Laser Radial Worlds - Winther scores three single digit places - Day 3

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com NZL on 17 Apr 2016 New Zealand 2012 Olympic representative, Sara Winther has advanced three places up the points table at the 2016 Laser Radial Worlds being sailed in Mexico. She now lies in 15th place overall after three days of racing.

On a countries basis she lies 11th overall - one place behind 2012 Olympic Gold medalist Lijia Xu (China).

She achieved single digit scores in the three races sailed today, despite hitting marks in two races and having to perform penalty turns.

Conditions at the Mexican resort of Nuevo Vallarta, which borders the Pacific Ocean, were a little stronger today at 9-12kts, allowing officials to catch up on the previous two day's race schedules which were marred by light winds.

Three races were sailed today in the Qualifying Series

In the first race Winther told Sail-World that she started at the pin end in the but was was very midful of the right hand side of the course which had paid big dividends in the past.

'I went for a bit then tacked and went most of the way back, and played the fleet back to top mark. Was about 10th, right did kind of pay, but I had enough clear airto be still in the mix. Had a good downwind, but slightly messy upwind, and didn’t catch up much. Then just banked where I was coming for ninth.'

She had a pin end start again in the second race 'as it was favoured by 10 degrees, which is getting hard to manage as right always seems to pay, so started at the pin with good company, tacked over…looked good initially, but it did shift enough right for the leaders to come from the right.

'I was about eighth or ninth at top mark and hit it!! Stupid. but calmly did my turn and sent it downwind as caught up all I had lost. So I think i picked up a couple on the upwwind, and just again banked the result. eighth.'

Winther switched start tactics for the third race of the day opting for the Committee Boat end. She takes up the story: 'Had too much gap at the boat end, and the Norwegian girl stole it!

'So tacked off straight away and we just kept knocking and knocking…so I knew I had made a gain, it was just a question of when to take it.

'Went three quarters of the way to the lay line and banked the gain, and was about sixth at the top and hit it again!

'Anyway, again just did my turn and went downwind. But I took the left gate looking up and got a nice left shift and made about four boats straight away, did some nice work on some shifts and was eighth, and passed two more boats downwind. sixth.'

Winther says she felt she made too many top mark errors, but there was a lot of tide pushing onto the mark, and just pushed it too hard.

'My downwind is really good', she said. 'Still trying to be safe, but am sailing fast. And simple tactics up second beat are going well also.'

Winther has two more races left in the Quaifying Rounds - where she will be hoping to be able to drop her second discar - a 15th place from the first day of racing.

Two other New Zealand sailors are competing in Mexico. Susannah Pyatt dropped back to 28th place overall, but scored another single digit placing - finishing eighth in the second race of the day. Olivia Christie is in 64th place in the 71 boat fleet from 33 countries.

For full results click here