The 2003 ISAF Worlds Test Event – III International Carnival Regatta took place on the Bay of Cadiz from the 6-9 March. The event was used to test the organisers prior to the 2003 ISAF World Sailing Championships in September and also provided RYA Team GBR with an ideal opportunity to test the waters of Cadiz.

Racing took place over three days in variable wind conditions. The first two days saw an onshore breeze, which resulted in a shifty race course, with changing pressure. The final day of the regatta saw an Easterly wind (Levante), which provided a perfect race day with 10-15 knots of breeze.

Despite the fact that the numbers in some of the fleets were small, the event attracted a high calibre of sailing talent. One of the classes this was evident in was the eleven-boat Tornado class, with a line up that included European champions and world silver medallists Oliver Backes/Laurent Voiron of France. RYA Team GBR sailors Hugh Styles and Adam May sailed a good regatta, scoring two first places and no result outside the top five, to win the regatta with a seven point margin from Russians Andrey Kiriliuk/Valery Ushkov. Team mates Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley finished in fourth place.

Styles commented, “We are happy to have won the regatta by a clear winning margin and to have sailed so consistently. We have now won two of the last four regatta’s we have competed in this winter and so are feeling good, although we know we still have a lot to work on.”

It was also victory for RYA Team GBR in the Finn class. World and European champion Ben Ainslie added another regatta win to his tally although again it was team mate Andrew Simpson that was providing the battle. Eventually it was Ainslie that came out ahead, winning by two points from Simpson with Rafael Trujillo of Spain in third place.

The 26-boat 49er fleet sailed the most races completing twelve in total. World ranked number two sailors Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk from Ukraine topped the class from RYA Team GBR sailors and world and European silver medallists Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks. Draper/Hiscocks sailed a consistent series, only dropping out of the top ten on two occasions to finish in second place ahead of European bronze medallists Christoffer Sundby/Frode Bovim of Norway. Other Team GBR results included Paul Brotherton/Mark Asquith finishing fifth, Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes tenth and Alister Richardson/Peter Greenhalgh twelfth.

In the Yngling class, the three-women keelboat that will be making its debut at the Athens Olympic Games, current world champion Mónica Azón and her Spanish crew of Laia Tutzó and Julie Garcia enjoyed a close battle with the two British teams of Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, sailing with Inga Leask and Sarah Ayton, and Cathy Foster, sailing with Annie Lush and Jane Norris. After seven races it was Azón/Tutzó/Garcia that came out ahead, five points in front of Robertson/Leask/Ayton with Foster/Lush/Norris in third place.

Along with a number of medal winning positions, RYA Team GBR finished just outside the medals in fourth place in four other classes; Paul Goodison in the Laser class, Kirsty Bonar in the Europe class, Bryony Shaw in the Mistral women’s class and Graham Vials and Bevis Field in the 470 class.

RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park commented, “The 2003 world championships in Cadiz is the biggest event for the Olympic class sailors around the world and our sailors are keen to get racing experience in these waters. Although we only had a small number of sailors attending it is pleasing to see most of them at the top end of their fleets at this early season event.”

Overall Results

49er

1, Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk, UKR ((12),(16),4,1,2,4,5,1,2,5,3,7) 34 pts

2, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, GBR (2,2,6,(11),8,7,(10),5,4,4,8,2) 48 pts

3, Christoffer Sundby/Frode Bovim, NOR (4,(25),13,3,9,(14),6,4,1,3,14,3) 60 pts

Other GBR

5, Paul Brotherton/Mark Asquith (7,14,10,6,(18),2,2,6,(23),1,15,13) 76 pts

10, Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes (5,12,(17),8,11,11,14,2,16,(18),4,8) 91 pts

12, Alister Richardson/Peter Greenhalgh (10,(23),15,7,22,8,7,(23),9,7,11,6) 102 pts

