470 Junior Worlds- Italy and Netherlands lead despite stumbles

by NZ 470 Assoc and Sail-World on 1 Feb 2012
Ten races have been completed a the 2012 470 Junior World Championship, sailed out of Takapuna Boating Club on Auckland City's North Shore.

Top Italian crew, Simon Sivitz and Jas Farneti, continued their winning ways, and the consistency of Afrodite Kyranakou and Jeske Kisters of the Netherlands kept the women's crew just clear of their rivals.

Racing conditions returned to the prevailing offshore south westerly breeze. With its shifty and patchy gusts, the wind is hard to read and was described as 'a crazy breeze' by at least one sailor who lost 10 boats when missing a shift. The wind strength was 15 - 18 knots.

Men/Mixed fleet
Sivitz/Farneti began the day with yet another win, their eighth from 10 races. A botched attempt at a port tack start in Race 10, cost the Italians dearly. Their move came after several attempts at starting the race, with the port tack start option being viable on each - except adjustments to the start line on the last, closed the gate on the port tackers, and Sivitz/Farneti had a crack at the daring manoeuvre, but were forced to give way to the starboard tack line-up, who held right of way, and they emerged well down the fleet and started the big chase for their ninth consecutive win - but it was not to be.

It was the Netherlands crew of Dirk Bennen and Rogier Weijers who claimed line honours in Race 10. This brings Bennen/Weijers up into third place on the leader board after beginning the day on sixth, while the ever consistent local lads James Turner and Finn Drummond put in a solid performance with a second and fifth placing which tightened their grip on second position.

Snakes and ladders in the challenging conditions is to be expected and today was no exception in the Open fleet - Magnus Masilge and Moritz Klingenberger have climbed from eighth to fifth, while young Greek sailors Alexandros and George Kavvas have dropped two places in the heavier breeze.

Women's fleet
A run of second placings has put seven points between Netherland's Afrodite Kyranakou and Jeske Kisters and new combination Annika Bochmann and Elisabeth Panuschka. A first placing in race nine brought the German girls a little closer to their goal, but a drop in the second race relieved the pressure on Kyranakou/Kisters once again.

Despite a DNF (did not finish) the British crew Anna Burnet and Flora Stewart remain in third, but Chika Hatae and Eri Hatayama of Japan are now within contention following a win in the second race today.

Another two more races remain in the series for all competitors, this will give the sailors a last chance to move into the top ten placings and allow them to take part in the final race, the medal race, on Friday.