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Evans sails away with maiden masters title

Smooth sailing: Rockal Evans won the Woollahra Finn Masters Championship in Sydney, Australia on Monday

Rockal Evans captured a maiden Woollahra Finn Masters Championship title competing in New South Wales, Australia this week.

The 2020 Olympic Games hopeful produced a near flawless display, winning five of the seven races contested in variable conditions on Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour, with a worst showing of third to finish seven-points clear of nearest rival Rob McMillan of Australia.

Matt Visser, also of Australia, rounded off the podium a further 19 points back.

Evans took full advantage of his knowledge of the local conditions as the regatta was hosted by his adopted club, Woollahra Sailing Club.

“The regatta was sailed out of the club I call home here in Australia, so I felt very comfortable and confident in the sailing area, because I do all of my training on this part of Sydney Harbour,” he said. “It feels great to win on home turf in the way I did.”

The championship took place from October 5 to 7.

“The regatta started off OK and my results got better the last two days,” Evans added.

“The conditions were a mix of everything; from light and shifty wind to very windy, with some good size waves and lots of current on the racetrack on one of the days.”

The victory has given Evans a huge confidence boost as he continues his preparations for January’s Sailing World Miami, which also serves as a North America Olympic Games qualifier.

“It feels like everything is slowly coming together very well for my upcoming Olympic qualifying regatta,” he added. “Before the regatta (Woollahra Finn Masters Championships), I trained five days in a row and then we went straight into the three- day regatta fully focused.

“The conditions were also very similar to the racetrack where my Olympic qualifier is in Miami.”

The Sailing World Cup Miami will be held from January 26 to February, with Olympic spots going up for grabs among five different classes represented also including the RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial and 470.

Evans hopes to represent Bermuda at the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in the same class that his late grandfather, Howard Lee, competed in for Bermuda at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.