The first rounds of the 2002 ISAF World Sailing Games kicked off yesterday and were raced in superb conditions for all classes. Sun and wind, Marseilles’ Bay had a taste of Hawaii. The 11 to 12 knots morning westerly, strengthened by a thermal breeze, brought the anemometer to around 18 knots at the beginning of the afternoon.

Over 700 sailors, including numerous Olympic and world championships have congregated in France for a showdown of skill. Sailing is taking place in ten classes with the men’s single-handed dinghy event, being sailed in the Laser class, counting the biggest fleet with 81 entries, closely followed by the men’s double-handed dinghy event in the 470 class with 47 entries. Along with all the other disciplines, these two classes will be hotly contested with eight of the world’s top 10 ranked 470 sailors, including the world’s top three, and all except one of the world’s top 15 ranked Laser sailors in Marseilles.

Competitors enjoyed perfect sailing conditions, with enough breeze to get the racing off to a good start. In the women’s keelboat discipline, the J/22, team GBR sailor Cordelia Ellis, sailing with Sarah Webb, Cailah Leask and Sarah Allen, made an excellent start to their regatta. The team scored two first places in their group to put them first overall after day one, in front 1994 ISAF World Sailing Champion, Christine Briand of France. Team GBR also made a good start in the men’s keelboat discipline, the J/80, with established match racer Ian Williams, sailing with Mark Nicholls, Mark Williams and Joe Llewelyn, matching the girls and also scoring two first places to put them in joint first overall with current world champion Francois Brenac of France.

Williams commented: “It was a fantastic first day for us, the conditions were fairly breezy and we felt that we had a slight boat speed advantage on the other boats upwind. The level of competition here certainly seems quite high, but it is early days and anything could happen.”

Fresh from success at the 49er worlds, Paul Brotherton, sailing with Magnus Leask, Simon Russell and Simon Nearn, is currently lying ninth overall after scoring a third and an eighth place.

Yesterday was the first time that the Formula Windsurfing, Bic Techno, was part of an ISAF event. Olympic Sailboard Gold Medallist Alessandra Sensini made a good start to the championship, scoring two first places, to put her in first place overall. Team GBR sailor Helen Cartwright made a steady start to the event, finishing fourth and second, to put her in fifth place overall, team mate Christine Johnston is tied on even points with Cartwright after scoring a sixth and a fifth place. With 14 of the world’s top 15 Laser sailors all present in Marseille, this class is a tricky one to predict who could win the medal. South African, Gareth Blanckenberg made the most consistent start to the regatta, scoring a fourth and a second, to give him and early lead in this class from Evagelos Chimonas of Greece.

After scoring a 14th in the first race of the championships, team GBR sailor Jim Taylor came back with a vengeance and took his first race win of the regatta, he currently stands 12th overall, with team mate Ed Wright, who finished second behind five times world champion Robert Scheidt of Brazil at SPA Olympic Classes Regatta in May, in 30th place.

In the women’s Hobie 16 fleet, Kami Marshall/Helen Scott, made a good start to the championship, scoring a fifth and a second place to put them in third place overall. Ellen Foreshaw/Jenny Deyes are currently lying in sixth place overall.

Racing will be held from 2-10 July, with four races planned per event per day with the expectation that ‘windward-leeward’ and ‘trapezoid’ courses will be sailed. There are be five separate race areas, with the sailboards and multihulls sailing close to the shore, the double-handed and single-handed dinghies sailing offshore and the keelboats to the north of the Marseilles bay area. Racing should be exciting as Marseilles is known for its tricky conditions, and sailors can anticipate everything from light breezes to full blown Mistrals. Sailors will be competing for the individual event medals, with the top performing nation hoping to take home the King’s Trophy. ISAF President of Honour, HM King Constantine will be at the Closing Ceremony to present the King’s Trophy, which he especially commissioned. The John Merricks trophy will also be awarded to the winner of the Double-handed Male discipline. The late John Merricks, sailing with Ian Walker, won this event in La Rochelle in 1994, which was their first major regatta win in the 470 class, and the John Merricks Trust donated this trophy in his honour.

