Aussie Angels fight back at Yngling Worlds

by Courtesy ISAF/Sail-World on 15 May 2004 Three different race winners and a new leader are the result of racing today at the tough Yngling Worlds in Zadar, Croatia.

Following on from yesterday’s lay day, the 37 crews sailed out in to the Bay of Santander and were greeted by a gentle 5-7 knot breeze and clear blue skies.

With the Dutch team of Annelies THIES Annemieke BES and Petronella de JONG (NED), and the Danish team skippered by Dorte JENSEN, tied for the Championships on 26 points each going into today, today's three races proved that the title was far from settled!

After a day off and a game of golf, The ‘Aussie Angels’ team of Nicky Bethwaite/Kristen Kosmala/Karyn Gojnich (AUS) had a better day again which lifted them back into the Championship in ninth place and only 20 points behind the new leaders in what Bethwaite has described as: ‘very tight racing, as you can imagine, with some countries still to qualify and more than one hot team in each, the racing is aggressive and close – we have learned so much at this regatta and we are having a wonderful time. David Adams is a wonder and it is great sailing with Karyn again. Kristen is the rock who has been there for a long time.’

Bethwaite, who celebrated her birthday yesterday (she is the oldest member of our Olympic sailing team), and crew scored a respectable 12-10-9 result overnight to get back into the top ten, and keeping in mind that it will be only one entry per country for the Athens Games, that puts the Aussies, who started their Olympic campaign later than most, in sixth place.

Race 7 in the series of ten started with an individual recall. Paula LEWIN (BER) and Shirley ROBERTSON, Sarah AYTON, and Sarah WEBB (GBR) both returned to re-start but the crews of Loreana JACOB (COL) and Lena CARLSSON (SWE 51), did not, and were scored OCS for the race.

Up the first beat the majority of the fleet headed inshore to the left had side of the course. It was noted that the few boats that headed to the right hand side were sailing in a different wind to the others and benefited greatly.

At the top mark, it was the local crew of Mar CASTANEDO, Sheila MEDIAVILLA and Laura CHINCHURRETA (ESP 2), who showed good upwind speed, holding a minute lead over the boat skippered by Carol CRONIN (USA).

As CASTANEDO hoisted around the top mark, a twenty degree right hand shift came in, allowing the following fleet to gybe set at the mark and sail directly for the bottom mark. CASTANEDO had sailed beyond the shift and had to gybe late to sail back to the rest of the fleet.

However, they had retained enough of their lead to round the bottom mark at the same time as CRONIN. These two leading boats were soon followed by Coraline JONET (FRA 5), Katerine GIAKOUMIDOU (GRE 1) and Kristin WAGNER (GER 268).

CASTANEDO again showed good upwind speed and tactics to lead again around the top mark for the second time with a healthy 30 second margin over CRONIN. Behind them was Yumiko SHIGE (JPN 1), who also had a good beat to round in fourth place behind BARKOW (USA 337).

On the run and CRONIN again chased down CASTANEDO, who just managed to hold on for the race win, with CRONIN only one boat length behind. The Japanese crew of Yumiko SHIGE, Ako NAKURO and Mitsue HIROTSU did very well to take third place, followed by the next American crew, skippered by Sally BARKOW, in fourth.

Race eight of the series was sailed in a slightly more wind averaging around 8-10 knots. This time the fleet got away cleanly and with the wind settled at 300, the beat was a more even affair.

As the boats re-converged at the top mark, it was the French crew of Anne LE HELLEY, Elodie LESAFFRE and Marion DEPLANQUE (FRA) who rounded first, coming in from the right hand side of the course.

She was closely followed by the Norwegian boat of Karianne EIKELAND (NOR) and Betsy ALLISON (USA) who came in from the left hand side. As with the beat, the run was tactically open and the sailors were undecided as to which was the best route to the bottom mark.

