49er, Finn And Star Fleets Get Underway
Tobias Schadewaldt and Hannes Baumann (GER) lead the 49er fleet after the first three races despite Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen notching up two race wins as the 49ers commenced sailing at the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta.
The Germans end day one on ten points and have a one point lead after the Australians finished ninth in Race 3 as the Finn and Star fleets also began racing at the Olympic Test Event. The fifth day of sailing also saw the continuation of the RS:X, 470, Laser, Laser Radial and the Quarter Finals of the Women’s Match Racing Competition.
On their day, Schadewaldt, who won gold at Kieler-Woche said, “We had a very consistent day today. We got excellent speed on the upwind and we hope to keep that up over the next couple of days.”
The Australians won Race 1 by 20 seconds and Race 2 by six seconds but they were behind Race 3 winners Iker Martinez and Xabier Hernandez (ESP) by 57 seconds, eventually finishing ninth. On the performance Iain Jensen said, “We had a really good first two races but it was a little bit lighter in the third and we had to work our way through.”
And Spain’s 2004 Athens Olympic Games 49er gold medallists finished the day in third on 17 points.
Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) are the pair to beat in the Star after the Brazilians won both of their races. The Brazilians claimed the ISAF Sailing World Cup Star title by 26 points winning gold at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, Semainé Olympique Française, Delta Lloyd Regatta and Skandia Sail for Gold and once again showed they are the pair to beat. After two races Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk (NZL) are second on seven points and Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen (SWE) are third on ten points.
Ben Ainslie (GBR) leads the Finn following a 2-1 on the first day of Finn sailing. World #16 Deniss Karpak won Race 1 and is third overall after coming seventh in Race 2. And France’s Jonathan Lobert is second on five points after going 3-2.
Claire Leroy (FRA) and Silja Lehtinen (FIN) advanced to the Semi Finals of the Women’s Match Racing competition in fine fashion. World #1 Leroy defeated Lucy Macgregor (GBR) 3-0 and Lehtinen also won her Quarter Final against Anna Kjellberg (SWE) 3-0. Ekaterina Skudina (RUS) defeated Olivia Price 3-1 but in the second race just centimetres separated the pair. Price protested but the redress was denied and Skudina went on to win.
Sally Barkow (USA) progressed to the Semi Finals after a tough Quarter Final against Mandy Mulder (NED). The American took an early 2-0 lead but Mulder fought back to take the Quarter Final into a deciding race. The lead in the final race changed hands throughout but as Mulder led towards the finish a penalty that went her way handed Barkow the race win and a spot in the Semi Finals.
In the Semi Finals Skudina will face Leroy and Barkow takes on Lehtinen.
Once again there is no separating Nick Dempsey (GBR) and Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED) in the Men’s RS:X. Dempsey discarded his tenth in Race 5 but notched up his third bullet in Race 6 and the Dutchman won Race 5 before discarding his fourth in Race 6. Both sailors are tied on seven points as they head into the reserve day. Meanwhile Byron Kokalanis (GRE) is third on 20 points.
Marina Alabau (ESP) continues to lead the Women’s RS:X after she had another successful day on the water. The Spaniard came third in Race 5 before winning her fourth race of the regatta in Race 6. She leads on seven points followed by Zofia Klepacka (POL) on 12 points and Charline Picon (FRA) on 15 points. Bryony Shaw (GBR) won Race 5 and is fourth overall.
Pierre Leboucher and Vincent Garos (FRA) maintained top spot in the Men’s 470 after recording a 1-3 card on the second day of 470 sailing. The French pair, who finished third in the ISAF Sailing World Cup Men’s 470 Standings, rounded every mark in first place in Race 3 for a convincing win but finished 40 seconds behind winners Anton Dahlberg and Sebastien Ostling (SWE) in Race 4. Japan’s Tetsuya Matsunaga and Kimihiko Imamura are second on 24 points and Spain’s Onan Rodriguz and Aaron Sarmiento are third. Race 4 winners Dahlberg and Ostling are down in 16th place on 56 points.
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) continue to lead the Women’s 470 after a 3-7. Their 12 points give them a nine point lead over Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luisa Barbachan (ESP). But the days race wins went to Ai Kondo and Wakako Tabata (JPN) in Race 3 and Israel’s Gil Cohen and Vered Bouskila in Race 4.
The Lasers were the last off the water and despite a bullet in Race 3, overnight leader Tom Slingsby (AUS) has slipped to second place after finishing 13th in Race 4. Andrew Murdoch (NZL) had a consistent day posting a second and third place to lead Slingsby on 14 points. The Race 4 bullet went to Brazil’s Bruno Fontes who is third on 32 points.
Marit Bouwmeester (NED) had a great day in the Laser Radial posting two race wins to lead the fleet on 14 points. Overnight leader Evi Van Acker (BEL) slips to second on 24 points and Paige Railey (USA) is third on 33 points.
The RS:X and Women’s Match Racers enjoy a day off tomorrow but racing continues in the 49er, 470, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Star.