Stormy waters can’t deter Star Brits
15th September 2009Winds gusting up to 35 knots presented some tricky sailing conditions for crews on day two of the 2009 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy today (Tuesday).
The conditions produced what one half of Britain’s Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medal winning Star crew described as a ‘few scary moments’, but they didn’t prevent them from recording another win in their only race of the day.
The Skandia Team GBR crew of Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson extended their lead in the Star class by taking their series to two wins and a second place in three races for a total of four points.
The Polish crew of Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki finished fifth today and remain second on 11 points.
Percy said: “It’s fun to be racing in Weymouth in some big stuff. We’re a bit out of practice and there were a few scary moments today, but if you’ve sailed for 150 to 200 days in the previous year you’d be all over this. We managed to just about sneak a win today.
“We’re sailing pretty well, but there’s a long way to go yet and a lot of work to do.”
It was a good day for another Brit, Giles Scott, in the Finn class. He won his first race of the day and came second in the second to climb from eighth to first place in the fleet. He leads by a single point from Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, Croatia’s world number one and European champion.
Britain’s Ed Wright, who led the fleet at the end of day one, dropped down to fifth, finishing 10th and ninth in today’s races.
Australia’s Tom Slingsby is now the only sailor competing in Olympic fleet racing classes to boast a 100 per cent record. He followed up yesterday’s two Laser race wins with another two victories today. He is six points clear of Sweden’s Johan Wigforss. Laser class racing is taking place in two flights because of the large number of crews.
Britain’s Nick Thompson came third in his first race of the day, despite having to make a 720 degree turn for an infringement at the start, and followed that up with sixth in the second race. He is fourth going into day three of the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.
Thompson said of that early problem in the first race of the day: "That put me right at the back of the fleet, so I was really pleased to get back up to third.
"I was a bit unlucky on one of the beats in the second race, but it was a good day all things considered.
"It was really tough out there. The race area is throwing up all kinds of different things. That makes it really interesting, really exciting and good fun."
Spain’s Blanca Manchon continues to lead the women’s RS:X fleet – although her perfect record was dented in the first race of the day, the third of the series, which was won by Japan’s Yuki Sunaga.
Sunaga was one of the surprise packages of the day, winning race three and then finishing third in race four to soar from 15th to eighth in the rankings at the end of day two.
“It’s unbelievable, but I was nervous before and I still am,” she said.
Manchon, who has already won the women’s RS:X World Cup series title, led the fleet home in race four to make it three wins from four so far. But she’s not taking anything for granted and expects a strong challenge from Britain’s Bryony Shaw and France’s Charline Picon.
“It’s going well. I want to be in the top-three in all the races. I think I can win it, but we will see. It’s only the second day,” she said. “Bryony and Charline are both very strong, so there are three girls fighting for it.
“It was very windy today, a bit choppy, so the racing wasn’t so easy,” she added. “I was surprised by Japanese girl.”
Shaw meanwhile climbed from third to second overall with seventh place in race three and fourth in race four. “It was really good fun today,” she said. “It was about 22 knots out there. I just tried to stay consistent, I knew some of the other girls were going to be working hard.
“I’m happy, I’m in the top three at the moment,” she added. “I’m trying to keep my results in the top-five as the week progresses.”
Italy’s Flavia Tartaglini ended the day in third overall with Picon dropping down to fourth.
Brazil’s Ricardo Santos climbed from second to first in the men’s RS:X, adding a second place and a first to yesterday’s third and second. He leads Portugal’s Joo Rodrigues by six points. Greece’s Nikolaos Kaklamanakis dropped down to third.
Santos, who dropped from third to finish ninth at the World Championships in lighter winds at the same venue last week, said: “Normally I like conditions like eight to 15 knots, but I’m happy to win races with really strong winds like today.
“There’s a really high level of competition here,” he added. “It’s my first time in Weymouth and my first time in England and I’m really enjoying it. I hope to come back soon.”
Richard Hammond remains the highest placed Brit in seventh.
Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie of New Zealand continue to lead the women’s 470 class. They followed up yesterday’s two first place finishes with two seconds today. They now lead from 14 points over Yuka Yoshisaki and Noriko Okuma (JPN) in second.
Despite their success to date, Aleh refused to be drawn on the pair’s prospects at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta. “We’re just taking it as it comes, but it’s been going pretty well so far,” she said. “Most of the top-10 in the world are here, so it’s a good competition.”
The recently formed Skandia Team GBR 470 crew of Pippa Wilson and Saskia Clark relished the opportunity to race together in ‘serious wind’ and climbed to third overall with a third and a seventh today.
Wilson said: “We haven’t done any sailing together in serious wind. For us every day is a big learner, and so far, so good.
“It’s been great to race at Weymouth, the event has been awesome so far,” she added.
Finland’s Sari Multala continues to lead the Laser Radial class, finishing third and eighth in today’s races. Britain’s Charlotte Dobson climbed a place to fifth.
Marit Bouwmeester won both races today to climb from 40th to 15th.
Australia’s Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page’s 100 per cent record faltered in the last 470 race of the day. They finished second after two wins yesterday and one today, and still lead the fleet with five points.
Britain’s Nic Asher and Eliot Willis, the 2008 World Champions, remain second, while Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell, who won silver at last month’s 470 World Championships just two weeks after teaming up as a pair, climbed from ninth to third.
Patience said: “We’re really pleased. We’re yet to pick up a discard – touch wood – so we’re just clocking in the good results while we’re can. The wind does suit us as a team so it’s nice to be able punch a bit of risk in there and get some good ones.”
In the women’s Match Racing, the British crew skippered by Lucy Macgregor still has a 100 per cent, winning their only race of the day. Silja Lehtinen’s Finnish crew won two of her races today and lost one, ending her 100 per cent record – they have won five from six.
There was no 49er racing today and all racing in the Paralympic classes was cancelled today due to the strong winds.
The Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta is the last round of the 2008/9 World Cup series.