Bermudian sailor Rockal Evans enjoyed a triumphant debut in Australia last weekend.

Competing in the J/70 class in Sydney, Evans and his teammates aboard Vamos clinched the title with two races to spare at the J/70 New South Wales State Championship, which was contested in Sydney Harbour.

David Doherty’s team dominated the 11-race series as they posted seven bullets and finished no lower than third among the seven-boat fleet.

They finished twelve points clear of nearest rival Juno, with Swish rounding off the podium finishers a further six points adrift in third.

Evans grasped his opportunity on his debut in the class after receiving a late invitation to join Doherty’s team.

“I got the call up two days before the regatta started. It was pretty late but I just had to say yes,” he told The Royal Gazette.

Evans and his colleagues won the opening five races to seize early control of the fleet and maintained consistency throughout the regatta, negotiating some variable conditions.

“It was a three0day regatta and the first two days were windy and the last day light and very shifty winds,” he added.

“Day one went smoothly with us winning all four races. Day two was almost identical as day one but we finished 1,2,1,2, giving us a comfortable lead going into the last day.”

The third and final day of racing proved to be anything but smooth sailing for Evans and his team-mates.

“The final day was the most challenging with the light wind,” he said. “But we opened the day with another win, sealing up the championship early with two races left. The last two races we finished with a 3,2.”

Evans served as bowman among the four-men crew, which also included tactician Robert Greenhalgh and trimmer James Corrie.

“It was my first time ever sailing a J/70 and I found it very unique in terms of not being allowed to hike in this class,” Evans added.

The regatta was hosted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and held in conjunction with the Australian International J/70 Class Association.