Sailing championship 'huge success'

Organisers of the ISAF Sailing World Championships on Monday hailed the event as a major success despite claims the number of spectators fell well short of expectations. Billed as a rare chance to see the world's best sailors in action, organisers had said the third edition of the event would draw around 200,000 sail fans to Fremantle, Western Australia. But the big crowds failed to materialise for the 16-day championships, in stark contrast to the number of fans who flocked to Australia's America's Cup defence in 1987, also held in Fremantle. Tournament spokesman Richard Palfreyman said final visitor figures -- although unlikely to be known for some time -- would be close to the 200,000 mark once those who arrived in the run-up to the event had been counted. "There were thousands of people there on Sunday, lining the rocks and the beach," he said of the event's final day. "From a sailing point of view it was hugely successful... it was an event that has changed sailing, by having grandstands next to the course and the start and finish line so close to those spectators. However local businesses said crowds were thinner than expected and complained that an entertainment and food village set up for the championships attracted few patrons. One food vendor, who estimated just over 10,000 had passed through the village before the final weekend of racing, told AFP it was "a money burner, not a money earner". Poor weather hampered the initial stages of the event, with all racing cancelled for one day as storms rolled in. Meanwhile a rare sighting of a 4-5 metre (around 14 feet) white pointer shark in the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, just metres from the boat park, was another untimely occurrence. British Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie did his best to thrust the championships into the spotlight when he jumped off his boat straight after a race and climbed onto a media vessel to tangle with its occupants. He was disqualified for the incident and missed out on a gold medal.