Provisional results (day one)

Bic women

1, ALESSANDRA SENSINI, ITA (1,1) 2 pts

2, CHUJUN ZHANG, HKG (3,3) 6 pts

3, LISE VIDAL, FRA (2,6) 8 pts

Team GBR

5, HELEN CARTWRIGHT (4,7) 11 pts

6, CHRISTINE JOHNSTON (6,5) 11 pts

Bic men

1, ANDREA CUCCHI, ITA (1,1) 2 pts

2, BENOIT MOUSSILMANI, FRA (2,3) 5 pts

3, MAKSYM OBEREMKO, UKR (3,6) 9 pts

Team GBR

8, ALAN JACKSON (8,10) 18 pts

15, GUY SOLVEN (OCS,8) 31 pts

Hobie male/mixed

1, ALBERTO SONINO/ADRIA GUARNIERI, ITA (1,3) 4 pts

2, ENRIQUE FIGUEROA/CAR MALATRASI, PUR (6,1) 7 pts

3, SHAUN FERRY/ALISON BALL, RSA (9,2) 11 pts

Team GBR

9, STEVE WARD/MARK FARROW (18,5) 23 pts

24, NATACHA CUENOUD/STODDARD LANCE (24,20) 44 pts

Hobie 16 women

1, MARIE DUVIGNAC/CLAIRE JAPHET, FRA (4,1) 5 pts

2, FLORENCE DELORY/ LAURIAN LE GAC, FRA (3,3) 6 pts

3, KAMI MARSHALL/ HELEN SCOTT, GBR (5,2) 7 pts

Other team GBR

6, ELLEN FORSHAW/ JENNY DEYES (2,DNF) 18 pts

470 women

1, JENNY ARMSTRONG/BELINDA STOWELL, AUS (1,1) 2 pts

2, NATALIA VIA DUFRESNE/AZON SAND, ESP (2,5) 7 pts

3, THERESE TORGERSON/V ZACKRISSON, SWE (3,4) 7 pts

Team GBR

12, JOSIE GIBSON/SASKIA CLARK (9,17) 26 pts

27, HELENA LUCAS/JENNY HEELEY (24,27) 51 pts

470 men

1, NATHAN WILMOT/MALCOM PAGE, AUS (1,1) 2 pts

2, UDI GAL/GIDEON KLIGER, ISR (2,3) 5 pts

3, BENJAMIN BONNAUD/ROMAI BONNAUD, FRA (3,4) 7 pts

Team GBR

14, GRAHAM VIALS/NEWMAN DAN (16,17) 33 pts

28, ROGERS NICK/ JOE GLANFIELD (11,OCS) 57 pts

Laser men

1, GARETH BLANCKENBERG, RSA (4,2) 6 pts

2, EVAGELOS CHIMONAS, GRE (1,6) 7 pts

3, VASILIJ ZBOGAR, SLO (2,8) 10 pts

Team GBR

12, JIM TAYLOR (14,1) 15 pts

30, EDWARD WRIGHT (22,6) 28 pts

Laser Radial women

1, SOPHIE DE TURCKHEIM, FRA 2 pts

2, KATARZYNA SZOTYNSKA, POL 4 pts

3, GEA BARBIC, CRO 6 pts

Team GBR results not available

J/80 men

1, FRANCOIS BRENAC, FRA (1,1) 2 pts

2, IAN WILLIAMS, GBR (1,1) 2 pts

3, DENYS KHASHCHYNA, UKR (2,3) 5 pts

Other team GBR

9, PAUL BROTHERTON (3,8) 11 pts

J/22 women

1, CORDELIA ELLIS, GBR (1,1) 2 pts

2, CHRISTINE BRIAND, FRA (2,1) 3 pts

3, KARLEEN DIXON, NZL (1,2) 3 pts

no other team GBR entries