NZL Sailing Team poised for a multi-medal day at World Cup in Weymouth

by Jodie Bakewell-White, Yachting on 14 Jun 2015 The NZL Sailing Team is poised for multiple podium finishes at 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth leading in three events and a further three crews in the top three with just the medal races remaining.

After a packed schedule of racing on the penultimate day fortunes for some and the usual suspects have risen to the top.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke now lead the 49er class with an 18 point margin over NZL Sailing Team -mates Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski who maintain second.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, who continue to lead, are once again looking down the barrel of a medal race sail off for gold with the British on Weymouth waters. Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (pictured above © onEdition) lead by five points in the 49erFX.

Plus New Zealand holds second and third in the Finn class.

Medal races will be live here (schedule below)

49er and 49erFX:

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have hit the top of the 49er leader board for the first time at this regatta. After opening with some average results on day one the indomitable pair has been in fight back mode, and they used today’s four races to good effect.

Two wins and two second places on a day when many of their rivals struggled for consistency sees Burling and Tuke not only take the lead, but create an almost unassailable points gap.

Burling recently said that they like to share the podium with the training partners Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski, and that looks likely with New Zealand’s younger 49er crew holding second overall and ten points clear of third. Hansen and Porebski also claimed a race win on the water today, and have sailed well all series.

In the Women’s 49erFX skiff Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech returned four top six results today, including a race win, and maintain their lead in the class with just the final race remaining. Frequent medallists in the class Martine Soffiatti Grael and Kahena Kunze of Brazil are laying second overall just five points behind the kiwis.

Men's and Women’s 470:

Leading from day one New Zealand’s Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie sailed three races today placed third, first and third and remain in that top spot.

The other constant is that Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark of Great Britain are breathing down their necks, and with just two points separating the rivals going into tomorrow’s medal race the scene is set for a re-match of the 2012 London Olympic women’s 470 finale.

“It was a big three-race day on the water today. Great breeze and great racing, and we finished up with a 3, 1, 3 - not too bad but could have done a few things a little better,” says Jo Aleh. “It's all about the learning, and that we are doing plenty of!”

“We had some great battles with the Brits, and we go into the medal race tomorrow two points ahead, which means it's a case of whoever finishes ahead tomorrow takes the win.

“Can't quite remember, but have we maybe been in this situation before?” she jokes, “It will be an exciting day tomorrow; should be lots of fun.”

Fortunes on day four didn’t go the way of Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox representing New Zealand in the Men’s 470, and while they will sail again tomorrow in the top ten medal race they go into the final day in 10th overall.

Finn:

New Zealand is lying second and third in the Finn class with both kiwis in the heavy-weight dinghy event enjoying the blustery conditions in Weymouth this week.

Britain’s Giles Scott was near perfect today and he leads on eight points from Josh Junior on 14 points with Andrew Murdoch nine adrift on 23 points and in third place.

Junior will need to put three boats in between himself and Scott to overthrow him. After racing Junior didn't give too much away regarding his Medal Race approach, 'Anything can still happen so I'll just try to have a good race and see what happens.'

Sailing three races today to make up for lost racing on day three both NZL Sailing Team sailors scored top five placings across all races sailed today. Junior finished first, second and fourth on the water today, and Murdoch was fourth, fifth and third.

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Laser and Radial:

Both Sam Meech and Andy Maloney will sail in the Laser medal race for New Zealand in what promises to be one of the most hotly contested with close points among the top placed sailors.

Meech was the top performer today among New Zealand’s four Laser sailors and he has improved sixth overall with the potential to further improve with a good race tomorrow. A first, an eighth and a second on day four has seen the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club sailor climb six places in the standings who went into today lying 12th.

Andy Maloney has dropped from his top spot after today and goes into the final day in ninth overall after placing 15th, 16th and 12th in today’s three races.

Thomas Saunders ends the regatta in 12th with Michael Bullot close behing in 13th.

In the Laser Radial, Sara Winther ends the regatta in 17th place; Susannah Pyatt in 31st.

Nacra 17:

After suffering a broken rig on day one Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson were back on the water today in the Nacra 17 class gaining valuable experience in what has been their ISAF Sailing World Cup debut. They conclude the regatta in 26th place.

Tomorrow’s medal races will be live here New Zealand will feature in these medal races scheduled to take place at the following local Weymouth times…

Medal Race Schedule - LIVE Course

12:30 – Finn
13:10 - Women's 470
13:50 – Laser
14:30 - 49er
15:05 - 49erFX

Medal Race Schedule - Non-live Course

11:40 - Men's 470



ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth (10-14 June 2015) New Zealand’s current standings

1st Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, Women’s 470 (1, 1, 2, 4, 3, 1, 3)
10th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox, Men’s 470 (BFD, 3, 4, 7, 2, 13, 27, 29)
1st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, 49er (12, 7, 25, 2, 4, 5, 1, 2, 2, 1)
2nd Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski, 49er (4, 37, 10, 3, 8, 1, 14, 1, 9, 4)
1st Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech, 49erFX (3, 3, 11, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 5, 6)
2nd Josh Junior, Finn (15, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 4)
3rd Andrew Murdoch, Finn (3, 2, 6, 8, 4, 5, 3)
6th Sam Meech, Laser (17, 24, 5, 7, 1, 8, 2)
9th Andy Maloney, Laser (1, 2, 6, 18, 15, 16, 12)
12th Thomas Saunders, Laser (18, 22, 13, 21, 2, 18, 17)
13th Michael Bullot, Laser (19, 12, 1, 6, 27, 25, 34)
17th Sara Winther, Laser Radial (22, 15, 12, 22, 10, 13, 24)
31st Susannah Pyatt, Laser Radial (28, 18, 31, 26, 33, 32, 15)
26th Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson, Nacra 17 (17, 29, 32, DNC, DNC, DNC, 20, 18, 19, 20)

ISAF Sailing World Cup website http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php
Yachting New Zealand Latest News http://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/news
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More about the ISAF Sailing World Cup

The ISAF Sailing World Cup is a world-class annual series for Olympic sailing. It is open to the sailing events chosen for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Its centre piece is the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup will consist of five regattas for all ten Olympic events and where possible, Formula Kite Racing. Qualification places for the ISAF Sailing World Cup final are up for grabs at each event. The final will bring together the top 20 boats in each Olympic event and an Open Kiteboarding event where the World Cup Champions will be crowned