Gratton and Taylor lead RS Feva penaultimate day

by W Tucker on 7 Aug 2008
Tim Gratton and Chris Taylor put one hand out towards the World Crown on the penultimate day of the PSP RS Feva Worlds here in Gottskar on Wednesday. Tim and Chris’ amazing consistency in the conditions gives them a 15 point lead going into the final day and sees them discarding a 6th place at present. Second are Alessio and Mattia Bellico of Italy and third Sofia Engstrom and Frida Langenius of Sweden.

Racing today was held in generally light winds but very gusty with the wind waltzing between a low of some 7 knots during the first race of the day and a high of possibly 15 knots later on. The sun had removed it’s hat for most of the day to everyone’s delight but the sea state may have posed most sailors with problems.

The reports from the sailors used words like choppy and horrible. Having said that the sailors are tonight in very high spirits at the competitors dinner. Rumours of singing and table dancing (as in on the tables) reached outside the venue!

Well, to the racing. On what could have been a tricky day for the officials, the race officer and his team magnificently got 3 races of perfect length snapped straight out – no trouble at all. Tim Gratton and Chris Taylor led a magnificent Team GBR sweep of the top places in the first race of the day. Second were the young and ever improving Ruth and Tess Allan with James Bolingbroke and Gavin Page riding shotgun for them in third.

In the second race the Italians tried to emulate the Brits but were foiled by Grattons magnificent consistency when he came second to split two Italian all girl teams. Race winners were Elissa Roccatagliata and Chiara Russo whilst in third were Alessandra Moretto-Wiel Bianca Maria Nuvolari-Duddo.

The third race turned in a tricolour race with Gratton and Taylor taking their third bullet of the final series whilst second went to the Italian Bellico siblings Alessio and Mattia. Third was sown up by Irish duo Richard Harrington and Conor Lyden.

So Tim and Chris’ amazing consistency in the conditions gives them a 15 point lead going into the final day and sees them discarding a 6th place at present. The Bellico’s are in second on 29 points, 4 ahead of the Swedes Sofia Engstrom and Frida Langenius. 3 points further adrift are the second Italian pairing Edoardo Semenzato and Ludovico Bonsi. In fifth place and from the 4th different country are Irish hotshots Harrington and Lyden who must feel pleased with their days work of 11,4,3.

The top 10 are then made up of two more Italians in 6th and 7th - Edoardo Marini/Stefano Balestrero (47pts) and Alessandra Moretto - Wiel/Bianca Maria Nuvolori-Duddo (48pts), Brits in 8th and 10th - James Bolingbroke/Gavin Page (53pts) and Alex Mothersele/Hamish Ellis (63pts) who sandwiched Swedish girls Elin Sturesson/Sofia Falkendal in 9th (62pts).

Whilst current Euro Champs Sofia Engstrom/Frida Langenius are still battling for overall podium placement they have a reasonably comfortable 15 point lead over Italians Alessandra Moretto-Wiel/Bianca Maria Nuvolori-Duddo for the World Female Crown. Currently in third place for this title are Elin Sturesson/Sofia Falkendal also from Sweden, and they in turn have a 14 point lead over 4th placed Alice Kent/Lucy Childs (GBR).

We aren’t quite sure how the World Junior title (Helm and crew 13 or under on the first day of the event) is shaping up but it may be that Brits Harry Bowerman/George Thompson and Will Lowes/Hugo Tucker are in the hunt for that one.

Probably worth mentioning for any classes thinking of an event in Sweden but nervous of the temperature – Air temp is no worse than the UK but the water here has been a steamy, a whopping, a glorious 21C!

This has been a major source of non-sailing fun for one and all but perhaps someone should have a word with young Gavin Page about the timing of his swimming escapades – probably not the best thing to leave your helm to get on with the job of sailing the boat on his own!

So the final day beckons – the favorites are probably tucked up in bed as soon as possible after the competitors meal finished whilst the others should to exhausted to be up much longer! Some are turning their attention to the future already. There is already great desire to carry on partying . . . sorry sailing in Garda at the end of June Next year.

Some kids have also been overheard discussing the fundraising they will be doing to get the plane to Sydney in January 2010 (Woollahra Sailing Club – one of NSW finest sailing clubs and where Team GBR were based prior to the Sydney Olympics).

