Talented young Hobart sailor and RYCT member George Jones has won the Laser Radial class at the Sail Sydney International Regatta which ended on Sydney Harbour  today.

Jones, 17, began the final day of the regatta with a 25th place in this morning’s light and flukey breeze, but as the north-easterly seabreeze built this afternoon he finished fourth in the two final heats.

Young Tasmanian sailor Geprge Jones is leading the Laser Radial fleet halfway through the Sail Sydney international regatta for Olympic and international youth classes.

Jones scored a sixth and third placings in Saturday’s tricky breezes on Sydney Harbour, but today was at his best in a 12-15 knot nor’easterly seabreeze to score two wins and a third.

Tasmanian entrants for the 2009 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Auch, Archie, She’s the Culprit and Dekadence each filled a top handicap place in the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s Tasports Maria Island Race sailed off the East Coast over the weekend.

Auch, David Bean’s Beneteau 44.7, won the premier IRC division on corrected time; Archie, Sally Rattle’s Archambault 35 took out the new AMS handicap division’ while She’s the Culprit,  Todd Leary’s newly modified Jones 39, placed second, with Auch third.

The crew of the Hobart yacht Whistler turned in a unique performance over the weekend,  competing in the gruelling Tasports Maria Island Yacht Race and then turning out to complete the demanding Point to Pinnacle marathon mountain run to the peak of Hobart’s Mount Wellington.

The Maria Island Race, followed by the Point to Pinnacle Run was the start of Team Whistler’s campaign to contest the Tasmanian Three Peaks Race and the British Three Peaks, two of world’s toughest offshore sailing and endurance running events, in 2010.