NZL Sailing Team- Junior into top ten for medal race - Finn Gold Cup

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 31 Aug 2013
Racing at the 2013 Finn Gold Cup resumed today and 23-year old Josh Junior has edged himself into the top ten for a start in tomorrow’s medal race.

After a two day interruption due to light winds in the historic venue of Tallin the 86–strong fleet of Finn sailors in Estonia for the Finn class world championship regatta were back out on the water for the penultimate day of racing. Three races were sailed, the first discard came into effect and the standings have changed significantly.

Robert Deaves describes the day; 'It began as expected with no wind and fog and warnings from the PRO of a long day ahead. However the air cleared, a breeze began for form and the sailors were sent out at 13.00. Thursday's pessimism came to nothing as the sailors were rewarded with three good races on Tallinn Bay, with winds reaching 8-10 knots, as well as patchy rain towards the end of the day.'

Josh Junior from the Wellington yacht club of Worser Bay performed well today to improve his overall standing from 15th up to 10th earning him a place in the medal race to be sailed by only the top ten placed sailors. In today’s three races Junior placed 17th, 21st and then second.

He’s now guaranteed of a top ten result in what is only his second year campaigning in the heavy-weight dinghy class among a world class fleet where many competitors are far senior to him in years and experience.

Andrew Murdoch is in 21st place overall also improving after today’s three races where the Kerikeri Cruising Club representative placed 24th, 11th and 30th. Meanwhile Matt Coutts, the third kiwi among the Finn fleet is lying 30th at the end of day five.

21 year-old Jorge Zarif from Brazil has taken the overall lead stepping out a 19 point margin and relegating Britain’s Ed Wright into second place where a number of sailors sit close together on points on the leader-board. It appears that tomorrow’s medal race will be a battle for the minor medals.

Tomorrow on the final day of the regatta, the top ten will sail a medal race, while the remainder of the fleet will also sail one final race to determine the overall finishing positions. At the end of the day the 2013 Finn World Champion will be crowned.

New Zealand to host the 2015 Finn Gold Cup

In the lead-up to racing in Estonia it was confirmed by the International Finn Class Association that Takapuna Boating Club on Auckland’s North Shore will host the 2015 Finn Gold Cup.

2013 Finn Gold Cup New Zealand’s current standings

10th Josh Junior (Worser Bay Boating Club) (33, 38, 2, 11, 17, 21, 2)
21stAndrew Murdoch, NZL Sailing Team (Kerikeri Cruising Club) (35, 21, 35, 16, 24, 11, 30)
30th Matt Coutts (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) (4, 7, 43, 37, OCS, 31, 34)