Rio 2016 - Limited racing again on Day 5 of Pre Olympics

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 20 Aug 2015 The race schedule was again constrained by light winds in Rio de Janeiro on Day 5 of competition in the Pre-Olympic regatta.

But the breeze was better than previous days on some the offshore and inshore courses. No classes were able to complete their full schedule of racing for the day.

Only one class had no racing - the Mens Skiff (49er) which had three races scheduled. Racing has finished in the Womens Skiff (49erFX) with only one race being sailed. They were the last class to get underway at 5.05pm

The Mens and Womens Two hander (470) were able to sail only one race in the best breeze of the day, sailing on the Pai course which is the most offshore of the six courses. The breeze came in at 10-13kts from a SE direction.

The increased breeze didn't help the New Zealand sailors with 2012 Olympic Champions, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie finishing in 12th place and dropping down to ninth place on the points table in the 18 boat fleet. Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox finished 16th in their race, and dropped back to 16th overall in the Mens 470. Just five out of a total of ten races have been sailed (plus the medal race).

In the 49erFX, Molly Meech and Alex Maloney placed 15th in the 19 boat fleet and have dropped down the points table to lie in sixth place overall. They sailed in the most central of the inside courses on Guanabara Bay, sailing in breezes of just 5kts.

Two races were sailed in the Heavyweight Mens Singlehander (Finn) which sailed on the the inshore of three offshore courses in an 11kt SE wind. Josh Junior started strongly with a second place, but then recorded his worst performance of the regatta, a 17th in the 20 boat fleet. He was able to drop that performance but has dropped one place to seventh overall.

The Mens Singlehander (Laser) sailed on the other inshore offshore course, Copacabana but in much light winds than on the adjoining Finn course. Only one race was sailed in a 5kt breeze with Andy Maloney recording a very countable third place, lifting threeplaces on the points table to lie in sixth place overall. Three races are left in the competition plus the medal race.

Two races were sailed in the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) on the same course used by the 49erFX in central Guanabara Bay. They enjoyed 7kt breezes, with Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders putting together a very useful second and sixth places on the scoreboard and remain in fourth place overall, but only four points out of the top group which is very tightly grouped with just three points covering the top three.

The Kiwi crew have shaken off the top French crew who are now five points behind.

There are four races to sail in the competition for the Nacra 17, plus the medal race.

For full results click here

Yachting New Zealand reports:

It was another long day on day five of 2015 Rio Test Event with Guanabara Bay beset with similar light conditions to yesterday.

It was a mixed bag for the NZL Sailing Team crews that did sail in the challenging conditions. Going into day six of the eight day regatta, six of the seven kiwi crews are within the top ten of their fleet.

The planned racing schedule was interrupted, with reduced racing across most fleets and none at all for the 49er meaning Peter Burling and Blair Tuke remain in the lead.

Nacra 17

Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders in the Nacra were the first fleet to race today and they opened well with a 2nd place.

“We got sent out in the northerly breeze and we raced in that which was a bit of a surprise, but it was steady and fair,” says 21 year old helm Gemma Jones.

Then the wind shut down and the multihull fleet drifted on the bay, in anticipation of the south easterly which didn’t eventuate until around 4o’clock.

“We raced another race in that breeze which was very flaky with tide lines. It was a crazy race in which we recovered well to get 6th so we were happy.”

Asked about how the day went overall Jones was relieved with the outcome; “It could have gone really bad, lots of good boats were not doing well. It was tricky and we managed to get two keepers so we’re really happy.”

“We’ll have four races tomorrow, which will be fun. I think there is a bit more breeze scheduled which will be nice – to get a good range of conditions. And it’s all very close on points so tomorrow will be a big day.”

Women’s 470 and Men’s 470

Just one race was possible for both the Men’s and Women’s 470 classes. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie placed 12th in their race and end the day in 9th overall, while Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox placed 16th today to hold 16th overall in the men’s division.

Finn

Josh Junior opened with his best race of the regatta, finishing 2nd, but wasn’t able to replicate that in the subsequent race recording a 17th which becomes his drop score. Junior is in 7th on 23 points just one adrift of Norway in 6th.

Laser

A 3rd on the water today for Andy Maloney in the Laser class is his best race of the regatta so far and it lifts him from 10th up to 8th overall going into tomorrow. Maloney reported a decent breeze of around 12-15 knots on the Copacabana course for their single race.

49er

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke did not sail today and remain in the lead in the 49er class. They will be back on the water tomorrow.

Looking ahead

The lack of wind over days four and five of 2015 Rio Test Event sees the schedule of competition compressed tighter into the remaining three available days with race officials doing their utmost to get races underway where possible.

Tomorrow racing will start one hour earlier than usual at midday.

Team Manager Jez Fanstone says, “It’s been tricky for the race officers the last couple of days. We haven’t had good steady winds and so it’s been really hard to set a course. And it’s also been really tricky to sail in.”

“For the rest of the week it means they may well try and squeeze more races in tomorrow. For example on the Nacra course there could be four races in one day which can make a big change to the whole outlook of the regatta.”

“At the moment we’re looking at a southerly front to come in with a bit more wind, so we’re all hoping for a more stable set of conditions, and I know that’s what the Principal Race Officer will be hoping for as well.”

2015 Rio Test Event, Rio de Janeiro
The NZL Sailing Team current standings

1stPeter Burling and Blair Tuke - 49er (2, 6, 1, 12, 1, 1)
4thGemma Jones and Jason Saunders - Nacra 17 (2, 2, 14, 1, 3, 13, 2, 6)
6thAlexandra Maloney and Molly Meech - 49erFX (3, 1, 15, 5, 12, 8, 15)
7thJosh Junior - Finn (7, 10, 4, 2, 17)
8thAndy Maloney – Laser (11, 6, 9, 22, 23, 6, 3)
9thJo Aleh and Polly Powrie - Women’s 470 (4, 12, 5, 9, 12)
16thPaul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox - Men’s 470 (17, 10, 17, 12, 16)