After success at the 49er world championship, Hawaii, sailing with Mark Asquith to take the bronze medal, Paul Brotherton jumped into a four-person keelboat and took to the Mediterranean to partake in the ISAF World Sailing Games, Marseille, to win a second bronze world championship medal.

Sailing with Magnus Leask, Simon Russel and Simon Nearn this experienced keelboat crew racked up a varied score line, and although they didn’t win a race throughout the eleven race series, they were always in among it and their consistency paid off, winning the bronze medal in the J/80 class at the World Sailing Games.

It was unlucky for team GBR that there was not more success in the keelboat fleet, going into the penultimate day both Ian Williams and his crew, and Cordelia Ellis and her team were looking in strong positions, but failed to stay out of trouble, and both got disqualified for infringements to other sailor, and if counting maximum points was not bad enough, all hopes of world championships medals went out the window.

However, Ellis sailing with Sarah Webb, Cailah Leask and Sarah Allan went out of the championship on a high note, winning the last race of the day, to put her in fifth place overall.

Ian Williams sailing with his brother Mark, Joe Llewellyn and Mark Nicholls also finished in fifth place, with only a one discard series they had to count one of their poorer results, knocking them off a podium finish.

It was a good finish for team GBR sailor Christine Johnston in the women’s sailboard discipline, finishing with a third place in the last race of the championship, to move her up into fourth position overall, behind Eugenie Raffin of France. Teammate Helen Cartwright finished within the top ten in ninth place overall.

There were also two top ten finishes for team GBR in the men’s sailboard discipline, Alan Jackson finished in eighth place with Guy Solven in tenth.

Medals were just missed in the women’s Hobie 16 class, Team GBR sailors Ellen Forshaw sailing with Jenny Deyes, put in strong performances all week and for the majority of the regatta were lying in a podium position. The competition was strong in this class with the French sailors dominating; Forshaw/Deyes sailed well but could only manage a sixth place finish. Fellow RYA team GBR sailors Kami Marshall/Helen Scott finished in eighth place.

Out on the Laser course, five-times world champion and Olympic medallist, Robert Scheidt of Brazil, added another title to his already impressive cv. Winning the Laser class to take the gold medal at the World Games, three points in front of Andreas Geritzer of Austria. Team GBR sailor Ed Wright, scored a number of good results, including a race win, and at one point on the final day was looking set to move up in fifth place overall, but a 16th place finish in the tricky conditions, dropped him down to seventh place overall. Team mate Jim Taylor finished 30th.

In the Laser Radial class, the gold medal was decided the day before, going to Sophie de Turckheim of France, meaning that she could sit the last day of the championship out. Team GBR sailor Nicky Muller, scored a good set of results, and went out of the regatta on a high, scoring her first race win of the championship to put her in eighth place overall, two places in front of team mate Katie Archer.

It was a slightly disappointing result in the 470 classes, with none of the British pairings really making a mark at this championship. In the women’s fleet, team GBR sailor Helena Lucas sailing with Jenny Heeley showed potential throughout, scoring a number of top ten places, but finished 14th overall with Josie Gibson/Saskia Clark in 17th position.

In the men’s fleet, points were close with the gold medal awarded on count-back as first and second place were tied on points. Team GBR sailors Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield finished in 12th place and Graham Vials/Dan Newman in 19th position overall.

Great Britain finished fourth overall in the nations rankings with the top nation being awarded to host nation France who won nine of the 30 trophies awarded and were presented with the King’s Trophy.

Team Manager Barrie Edgington commented, “There is no doubt that this World Sailing Games was one of the most difficult due to conditions. The Sailing Games is a very long regatta and competitors have enjoyed a couple of days of good racing mixed in with the majority of tricky days. Paul Brotherton did well to finish with the bronze medal; he took the regatta in his stride and had a relaxed attitude to the whole week, which seems to have paid off. It is unfortunate not to have won more medals in the keelboat fleet, there was loads of opportunity to have bad fortune, and unfortunately they were on the wrong side of this fortune.”

Results (provisional)

Bic women)

1, ALESSANDRA SENSINI, ITA (1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1) 8 pts

2, LISE VIDAL, FRA (2,6,2,6,3,4,DNC,2,2) 27 pts

3, EUGENIE RAFFIN (7,2,8,3,2,3,2,3,5) 27 pts

team GBR)

4, CHRISTINE JOHNSTON (6,5,7,2,5,5,DNC,5,3) 38 pts

7, HELEN CARTWRIGHT (4,7,6,5,8,6,DNC,9,7) 52 pts

Bic men)

1, ANDREA CUCCHI, ITA (1,1,1,1,1,1,5,4,1) 11 pts

2, WILHELM SCHURMANN, BRA (OCS,2,2,3,2,3,1,1,4) 18 pts

3, ALBERTO MENEGATTI, ITA (6,4,3,2,4,2,7,5,2) 28 pts

team GBR)

8, ALAN JACKSON (8,10,5,6,11,10,6,8,6) 59 pts

10, GUY SOLVEN (OCS,8,10,8,10,9,DNC,10,12) 90 pts

Hobie male/mixed)

1, DARRON BUNDOCK/MARK PADGETT, AUS (7,8,1,1,8,1,13,3,3,1,2,20) 35 pts

2, GAVIN COLBY/SIMONE MATFIELD, AUS (2,9,5,3,3,17,12,6,1,2,9,8) 48 pts

3, ENRIQUE FIGUEROA/MALATRASI, PUR (6,1,2,OCS,16,4,1,5,14,16,1,1) 51 pts

team GBR)

