EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup 2013 - Finals series underway

by Craig Heydon on 25 Jun 2013 Kiel Week 2013 - The finals series has kicked off at the fourth EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup round, with close racing throughout the fleets in Kiel, Germany.

After two days of qualifying crews took their current position as a point through to Monday’s racing, effectively starting the regatta again.

Tessa Parkinson and Chelsea Hall continue to hold down third position in the 49erFX fleet after the first four finals series races.

Parkinson and Hall won the opening race on Monday, before finishing third in race two, eighth in race three and rounding the day out with another win. The pair sits just one point off the lead with another four races scheduled for Tuesday, ahead of the final medal race.

Olivia Price and Caitlin Elks have moved into fourth overall, following a fourth, a seventh, a sixth and a second from the day’s four races.

'Today’s conditions were similar to yesterday with plenty of shifts and pressure changes to mix up the racing,' said Price. 'We had some mixed results but aimed to try and stay consistent throughout the day.

'Our relationship on the boat has improved and our communication reached a new level today which is something we’re going to take into tomorrow’s racing in similar conditions,' she said. 'This racing and scoring format is different with our qualifying results being discarded and we’ve taken our place into the next stage before the same thing happens again for the top eight on the final day.

'We’re loving racing against a bigger fleet than we had at our last event in Weymouth and are learning something new in each race,' said Price.

Haylee Outteridge and Nina Curtis are eighth overall in the 49erFX fleet, one place ahead of fellow Australians Ella Giudice and Kate Lathouras. Both crews will be keen for a strong day on the water on Tuesday to secure themselves a position in the medal race.

Ashley Brunning is in third position in the Laser class after three finals series races, currently six points behind leader Robert Scheidt of Brazil.

Brunning began the day with a second, before finishing fifth in race two and 12th in race three. Mitchell Kennedy has moved up to 17th, with Jeremy O’Connell in 35th.

In the Nacra 17 class Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin ended the day in fourth position, close on points with the leading three.

Waterhouse and Darmanin, who started the day in the lead, are just two points behind third and a further five off the lead. The pair improved as the day progressed, beginning with a 17th, before finishing ninth in race two and then winning the final race of the day.

'Today was a really fun, challenging day with winds from five to 10 knots making for some interesting tactics throughout the race,' said Waterhouse. 'Although these aren’t our strongest conditions we were happy to put our training to the test.

'We had a 17th, a ninth and a first which obviously isn’t a great score however we felt our boat speed, which we’ve been focusing on, had improved and tactics let us down today,' he said. 'We came out of today with a lot of new lessons and the experienced sailors in the fleet definitely excelled.'

Pip Pietromonaco and James Wierzbowski ended the day in eighth position, with Euan McNicol and Lucinda Whitty currently in 16th.

Will Phillips and Rhys Mara continue to be the leading Australian pair in the 49er fleet, ending day three in sixth position. One point, and one position, behind is fellow Australians David Gilmour and Sam Phillips, with a further four races scheduled before Wednesday’s medal race.

Joel Turner and Lewis Brake have moved up to 12th overall, picking up their first win of the regatta on the way, with Luke Parkinson and Fang Warren currently one place further back. Peter Kendall and Harry Bethwaite are in 26th position, with George Davies and Jack Lloyd in 37th.

In the Laser Radial class Ashley Stoddart is currently in 15th position, with Madison Kennedy in 30th. Alexander and Patrick Conway are 21st in the 470 men’s fleet, ahead of Scott Cotton and Tom Potter who are 37th. In the 470 women’s class Lucy Shephard and Aurora Paterson have moved up to 14th, just ahead of Jacqueline Gurr and Amelia Catt who are 16th.