Australian pair Annie Stevenson and Peter Winter pushed a French favourite to the wire at the Offshore Double Handed World Championships, finishing second after a tense two-day battle off Marseille, France.
Racing as AUS01, Stevenson and Winter were within touching distance of the world title before France edged them out on the final run home. It capped a strong campaign for the Australians, who placed third in the qualifier before backing it up with second in the final.
"Excitement, uncertainty and a bit of nervousness," was how Stevenson described the lead-up. "It was an opportunity to compete at an international level, against some of the best double handed sailors in the world, on a boat we'd never sailed before. So, coming third in the qualifier and second in the final were results we were both really proud of."
The fleet was stacked. Among the contenders were Volvo Ocean Race veteran and two-time America's Cup winner Simeon Tienpont (NED01), 2023 Mini Transat winner Federico Waksman (URU01), and Djemila Tassin (BEL01), holder of the Class40 24-hour distance world record.
Stevenson put the result down to adaptability. "I think what made us different was our ability to adapt. Pete and I have raced together for a number of years on different boats in different roles, so we settled into the Sun Fast 30 OD pretty quickly considering we'd only been out on the boat once before the qualifier."
The decider was a brutal 190 nautical mile, two-day race. It opened with an upwind beat to Cannes in winds over 20 knots and a punishing two-metre swell, conditions that rewarded clean boat handling and sharp sail trim. Stevenson and Winter held fourth through the worst of it.
Then everything changed.
In the early hours of the final morning, the breeze swung and a downwind run to the finish opened up. While much of the fleet pushed offshore, the Australians hugged the coast, found the land breeze, and shot into the lead.
A win looked on. France, however, kept committing to the right-hand side and ultimately sailed through to take the title, with Australia finishing close behind in second.
"It was a really well-run event with well-maintained boats, and after normally doing our own prep and boat work it was very nice to just turn up and sail," Stevenson said. "It was great to see the energy in the community and meet like-minded people from around the world. I'd forgotten how much I love one design: everyone's racing on a level playing field, so the race is decided on the water rather than before you leave the dock. We're both already hoping to be back next year, when it's raced in Cannes."
The result adds to a run of strong showings by Australian sailors in double-handed ocean racing. For a discipline still finding its feet on this side of the world, Stevenson and Winter's podium is a marker of just how much depth is now coming through.
