The 420 world championship got under way on Sunday 22 July in Ravenna, Italy, under a clear blue sky with a sea breeze which never blew harder than 5 knots.

It was a good day for the British Team competing. After two races Vicki and Emma Rawlinson led the Ladies event with Gemma Farrell and Joanne Allen in eighth place and Athol and Eamon King in fourth in the Open Event with Ian Martin and Laurie Fitzjohn Sykes in eighth place.

The Rawlinsons led the first race from the first mark, pulling out a sizeable lead which could only be put under threat by the fact that they caught the tail of the Open Fleet. Gemma Farrell and Jo Allen rounded the first mark fifth and by the final ark they were fourth which they too held in the melee of the two fleets to the finish.

The second race was an altogether closer affair. Helen Mayhew and Julia Scott were fifth at the first leeward mark with the Rawlinsons sixth, behind two Italians an Argentinean and an Australian. By the last run they were fourth and fifth but Helen dropped to sixth leaving Vicki fourth behind the Italians and Argentineans.

The Open Championship is dominated by the Italians, who hold the first three places. In the first race Ben Field and Nick Hutton made a perfect port end start to cross the fleet and were 10th at the first mark. They were unable to hold this and dropped to 20th while Athol King made it through from around 20th to 14th and Ian Martin held 19th.

The second race was also set on a heavily port-biased line. Ian martin and Athol King made good starts at the favoured end and rounded fourth and sixth.

Athol dropped one place during the race while Ian held. Nic Asher and Paul Davies crept up the fleet to 16th.

Results

Ladies

1st Rawlinson (GBR) 1, 4

2nd Garcia (ARG) 5, 3

3rd Saccheggiani (ITA) 9, 1

4th Bryant (AUS) 7, 5

8th Farrell (GBR) 4 , 14

Open

1st Sangiorgi (ITA) 4, 2

2nd Danti (ITA) 1, 7

3rd Cavallini (ITA) 10, 3

4th King (GBR) 19, 6

8th Martin (GBR) 19, 6

24th Field (GBR) 20, 30

26th Asher (GBR) 39, 16