29er & 49er Europeans and Worlds have light start

by Event Media and Sail-World on 25 Jul 2006 The opening day of the Group 4 Securicor 9er Championships was a frustrating one for sailors and race officers alike at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, as the light and fickle breeze refused to settle. The event is a joint regatta for the 29er Worlds and 49er Europeans.

The 2012 Olympic venue was bathed in glorious sunshine for the start of this event, which comprises the 49er European Championships and the 29er World Championships, but with winds light (6 knots at most, decreasing) and patchy, racing was tough out on the Weymouth waters.

In the 94-boat 49er Europeans fleet, just two of the four flights were able to complete two races - the blue and red flights managed just one apiece, leaving the leaderboard a little lop-sided at the end of the first day.

Skandia Team GBR's World Champions and defending European titleholders Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks did see two races today in the yellow flight, showing they could master their local conditions by posting a bullet in each to sit them at the top of the table.

Teammates John Pink and Alex Hopson, racing in the green flight, are currently in second on equal points with Germany's Gabriel Wicke and Wolf Jeschonnek, while British youngsters Tristan Jaques and Alain Sign sailed a good first day with a 1,7. They sit in fourth on equal points with the Nielsens of Denmark and Germany's Marcus Baur and Hannes Baumann.

Spain's Olympic Champions Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez did get in two races, posting a 9,1 to see them in tenth place, while Italy's Sibello brothers, ranked second in the world, and 2005 World Champions Luka and Leonchuk will be hoping to be quick out of the blocks when they embark on their second race tomorrow.

Under starters' orders earlier in the day, the 105 boats in the 29er World Championship all completed two races on Monday. Paul Brotherton and Mari Shepherd saw the perfect start to their Worlds campaign, with two bullets for the newly-crowned British National Champions from the fleet's two races, while Will Twemlow and Pete Perera managed a near-perfect 1,2 to sit in second overall, just ahead on Finland's Mikko Hentinen and Miikka Pennanen in third on four points.

The New Zealand crew of Chelsea Whitburn and Matt Bancroft lie in 51st spot after finishing 14th and 13th in the opeing two races.

Finnish sailor Silja Lehtinen is the highest ranked female helm after day one - sailing with Scott Babbage, she's currently in fourth with a bullet and a fifth as reward for her day's efforts, while new European Champions, Huw Humphreys and Max Todd of Wales, are in 13th with a 3,8 from their opening two races.

Argentinian Pepi Bettini, who's been in the top three at the last three World Championships, saw a tough start to the day with a 19th in the first race.

Tuesday could prove something of a groundhog day at WPNSA, with similar light and patchy conditions predicted for the second day of racing tomorrow.

The Group 4 Securicor 9er Championships is run in association with the RYA, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and the 29er and 49er Class Associations, and is supported by UK Sport's World Class Events Programme