by IHCA
Today marks one year until the start of the 2018 Hansa Class Combined World and International Championships.
At a ceremony in Hiroshima today, a countdown board was unveiled by Organising Authority Chairman Tsunehiro Yumane, members of the Organising Authority and invited guests. Guests included Hansa Sailing Director, Chris Mitchell, Outgoing IHCA Vice President of Development, Akko van der Veen, the President and Secretary of the Australian Hansa Class Association, Russell & Shauna Phillips, members of the 2018 Hansa Class Worlds Organising Authority and members of the Japanese sailing team.
The site of the 2018 Hansa Worlds, Kanon Marina, will this weekend host the 10th annual Peace Cup regatta. Competitors and organisers are using this event as a ‘test event’ for the Worlds next year. Sailors from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, The Philippines and The Netherlands have arrived in preparation for the weekend’s event and will join scores of locals in the Hansa 2.3, 303 singles and doubles. For the first time at the Peace Cup, there will be a fleet of the Hansa Liberties.
At today’s ceremony, Mr Yuso Okita from the 2018 Worlds Organising authority remarked; “We know that there is much interest from Hansa sailors around the world in our World Championships next year. We are working closely with the International Hansa Class Association, Hansa Sailing and our sponsors – in particular, Mazda Logistics – to provide all the information that the sailors will require to attend our event.”
“We aim to shortly provide details for a smooth, efficient and affordable solution for shipping boats to and from Hiroshima. This weekend’s regatta will – and has already – provided us with valuable information on all facets of our event” Mr Okita concluded.
Hansa Sailing’s Chris Mitchell – in Hiroshima to support this weekend’s regatta added: “Next year’s World Championships is a huge logistical exercise. The last two World Championships (in Sydney in 2012, and Medemblik in 2016) could call on a large supply of locally sourced boats for competitors and people who wished to charter boats. With some divisions, this is not the case for the 2018 Worlds in Hiroshima. To test the customs and quarantine requirements in preparation for next year, we have shipped boats from Australia for the Peace Cup event.”
“We understand that competitors are eager for information about the 2018 Worlds and appreciate that some competitors will require accessible accommodation options. To that end, we have populated information on our inclusive tourism website – www.itsheaven.org – with information that should provide competitors with some detailed information about accessible accommodation, travel and tourism options in Hiroshima.”
Mr Mitchell continued: ‘At this weekend’s regatta, it will be terrific to see over 75 competitors sailing on the same waters as next year’s World Championships. The people of Hiroshima have been very receptive to the Class Association’s message of inclusion and we believe that next year’s World Championships will be a not-to-be-missed event on the sailing calendar for Hansa sailors worldwide.’
The Notice of Race for the 2018 Hansa Worlds is planned to be released in November and available on this website.
Results and a report on this year’s Peace Cup will be published to this website.
International Hansa Class Association 