10, STEVE WARD/MARK FARROW (18,5,11,4,1,22,10,9,21,7,6,16) 88 pts

21, NATACHA CUENOUD/STODDARD LANCE (24,20,29,OCS,18,10,DNF,17,16,8,17,14) 174 pts

Hobie 16 women)

1, MARIE DUVIGNAC/CLAIRE JAPHET, FRA (4,1,1,2,4,1,7,6,2,3,2,9,1) 27 pts

2, FLORENCE DELORY/ LAURIAN LE GAC, FRA (3,3,7,4,1,6,1,1,4,4,DSQ,DSQ ,2) 36 pts

3, SUSAN KORZENIEWSKI/S O’CONNOR, USA (9,4,4,1,8,4,6,3,6,1,3,4) 39 pts

team GBR)

6, ELLEN FORSHAW/JENNY DEYES (2,DNF,5,3,5,8,2,5,7,7,5,12,9) 58 pts

8, KAMI MARSHALL/HELEN SCOTT (5,2,8,12,2,7,3,11,8,13,7,8,10) 71 pts

470 women)

1, JENNY ARMSTRONG/BELINDA STOWELL, AUS (1,1,4,1,11,18,1,3,6,8) 36 pts

2, INGRID PETITJEAN/NADEGE DOUROUX, FRA (11,3,9,13,2,2,4,2,4,10) 47 pts

3, NATALIA VIA DUFRESNE/AZON SANDRA, ESP (2,5,11,6,7,16,5,1,13,1) 51 pts

team GBR)

14, HELENA LUCAS/JENNY HEELEY (24,27,26,9,8,3,7,8,12,15) 112 pts

17, JOSIE GIBSON/SASKIA CLARK (9,17,24,12,22,26,6,12,18,25) 145 pts

470 men)

1, YOGEV YOSEF/SHAHAF AMIR, ISR (8,7,2,10,22,7,2,2,9,21,26) 90 pts

2, BENJAMIN BONNAUD/ROMAI BONNAUD, FRA (3,4,BDF,11,11,2,4,10,4,18,22) 90 pts

3, GUSTAVO MARTINEZ/TUNTE CANTERO, ESP (6,5,12,31,2,18,12,7,29,1,1) 93 pts

team GBR)

12, NICK ROGERS/ JOE GLANFIELD (11,OCS,1,3,14,10,11,36,18,12,30) 147 pts

19, GRAHAM VIALS/ DAN NEWMAN (16,17,23,19,28,28,17,16,25,10,31) 200 pts

Laser men)

1, ROBERT SCHEIDT, BRA (6,4,3,3,1,3,3,10,5,16,10) 48 pts

2, ANDREAS GERITZER, AUT (19,2,13,4,8,1,1,8,10,3,1) 51 pts

3, EVAGELOS CHIMONAS, GRE (1,6,4,4,8,9,7,3,1,11,31) 54 pts

team GBR

7, EDWARD WRIGHT (22,6,10,11,1,4,4,14,11,2,16) 79 pts

30, JIM TAYLOR (14,1,9,OCS,15,28,26,17,29,BFD,13) 190 pts

Laser Radial women)

1, SOPHIE DE TURCKHEIM, FRA (1,1,1,3,2,1,1,1,3,1,11,1,2,8,2,1,DNC,DNC) 40 pts

3, KATARZYNA SZOTYNSKA, POL (2,2,2,2,5,2,5,4,2,6,25,9,8,1,1,4,1,6) 53 pts

3, GEA BARBIC, CRO (3,3,3,9,14,4,2,3,9,16,6,2,1,17,4,8,5,3) 79 pts

team GBR

8, NICKY MULLER (11,9,14,14,13,8,9,12,12,5,13,4,9,16,24,7,4,1) 145 pts

10, KATIE ARCHER (12,10,23,12,26,17,4,2,17,19,14,6,5,5,13,9,2,10) 157 pts

J/80 men)

1, BRENAC/FERRAN/ROHART/ FOUCHIE, FRA (1,1,3,2,1,6,1,18,6,4,13) 38 pts

2, SOMMARIVA/BROCCANELLO/MUNGO/, ITA (4,4,10,1,4,1,7,10,8,2,20) 51 pts

3, BROTHERTON/ LEASK/RUSSEL/ NEARN (3,8,2,6,10,10,18,4,3,8,10) 64 pts

team GBR)

5, WILLIAMS/ LLEWELLYN/NICHOLLS/WILLIAMS , GBR (1,1,15,3,1,2,2,16,BFD,DSQ,7) 69 pts

J/22 women)

1, BRIAND/ BOUR/DENTRAYGUES/ PROU, FRA (2,1,1,1,1,2,1,1,4,4,RDG,4,3) 20.5 pts

2, DIXON/ ROBERTS/EGNOT/ LIND MIT, NZL (1,2,1,1,2,3,RDG,6,9,2,2,2,6) 26 pts

3, WALTERS/GOJNICH/BRISBOIS/KARY, AUS (2,3,7,5,1,1,RDG,5,2,5,4,1,5) 31 pts

team GBR)

5, ELLIS/ ALLAN/LEASK/ WEBB, (1,1,OCS,2,3,1,5,7,8,8,DSQ,5,1) 42 pts

Overall Nations

1. France – 40 pts

2. Australia – 36 pts

3. Italy – 36 pts

4. Great Britain – 28 pts