The 2011 World Championship for the SB3 class will be hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club from 16 – 20 May 2011. The entry list has now topped 120 boats and it appears that the event will be the largest keelboat World Championships in 2011.

Representatives from fourteen nations will compete in the World Championships. The host nation fielding an entry of over seventy boats. Entries come from as far afield as Australia and South Africa. Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and Russia.

The three SB3 World Champions, Geoff Carveth (2008 Champion, Dun Laoghaire), Craig Burlton (2009 Champion, Cascais) and Jerry Hill (2010 Champion, Torbole) will all compete this year. Carveth, Burlton and Hill are all British and so far the World Championship has not been won by another nation. Will 2011 see the trophy slip from the Brits grip?

Australian Nathan Outteridge will compete with SB3 Class President, Dave Cheyne. Outteridge is twice 49er World Champion, current Moth World Champion and recent winner of the Audi King of Docklands and Audi Victoria Week in the Laser SB3.

South Africa’s Roger Hudson will also compete in his fourth SB3 World Championship and will no doubt be determined to better his current hatric of second places. Hudson has sailed each of the previous World Championships with a different helm; 2008 David Hudson (father), 2009 Taariq Jacobs and 2010 Iain Ainslie. It is yet to be announced which members of the Race Ahead Foundation will sail with Hudson in 2011.

The SB3 Class is proud to be one of the most tightly restricted one design keelboat classes in the world with little variation from the builder’s final product permitted. With minimal maintenance, easy to trail and low campaign costs, the class thrives on its philosophy of providing inclusive, high intensity, great fun and easily attainable, quality racing for its members.

For more, visit www.lasersb3.com.