Australia away to slow start in Palma

by Di Pearson on 6 Apr 2004 Australia got away to a slow start at the first day of the Olympic classes European regatta, the 35th HRH Princess Sofia Trophy, in Palma on Monday (GMT).

With winds in the 5-6 knot range in the morning, that increased to 9-10 knots for the afternoon races on the Bay of Palma, all classes have completed some races.

The best of the Aussie results is reigning World champions Darren Bundock/John Forbes in the Tornado class who currently sit in third place after three races.

Our next best effort is that of Victorian, Sarah Blanck, in the Europe class. She is currently 11th overall, her 20th finish in the first race letting her down, but things improved with a win in Race 3.

In the Yngling class, Nicky Bethwaite/Karyn Gojnich/Kristen Kosmala are struggling in 21st place. Normally excellent light air sailors, a 19th and 29th in the light airs overnight belies that fact.

Anthony Nossiter too, in the Finn class, is having a hard time of it – two races down and a 30th place the best he can muster to-date for a 31st place overall.

Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell, Gold medallists from 2000 in the Womens 470, currently sit in 13th place after three races – a win in the middle of a 16th and 26th result. There are no Mens 470 results available at this stage.

While the results show the Australians are more than capable, with some wins and top five places, it is not a particularly auspicious start to the regatta.

Racing continues in Palma tomorrow (Tuesday GMT).

Tornado – 51 entries

1 ARG Santiago Lange/Carlos Espinola 7 - 2,2,3

2 USA John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree 9 - 7, 1, 1

3 AUS Darren Bundock/John Forbes 16 – 9, 3, 4

Yngling -30 entries

1 GER Ulrike Schuemann/Wiebke Buelle/Winnie Lippert 5 – 2, 1, 2

2 NED Annelies Thies/Annemieke Bes/Petronella de Jong 17 – 1, 4, 12

3 GER Kristin Wagner/Anna Hoell/Veronika Lochbrunner 20 – 14, 3, 3

21 AUS Nicola Bethwaite/Karyn Gojnich/Kristen Kosmala 55 – 7, 19, 29

Europe – 126 entries

1 ARG Serena Amato 9 – 6,1,2

2 ESP Marina Gallego 13 -1, 5,7

3 CZE Lenka Smidova 15 – 3, 3,9

11 AUS Sarah Blanck 28 - 20, 7,1

470 Women – 36 entries

1 DEN Susanne Ward/Michaela Ward 11 - 6, 3, 2

2 SLO Vesna Dekleva/Klara Maucec 15 - 4,8, 3

3 GRE Sofia Bekatorov/Emilia Tsovlea 22 - 5, 4,13

13 AUS Jenny Armstrong/Belinda Stowell 43 - 16, 1 26


Finn – 53 entries

1 GBR Ben Ainslie 2 - 1,1

2 DEN Jonas Hoegh-Christensen 12 - 7,5

3 IRL David Burrows 4 - 12,2

31 AUS Anthony Nossiter 62 - 32,30

The full provisional day's results are available on the website, still pending the decisions of protests: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org