2014 IFDS World Championship - After a brief delay on the water due to lack of breeze, the collective patience of competitors and race officials was rewarded with another picturesque day of racing at the 2014 IFDS Worlds. Warm temperatures, flat water and winds of around 12 knots made for perfect conditions for the three Paralympic racing classes. American boats are now in the top six in each fleet. Leading the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider in results for a second day was the Sonar team of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Reading, Mass.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), who have posted a consistent scoreline of four, six, four and six over four races to stay close to the top of the fleet.
'The game plan out on our racecourse keeps changing,' said Doerr. 'We have been setting ourselves up conservatively in the middle of the course. The only guys who passed us today were ones who made 'hail Mary' plays out to a side. We are happy with our scores, and know that consistency is key. In 2008 (at the Paralympic Games), the Sonar that won gold averaged a 4.2 score during the regatta. We're trying to play 'small ball' and minimize our losses.' Doerr, Angle and Freund sit in fourth overall.
In the 2.4mR fleet, John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.) moved up four spots to fourth overall on day two after recording scores of four, nineteen in the 49-boat fleet. 'There are a lot of good boats out there, and it's a pretty deep fleet,' said Ruf. 'I'm having a good time so far.'
In the SKUD-18 class, the two US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider boats had an up-and-down day, with mid-fleet finishes in both races. 'We kept getting pinned out to a side of the racecourse, and my (electrically powered) seat had some technical problems, so tomorrow hopefully we'll have a smoother day,' said crew Cindy Walker (Portsmouth, R.I), who sails with Ryan Porteous (San Diego, Calif.). The pair are in sixth overall, with teammates Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Gerry Tiernan (Falmouth, Maine) in ninth.
The 2014 IFDS World Championship serves as the first nation qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. A percentage of berths for Rio 2016 will be allocated based on final results at this event. The top eight nations will qualify for The Games in the 2.4mR class, the top five nations in the SKUD-18 class, and the top 7 nations in the Sonar class.
Racing at the 2014 IFDS Worlds will take place in Halifax from Tuesday, August 19, to Sunday, August 24.
Top US Results: 2014 IFDS World Championships, Day 2 2.4mR Class: • Fourth, John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wisc.)
• 13th, Ted Green (Newport, R.I.)
• 27th, Daniel Evans (Miami, Fla.)
SKUD-18 Class: • Sixth, Ryan Porteous (San Diego, Calif.) and Cindy Walker (Portsmouth, R.I.)
• Ninth, Sarah Everhart-Skeels (Tiverton, R.I.) and Gerry Tiernan (Falmouth, Maine)
Sonar Class: • Fourth, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Reading, Mass.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine)
• 11th, Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Ct.), Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Bradley Johnson (Pompano Beach, Fla.)
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