NZL Sailing Team top ten in every Gold Fleet

Tom Ashley leading the pack upwind at at the World Championships - Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships Ocean Images

NZL Sailing Team are New Zealand’s National Sailing team competing in Olympic sailing events © Yachting NZ

It has also been confirmed that New Zealand has earned a spot on the start line at seven Olympic classes, with the Men’s 49er and Laser being added to the five previously confirmed classes on Thursday night. Based on results so far, it is looking probable that NZ will qualify in the Women’s 470 and Men’s RS:X at this event.

The 49er fleet swapped their rest day Thursday for one race, and Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had a strong finish in third. Their points earned during the qualifying round have stuck with them now in the gold fleet where they sit in fourth overall, and they are tied in points for third, and only one point behind second.

'We just need to keep knocking off good performances' said Peter. The 49ers will be racing early Friday morning at 9:00 am in the centre course of Bathers Bay.

The Men’s RS:X class saw some topsy-turvy results today in their three races, again due to a strange breeze. Both JP Tobin and Tom Ashley had results with scores under five and over twenty. JP now sits in the favoured position of seventh overall, and Tom has slipped back to ninth.

Three of the famous five men’s Laser sailors are within the top fifteen overall, this was a big climb up the leader board especially for Andy Maloney and Mike Bullot.

Unfortunately Andrew Murdoch received a second yellow flag today which rendered him out of the first race. Penalty aside, Andrew had two good races today and still remains within the top ten in the overall standings of the Mens’ Laser, eighth overall.

Tomorrow the Mens’ RS:X and Lasers have a rest day, and Saturday will be their final two races before Sunday’s medal races for the top ten competitors.

Friday and Saturday will have two races per day for the women’s 470 and three for the men’s 49er.

Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships
New Zealand’s current standings

49er
4th Gold Fleet - Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (3)
11th Silver Fleet- Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (18)
13th Bronze Fleet- Chris Burgess and Rohan Swanson (12)

Men’s Laser
8th Gold Fleet- Andrew Murdoch (50DNF, 7)
14th Gold Fleet- Andy Maloney (14, 3)
15st Gold Fleet- Mike Bullot (38, 10)
31st Gold Fleet- Sam Meech (23, 42)
45th Gold Fleet- Josh Junior (42, 41)
34th Silver Fleet- Tom Saunders (50DNC, 11)

RS:X Men’s
7th Gold Fleet- JP Tobin (3, 24, 2)
9th Gold Fleet- Tom Ashley (20, 10, 4)
6th Silver Fleet - Antonio Cozzolino (15, 5, 4)
28th Silver Fleet- Carl Evans (14, 28, 21)

470 Women
6th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie (7, 4, 14, 25, 7, 1)
43rd Vicki Francis and Erica Dawson (32, 43, 43, 44, 44, 40)