ING Waterfront City Breakfast with the Stars a big hit

ING hosted Breakfast with the Stars at Waterfront City at Docklands in Melbourne this morning as part of Audi Victoria Week, and the who’s who of sailing assembled at the stunning Melbourne Yacht Club Hotel.

MC for the Breakfast, attended by around 100 people, was ABC Radio’s Ian Cover, host of ABC’s the ‘Coodabeens’. The funny man welcomed attendees including representatives of the City of Melbourne, Peter Jones – Chairman Victoria Events Industry Council, Stephen Griffin – CEO City of Greater Geelong, hosts from ING, Stephen Clement, Kyle Johnston and Greg Boyd, Audi Australia’s Anna Burgdorf, the general manager of corporate communications, Audi Victoria Week chairman Andrew Neilson and John Kint, commodore of Royal Geelong Yacht Club. 

Among the stars were America’s Cup legend John Bertrand AM, Olympic medallists and world champions Darren Bundock and Elise Rechichi, world champions Nathan Outteridge, Brett Young, Carolijn Brouwer, Nev Wittey, Andrew Plympton and around the world sailors Nick Moloney and Adrienne Cahalan.

When you are constantly around sailing and the people in it, you get quite blasé about the accomplishments, but having so many champions in one room brought home just how much they have achieved.

Audi Victoria Week chairman, John Bertrand, captured the hearts of Australia when he skippered Australia II to an historic win of the America’s Cup in 1983. Prior to that win, Bertrand won an Olympic bronze medal in the Finn class at the 1976 Games. 

Bertrand, from Victoria, recently added another title to his many, winning the Etchells Nationals at Lake Macquarie a week ago after a third place finish in the 2009 Etchells Worlds.

“It’s a fabulous waterway off the Docklands and the Melbourne Yacht Club Hotel is terrific,” said Bertrand who was impressed by the competition at the Audi Docklands Invitational yesterday, “It was terrific,” he said.    

Darren Bundock, at just 38 years old, has already won 12 world championships in various catamaran classes and two Olympic silver medals in 2000 and 2008, while Elise Rechichi won Gold in Beijing and has claimed Youth and adult world championships in the 420 and 470 classes.

Nathan Outteridge, who turns 24 later this month, can claim three-time gold medals in the Youth 420 class Worlds, along with two gold (2008-2009) and this year’s silver medal in the 49er world Championship, a remarkable achievement among others for the NSW sailor who represented at the Beijing Olympics.

Nick Moloney and Adrienne Cahalan have both sailed around the world, Cahalan dubbed “the fastest woman in the world” after navigating the multihull Cheyenne, for the late adventurer Steve Fossett, to a world speed record in April 2004 to win Australian Yachtswoman of the Year in 2005.  

Moloney, from Ocean Grove in Victoria, is the first and only person to windsurf across Bass Strait 1998 as a 31 year old. An adventurer, Moloney has also sailed two America’s Cup (1992-1995) with John Bertrand. “I got to sail with the great man. I was at school when he won the America’s Cup and I remember it vividly,” Moloney says.

Moloney has competed in all the major round the world races, including Whitbread, Jules Verne Trophy won Route Du Rum single-handed from France to Guadeloupe and then competed in the Vendee Globe, a single -handed around the world race.

“The Vendee Globe was my toughest challenge,” says Moloney, “The mental side was hard, the solitude – the silence was screaming, I craved talking to people,” Moloney said.

Dave Ullman, an American in his 60s, won the Sabot Nationals in 1969 and went on to found Ullman Sails and win three 470 Worlds and a Melges 24 Worlds.  Having travelled the world, as sailors do, Ullman said at the Breakfast: “Key West in Florida is my favourite sailing destination.” He is yet to experience Audi Victoria Week, perhaps his opinion might change.

Rob Brown, a three-time 18ft skiff world champion from Sydney has his own: “Sydney Harbour any day of the week for me- you can’t beat it,” said Brown whose wish is to win an Etchells Worlds. “I won a Nationals at Port Melbourne a few years back, but the Worlds….”
   
This is the second Breakfast with the Stars held at the Docklands during Audi Victoria Week and such is its popularity, it is set to become a regular fixture at the annual regatta, the largest sporting event in the world.

The photo shows: Back row – Neville Witty, John Bertrand, Darren Bundock, Nathan Outteridge, Rob Brown and Nick Moloney. Front row is: Dave Ullman, Adrienne Cahalan and Andrew Plympton.

Di Pearson, Audi Victoria Week media