LE HELLEY managed to pick the best course and rounded clear ahead of the fleet and would continue to stay ahead to take the race win. Behind it was the Ukranian crew Ruslana TARAN who was showing good speed again to take third place behind EIKELAND (NOR 406) and just ahead ALLISON (USA). CRONIN continued her run of good form to take fifth place.

Race 9 again started in the 8-10 knot breeze. This time it was Dorte JENSEN'S turn to shine as she led the up the beat to round first.

Having scored a 31 and 17 in the first two races of the day, the World No. 1 started to show some of her previous form. Again it was CRONIN who was doing the chasing as she rounded in second place. Ekaterina SKUDINA (RUS) rounded in third place followed by WAGNER (GER), PALLUDAN (DEN), Karianne EIKELAND (NOR) and FERRIS (NZL).

JENSEN and CRONIN extended from the rest of the fleet whilst having a battle between themselves for the lead. CRONIN, who had showed good downwind speed all day, edged out JENSEN at the gate to lead up the second beat. SKUDINA rounded in third with EIKELAND in fourth, WAGNER having lost two places on the run.

JENSEN and CRONIN continued the battle up the beat and it was CRONIN who just managed to sneak around the top mark before JENSEN. CRONIN extended on the run for the race win and to finish the day with an impressive scoreline of 2, 5, 1 for the day.

Overall, JENSEN has moved up into first place, but with CRONIN having a very consistent day, she has jumped from 15th to 2nd overall. The Dutch team skippered by THIES, who were leading before today's racing, has dropped down to third, with a not so impressive scoreline of 9, 30, 16.

When asked about today's racing THIES commented, ‘With the calibre of the fleet here, the start and first beat is so important for a good result. You have to round in the top five otherwise you are sucked into the fleet and are struggling the whole time.’

As THIES looks set to qualify the Netherlands for Athens, she now has to concentrate on beating the second Dutch boat of Janneke HIN, who is lying in seventh. ‘We are not really concentrating for a win here as we really just need to beat the other Dutch crew, though it would be a bonus if we did get a medal here!’, said THIES of the importance of tomorrow’s race.

The second Danish boat of PALLUDAN (DEN) and second American boat of BARKLOW (USA) rounded out the top five with fourth and fifth respectively.

Tonight as some boats are being packed away, evidence of the intense rivalry of some of the crews is shown as the two Russian boats vying for selection have both filed protests against each other. These will be heard later this evening and could change the top ten score board.

Tomorrow’s final race will be vital, with only sixteen points separating the top eight crews. Where all of the top boats have been struggling at some point during the regatta, it is still very open and no one is willing to say who will become the Yngling World Champion.

With Holland looking almost definite to qualify, the next three qualification spots look likely to go to New Zealand, Norway and Canada.

1 DEN Dorte JENSEN/Helle JESPERSEN/Rachel KIEL 76 4 4 10 OCS 6 2 31 17 2

2 USA 341 Carol CRONIN/Elizabeth FILTER/Nancy HABERLAND ATKINS 77 31 20 8 OCS 9 1 2 5 1

3 NED 311 Annalies THIES/Annemieke BES/Petronella De JONG 79 28 3 9 2 2 10 9 30 16

4 DEN 195 Trine PALLUDAN/Christina OTZEN/Ida HARTVIG 80 2 12 4 14 8 29 15 22 3

5 USA 337 Sally BARKOW/Carrie HAWE/Debbie CAPOZZI 89 14 BFD 2 15 20 8 4 9 17

6 RUS 7 Ekaterina SKUDINA/Tatiana LARTSEVA/Diana KRUTSKIKH 89 15 8 22 4 5 13 18 32 4

7 NED 310 Janneke HIN/Klaartje ZUIDERBAAN/Hanne BUIS 91 7 6 1 1 28 18 22 11 25

8 GER 268 Kristin WAGNER/Anna HOLL/Veronika LOCHBRUNNER 92 11 2 14 18 16 14 14 14 7

9 AUS 57 Nicola BETHWAITE/Kristen KOSMALA/Karyn GOJNICH 96 32 1 15 3 29 17 12 10 9

Full results are available on the event website at the a