Rockal Evans continued his brilliant start to the new year competing in the Olympic class Finn dinghy in Sydney, Australia at the weekend.

The Bermudian sailor posted two firsts and a third-place finish, while competing in the Woollahra Sailing Club 2021-22 Spring and Summer Series Club Championships in light and shifty conditions in Sydney Harbour on Sunday.

It was an outstanding display that exceeded Evans’s expectations and, more importantly, catapulted him to the top of the championship standings among his respective fleet.

“Sunday was a surprise for me to come out on top only because my gear and sail are not up to standard any more and needs replacing,” Evans told The Royal Gazette.

The grandson of late Comet class stalwart Howard Lee holds a seven point advantage over nearest rival Rob McMillan of Australia in the standings with two race days remaining. McMillan’s compatriot Marcus Whitley sits in third a farther two points off the lead pace.

Evans is off to a solid start in the new year, having clinched the bronze medal at the International Finn New South Wales State Championship, which was also contested in Sydney Harbour from January 8 to 10.

It is the second time he has achieved the feat at the event having also done so in 2018.

As well as competing in the Finn, the multiple Bermuda national champion is also the captain of the island’s team that will compete in the inaugural Star Sailors League Gold Cup.

The SSL Gold Cup is a new international sporting event designed to determine the world’s best sailing nation.

The inaugural biennial event, which is scheduled to be held in Switzerland between May and June, tests athletes’ skills by having them all sail the same SSL 47 monohull boat, eliminating technical or equipment advantages.

Evans moved to Sydney in 2017 in aid of his preparations for an unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in the Finn.