After a difficult, stressful regatta which saw breezes rarely above six knots, some dubious race management decisions and a rash of black flag disqualifications Team GBR Volvo Youth Squad sailors scored three top 10 overall results at the 420 world Championships which finished yesterday at Marina di Ravenna on Italy’s Adriatic coast.

Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth Squad coach Bunny Warren describes it as the best team performance for many years and with Nic Asher and Paul Davies finishing 9th, the best boys’ result since a young John Merricks, who went on to win the 470 world champs and an Olympic 470 silver medal.

The next best recent GBR result in the 420 Open fleet was an 11th in 1998. Former Youth World Champions Victoria and Emma Rawlinson finished fourth overall in the Womens’ fleet scoring six top ten results but also sustained a BFD disqualification in race three. Gemma Farrell and Jo Allen finished tenth and suffered a DSQ.

In the boys’ racing Nic Asher and Paul Davies finished ninth overall while Atholl and Eamonn King were unfortunate in landing two consecutive BFD disqualifications which left them counting a 55th and a 63rd to end up 33rd overall when they were on course for a mid-teens result.

“These have been the toughest championships in the 16 that I have known as coach or competitor, and our team have performed outstandingly under difficult conditions.The team morale throughout has been excellent. There have been numerous issues with black flag disqualifications and various jury decisions,” said coach Bunny Warren.

Asher and Davies, who represented GBR at the Youth Worlds earlier this summer, scored 39,16, 7, 53, 17, 15, 7, 7, 35, 15 in the 100-boat Open championship fleet. “We knew it was going to be light winds here and have worked hard to get the technical set ups with our boats right and we were good there, but it was ridiculous at times. Yesterday we had a race finish in literally one or two knots of breeze,” confirmed Warren.

“In the end for Nick and Paul it did not quite all go their way and they could have been right up in the top three or four, but they are very good sailors who I am sure will go on to make an impact at Olympic level.”

420 World Championships, Marina di Ravenna, Italy
Overall Women:

• 1. E Saccheggiana/M Bertone (ITA) 30pts
• 2. S & A Postogna (ITA) 58pts
• 3. C Mariani/C Gabrielli (ITA) 60pts
• 4. Soe Su Myat/Nan Khaw Say (MYA) 64pts
• 5. V & E Rawlinson (GBR/Hants) 70pts (1,4,BFD,8, 23,6,16,3,19,40)

Other selected Team GB Volvo RYA Youth Squad:

• 10. G Farrell/J Allen (GBR/Oxford) 97pts
• 44. H Mayhew/J Scott (GBR) 268pts
• 48. C Odell/K Hopson (GBR) 296pts

Boys:

• 1. M & G Mazzotti (ITA) 60pts
• 2. R Medina/J Ruiz Cerezo (ESP) 66pts
• 3. B Danti/F Greggio (ITA) 76pts
• 4. M Pressich/G De Gavardo (ITA) 96pts
• 5. G & D Catta (ITA) 106pts

Selected Team GB Volvo RYA Youth Squad:

• 9. N Asher/P Davies (Essex/Norfolk) 119pts (39,16,7,53,17,15,7,7,35,15)
• 36. A & E King 262pts
• 47. I Martin/L Fitzjohn-Sykes 314pts
• 51. M & E Willis 333pts