Team Inspiration finishes ninth in Yngling Euros

by Sail-World and Event Media on 30 Jul 2006

Sharon Ferris and Team Insipration racing in a light to moderate breeze in the European Yngling Championships Dwight Rompas

The New Zealand crew of Sharon Ferris, Karen Lambert and Raynor Smeal have finished in ninth place overall in the 2006 Yngling Championships.

They were just one point short, of the vital eighth place necessary to guarantee them a position in the Yachting NZ Olympic Squad for 2007. They also missed the required qualification mark in the Worlds Championships three weeks ago.

Ferris and her crew, sailing as Team Inspiration finished the regatta on a high note, placing second in the final race. However it was not enough to pull them past the crew from the Ukraine.

Yachting New Zealand does have a discretionary ability to admit sailors onto the Olympic Squad, and Ferris and her crew may receive favourable consideration under this guise.

After nine races Monica Azon from Spain can call herself World and European Champion 2006. The Azon sisters who sail with Graciela Pisonero won the series convincingly with sixteen points difference. 'We are very happy with this result. In these conditions we are really confident and we have the perfect set up. We took the right decision on the equipment to use and we sailed well. Sometimes it is like Formula One with all the equipment,' said Azon.

Second place went to the Dutch team with Mandy Mulder, Brecht van der Werf and Petronella de Jong. Mulder (18) is quit new to the Yngling game. She joined the Dutch Federation’s team last year. This event she was sailing with the experienced De Jong, who also participated in the Yngling in Athens and also with Van der Werf, who has been sailing Yngling for one and a half year now. Mulder was still not sure what happened afterwards. 'It feels a bit unreal. I am very content with this. We sailed well during the Worlds but made two big mistakes and did not end up on the podium. Now we got our revenge.'

Remarkable fact is that all nine sailors of the top three Dutch boats work together as one team. Positions, teams and boats are swapped around for every event under directives of coach Maurice Paardenkooper, who also coached Team ABNAMRO Two in the Volvo Ocean Race, The objective of this Dutch Yngling Project is to create a group of strong sailors instead of focussing all efforts on one team of three girls alone. Eventually the best combination of three athletes will be picked to represent the Netherlands in Beijing if that situation occurs.

Third place went to the team of Ulrika Schuemann (GER). The German team was second during the recent World Championships in La Rochelle and wanted revenge on the Spanish. Schuemann sailed with interim crew from the USA Icyda Lee. She was happy considering the fact that she was sailing with a new interim crew. But not satisfied with her performance. 'Sailing is making the least mistakes. We made too many. I will have to get my revenge in China in the pre-pre Olympics this year.'

2006 Yngling European Championships Final Results

	Sailno	Helms(wo)man	Points	r1	r2	r3	r4	r5	r6	r7	r8	r9
1	ESP 3	Azon, Monica, Azon, Sandra, Pisonero, Graciela	41,0	2	20	11	1	7	6	1	2	11
2	NED 11	Mulder, Mandy, Werf, Brechtje van der, Jong, Petronella de	57,0	17	11	3	2	10	1	19	6	7
3	GER 261	Schuemann, Ulrike, Icyda, Lee, Hoepfner, Ute	57,0	4	3	16	3	15	8	3	11	10
4	AUS 57	Bethwaite, Nicola, Gojnich, Karyn, Farrell, Angela	59,0	9	2	1	10	11	16	bfd	9	1
5	RUS 4	Basalkina, Anna, Maximova, Ekatarina, Ukraintsera, Vlada	60,0	6	6	14	14	4	2	8	18	6
6	NED 1	Hin, Janneke, Faber, Marije, Hendriksen, Floortje	62,0	7	13	21	5	5	9	4	14	5
7	RUS 8	Skudina, Ekaterina, Sokolova, Alexandra, Krutskikh, Diana	65,0	10	23	12	19	3	11	2	4	4
8	UKR 1	Taran, Ruslana, Matevusheva, Svetlana, Kalinina, Anna	68,0	1	15	7	23	1	14	7	10	13
9	NZL 4	Ferris, Sharon, Lambert, Karen, Smeal, Raynor	69,0	8	17	9	9	6	20	5	13	2
10	RUS 1	Ilienko, Vladelina, Gaponovich, Natalya, Kovalenko, Ekatarina	71,0	16	4	4	11	17	dsq	9	1	9
11	JPN 1	Shige, Yumiko, Horiuchi, Mayumi, Eguchi, Eri	73,0	5	10	5	18	2	17	bfd	8	8
12	FRA 6	Le Helley, Anne, Deplanque, Marion, Lepesant, Catherine	74,0	14	1	2	4	18	3	dsq	20	12
13	FRA 8	Le Berre, Anne-Claire, Gerecht, Julie, Ponsar, Alice	77,0	11	8	17	6	13	5	14	3	18
14	NED 111	Thies, Annelies, Bes Annemieke, Kampen, Marije	88,0	3	7	6	7	19	21	dsq	5	20
15	GBR 14	Farrell, Gemma, Howe, Rachel, Larman, Rachel	105,0	15	21	8	ocs	12	13	10	7	19
16	SWE 51	Soderstr?, Ingrid, Larsson, Johanna, ?berg, Caroline	112,0	19	5	18	22	20	4	18	12	16
17	ITA 16	Calligaris, Chiara, Pignolo, Giulia, Scognamillo, Francesca	120,0	22	26	24	13	8	18	6	27	3
18	DEN 199	Ward, Susanne, Munk-Hansen, Anne Sofie, Holm, Rie	128,0	12	18	19	26	9	7	21	25	17
19	CAN 34	Bury, Sarah, Henderson, Martha, Abbot, Katie	135,0	18	25	15	15	14	26	11	22	15
20	CAN 8	Hand, Kelly, Leger, Chantal, Crampton, Deirdre	136,0	dsq	9	13	12	21	24	17	19	21
21	UKR 3	Kalyncheva, Angelina, Babichuk, Kateryna, Dmytrenko, Kateryna	137,0	13	12	25	20	25	28	12	16	14
22	RSA 1	Provoyeur, Dominique, Alison, Penny, Rew, Kim	151,0	20	19	10	17	27	12	bfd	15	ocs
23	DEN 202	Palludan, Trine, Gade, Maria, Hartvig, Ida	163,0	21	16	27	8	16	dsq	bfd	21	23
24	NED 337	Zweistra, Astrid, Wierenga, Lieske, Hakkel, Chantal	169,0	25	24	23	ocs	22	10	13	23	29
25	NED 335	Horst, Jildau ter, Versteegt Marieke, Krzeminski, Vera	171,0	24	27	20	16	28	15	16	29	25
26	POL 1	Wolniewicz, Karolina, Szaszor, Magda, Piech, Agata	189,0	27	30	22	27	24	19	20	28	22
27	GRE 2	Karzi, Alexandra, Karzi, Loukia, Haramountani, Christina	192,0	29	14	30	24	30	27	23	17	28
28	NED 74	Huber, Barbara, Schokker, Marleen, Schurer, Amerens	192,0	26	22	28	21	29	25	22	24	24
29	NED 336	Kedde, Lianne, Eelkman, Margot, Boer, Mirjam de	202,0	28	28	29	ocs	23	23	15	30	26
30	DEN 205	Evers, Christine, Noergaard, Laerke Ilsoe, Boidin, Susanne	204,0	23	29	26	25	26	22	bfd	26	27