Jerwood and de Vries Named 2017 World Champions

Western Australian sailors, Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries have been named 2017 420 Ladies World Champions after a week of intense competition in Fremantle which saw them continuously challenged by an impressive field.

Heading into the last day of racing the duo stood a mere three points ahead of their major competition, Victorians Laura Harding and Ellie Grimshaw in second.

A slow start in the final race meant that Jerwood and de Vries were immediately on the back foot, needing to dig deep in order to get the points required to maintain their spot on top of the podium. 

Harding and Grimshaw crossed the line in third place before the Western Australians eventually crossed taking seventh, defending their first place standing.

Jerwood and de Vries gave credit to WAIS Sailing coach Belinda Stowell-Brett for their preparation for the regatta, thanking her for the time and effort she had put in.

Monique said “it was a pretty tough regatta actually.”

“The girls who finished second sailed really well all week and really put it to us in the last race.”

“The thing we had to work on was our speed. We’re used to sailing the 470 which is pretty quick upwind, but we think we’ve improved our downwind a lot, especially during the week,” added Nia.

Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries were awarded gold medals along with the International 420 Class Ladies World Championships Challenge Cup. 

Photo c/o International 420 Class Association