Europe

1, Siren Sundby, NOR ((6),1,6,1,1,1,1) 11 pts

2, Maria Coleman, IRL (5,(13),5,2,8,10,3) 33 pts

3, Emma Joensson, SWE (7,10,(28),8,7,7,7) 46 pts

GBR

4, Kirsty Bonar (2,4,21,5,(BFD),2,16) 50 pts

13, Andrea Brewster (8,(21),18,13,11,16,17) 83 pts

23, Nicky Muller (48, (BFD),27,39,12,6,14) 146 pts

24, Sarah Webb ((53),11,33,29,20,24,29) 146 pts

46, Natalie Lloyd (54,35,62,57,(BFD),30,31) 269 pts

Finn

1, Ben Ainslie, GBR ((5),1,2,1,1,3,1) 9 pts

2, Andrew Simpson, GBR (1,3,(4),2,2,1,2) 11 pts

3, Rafael Trujillo, ESP (3,4,(5),5,3,2,3) 20 pts

Laser

1, Daniel Birgmark, SWE (3,2,(13),3,1,6,1) 16 pts

2, Philippe Bergmans, BEL (4,4,4,1,(8),3,2) 18 pts

3, Peter Santen, SWE (1,(10),6,5,5,1,4) 22 pts

GBR

4, Paul Goodison (6,(OCS),1,2,2,9,3) 23 pts

Mistral Men

1, Jorge Maciel Andres, ESP (1,3,6,2,3,(11)) 15 pts

2, Joao Rodrigues, POR (3,4,1,3,(7),6) 17 pts

3, Ivan Pastor Lafuente, ESP (2,10,3,1,9,(14)) 25 pts

GBR

13, Hugh Simms-Williams (12,12,14,15,(23),17) 70 pts

16, Nick Dempsey (5,(DNC),25,DNC,8,1) 77 pts

19, Leo McCallin (16,(DNC),11,DNC,5,15) 85 pts

Mistral Women

1, Agata Brygola, POL (2,1,1,1,(DSQ),6) 11 pts

2, Anna Graczyk, POL (1,2,2,(5),4,3) 12 pts

3, Synthia Gros, FRA ((4),4,4,4,1,1) 14 pts

GBR

4, Bryony Shaw (3,(7),3,3,3,2) 14 pts

Tornado

1, Hugh Styles/Adam May, GBR (4,3,1,1,4,(5),2) 15 pts

2, Andrey Kiriliuk/Valery Ushkov, RUS (5,1,(8),6,3,1,6) 22 pts

3, Fernado Echavarri/Anton Paz, ESP (7,4,3,(9),2,3,5) 24 pts

Other GBR

4, Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley (3,(8),5,8,1,7,4) 28 pts

10, Leo Farrow/Jonathan Garcka (10,10,10,(OCS),10,9,DNF) 61 pts

Yngling

1, Mónica Azón/Laia Tutzó/Julie Garcia, ESP ((5),1,1,2,1,2,2) 9 pts

2, Shirley Robertson/Inga Leask/Sarah Ayton, GBR (4,(6),5,1,2,1,1) 14 pts

3, Cathy Foster/Annie Lush/Jane Norris, GBR (2,(5),2,4,3,4,3) 18 pts

470 Men and Women

1, Gustavo Martínez/Dimas Wood, ESP ((1,1,3,2,8,7) 21 pts

2, Johan Molund/Martin Andersson, SWE (10,3,6,4,12,11) 34 pts

3, Lucas Zellmer/Felix Krabbe, GER (17,8,(31),5,1,6) 37 pts

GBR

4, Graham Vials/Bevis Field (21,7,(42),3,2,4) 37 pts

19, Mark Plummer/Oliver Hawkley ((39),9,14,15,24,31) 93 pts

28, Helena Lucas/Jenny Heeley (25,10,(44),21,29,34) 119 pts

34, Josie Gibson/Saskia Clark (37,11,29,34,33,(43)) 144 pts

37, Christina Bassadone/Katherine Hopson ((44),39,28,36,30,19) 152 pts