Just one other observation - Feva sailing must be family affair - Until tomorrow at least the current World Champions are James Peters (now also ISAF Youth World Champion and 29er European Champion) and he was crewed by .... Ben Gratton!! (now sailing with Phil Sparks in a 420)

Good luck to all on the final day! Just show those even younger guns in their Terra's how it's done. The Turkish and Italian Terra's were out there today practicing hard and spying out the waters and winds by observing the Fevas! This will be some event for youngsters like Henry Neve for whom this is a first taste of international competition once the Fevas have packed up.

RS Feva - Gold Fleet positions

1st GBR 2686 Tim Gratton Chris Taylor 14
2nd ITA 2780 Alessio Bellico Mattia Bellico 29
3rd SWE 2242 Sofia Engström Frida Langenius 33
4th ITA 2448 Edoardo Semenzato Ludovico Bonsi 36
5th IRL 2805 Richard Harrington Conor Lyden 40
6th ITA 1987 Edoardo Marini Stefano Balestrero 47
7th ITA 2447 Alessandra Moretto-Wiel Bianca Maria Nuvolari-Duddo 48
8th GBR 2523 James Bolingbroke Gavin Page 53
9th SWE 2174 Elin Sturesson Sofia Falkendal 62
10th GBR 2617 Alex Mothersele Hamish Ellis 63
11th GBR 2920 Alice Kent Lucy Childs 76
12th SWE 1655 Jakob Klitte Elin Klitte 82
13th SWE 2195 Michaela Bergkvist Caroline Bylock 91
14th GBR 655 Timothy Norris James Norris 95
15th IRL 3022 Isabella Morehead Tom Morehead 99
16th SWE 2657 Douglas Afzelius Martin Bertilsson 100
17th GBR 3030 Eilidh McIntyre Cassia Roberts 102
18th ITA 1341 Luca Carlini Jacopo Guagliardo 114
19th ITA 1972 Elisa Roccatagliata Chiara Russo 119
20th ITA 1653 Nicolò Tinebra Alberto Tinebra 128
21st ITA 2449 Frederica Zamboni Delia Da Mosto 137
22nd GBR 1374 Samuel Rowell James Hudson 141
23rd SWE 2855 Oskar Lyckegard Emil Andersson 147
24th ITA 1343 Eleonora Corica Martina Mengoni 149
25th SWE 1543 Fritiof Hedström Leo Nordin 150
26th GBR 1834 Jenni Davies Ben Davies 155
27th GBR 2828 Laurence Gibbons Henry Forward 155
28th NED 2933 Maxime Jonker Dewi Couvert 162
29th GBR 2821 Jack Hawkins Duncan Bryan 163
30th GBR 1664 Harry Bowerman George Thompson 168
31st IRL 417 Ryan O'Leary Kerrie O'Leary 171
32nd GBR 1226 Will Lowes Hugo Tucker 171
33rd SWE 2658 Anton Thorin Oliver Spenner 172
34th SWE 2900 Filip Örtengren Carl Akesson 175
35th GBR 2600 Ruth Allan Tessa Allan 176
36th ITA 2628 Giuseppe Giupponi Frederico Alzetta 182
37th GBR 1120 Alex Curtis Andrew Clarke 186
38th DEN 2469 Mette Holst Mikkel Gyldeholm 198
39th IRL 2895 Richard Roberts Robbie English 205
40th SWE 2655 Elly Andersson Moa Glimåker 206
41st ITA 1649 Edoardo Campoli Fabio Peirano 206
42nd ITA 1998 Francesco Corica Enrico Guagliardo 207
43rd DEN 2472 Jeppe Christensen Catrine Borgsted Larsen 208
44th GBR 1296 Samuel Norris Matthew Norris 210
45th SWE 881 Axel Bergström Filip Nordström 213
46th DEN 2464 Mathias Hansen Malthe Friis Glavind 216
47th SWE 803 Alexander Falkendal Emil Svensson 218
48th IRL 2586 Julie Tingle Alexandra Morehead 228
49th GBR 2991 James Penty Megan Backhouse 232
50th IRL 2551 Claire Drury Alison Kelly 234
51st GBR 1840 Catherine Kent Sarah Kent 242
52nd SWE 1680 Erik Bertilsson Patrik Andreasson 247