirslasc/2011/events/AClasNats2012/SGrp2.htm

- Roger McMillan