Decisions, decisions for Cadet Worlds final day

by Event media/Sail-World on 10 Aug 2007
Everything hangs on the final day at the Cadet World Championships - defending champion Francisco Cosentino only has to force his rival down the field to below 12th to retain his title by a point or he could go for trying to win by more than four places. South coast teenager Katrina Brewer is within a point of a medal but must beat the third placed Polish boat . . . . Decisions, decisions. . . .

South coast teenager Katrina Brewer moved to within a point of the medal positions with just one race to go at a world championships sailing event.

The 16-year-old Parkstone Yacht Club sailor, with 11 year-old brother Christopher crewing, was in fourth place overall after 11 races at the Cadet World Championships being held Pwllheli in North Wales, but just one point behind the third placed Polish boat.

The Brewers were in third place at one point, but dropped back after being affected by a crucial mistake which could cost Argentinian Francisco Gojenola his first world title.

The overall leader retired after hitting the finishing line mark in yesterday’s (Thursday’s) second race and not carrying out the proper procedures, a result which means second placed defending champion Francisco Cosentino only has to force his rival down the field to below 12th to retain his title by a point.

He has a decision to make overnight because the alternative is a straight race and trying to win by more than four places.

The Brewers had finished above Gojenola in that race and were unaffected by the changes, but the Polish boat moved up a place as a result of the retirement and that gives them a one point lead over the British boat going into the final day.

The Brewers followed that up with a third place finish in the final race and now it is a simple equation for those two boats. Whichever one wins between the two will be favourite for third place, though there are two other Polish boats one and seven points further back respectively who can sneak in front with a good performance.

'We can still get third and a medal, so we are really excited about the last race tomorrow,' said Christopher Brewer.

'We just got into racing mode much more quickly in the last race of the day. By the last leeward mark we were up to 5th and then on the last beat we had great speed and with me hiking some of the time we got up to 3rd.'

Gojenola was left to rue the mistake which could cost him the title.'We touched the finishing line and started our turns but we failed to do our final tack. I finished and the jury told me so naturally as I made a mistake I will have to retire,' he said.

He is on 22 points with Cosentino on 26, but tactics come into the equation because the defending champion has better performances which have been discarded.

Hence the reason he can win if he forces his compatriot below 12th, however the pair are guaranteed first and second places so it is just a question of fighting out the order.

Fellow Parkstone pair Joanna Freeman with Holly Francis crewing, are in ninth place, Amy Seabright and Hannah Muskett, of Corinthian Otters and Royal Lymington on the East coast are in 12th with Joshua Pistol and Jack Wilson of Parkstone and Frensham Pond in Surrey are 16th.

Cadet Worlds - Leading overall positions

1 ARG 8054 Francisco Gojenola Agustin Romero 22pts
2 ARG 8087 Francisco Cosentino Sancho Castro 26
3 POL 9127 Pawel Wysocki Piotr Szlachcic 74
4 GBR 8997 Katrina Brewer Christopher Brewer 75
5 POL 9354 Michal Tomaszewski Agata Tomaszewska 76
6 POL 9462 Mateusz Giemza Pawel Glowicki 82
7 BEL 8518 Quinten Lauwers Nele de Munck 92
8 POL 9488 Artur Ponieczynski Michal Rola-Janicki 97
9 GBR 9575 Joanna Freeman Holly Francis 101
10 ARG 8043 Gonzalo Cosentino Lucas Cabral 112
11 ESP 9085 Rodrigo Abalo Joaquin Minones 117
12 GBR 8520 Amy Seabright Hannah Muskett 121
13 ARG 9472 Candela Pineyrua Josefina Subias 137
14 AUS 9520 Elliott Noye Ellie Chesterman 139
15 POL 9065 Lukasz Kawinski Damian Frank 146
16 GBR 735 Joshua Pistol Jack Wilson 157
17 AUS 6005 Lucy Shephard Lydia Newton 164
18 GBR 8570 Charlie Matthews Christopher Sycamore 168
19 GBR 6994 Tye Wichard Ben Thame 173
20 HUN 9554 Vince Grafel Gergo Boisos 175
21 ARG 3502 Juan Pablo Alvarez Gallesio Maria Josefina Tonelli 176
22 ARG 4541 Victoria Realli Etchart Camila Agnoletti 178
23 GBR 7335 Peter Lawrance Ole Alcock 179
24 AUS 5712 Tom Ransley Sophie Chesterman 184
25 ARG 8066 Martin Travascio Santiago Romero 186
26 POL 9489 Szymon Wierzbicki Krystian Dziubinski 194
27 ESP 9499 Eliezer Fernandez Alvarez Javier Perez Mortiney 206
28 POL 9514 Pawel Cherubin Damian Zdancewicz 212
29 ESP 8060 Marta Hdez de la Miguera Maria Leon Lainez 224
30 ARG 4593 Belen Tavella Felicitas Roldan 230
31 ESP 8008 Julia Marfil Daza Cristina Laucirica 234
32 GBR 8529 Chris Griffiths Eleanor Hinde 240
33 GBR 9029 Oliver Herve Alex Warrington 258
34 GBR 8514 Chris Videlo Maddie Harris 262
35 BEL 9136 Karen Hellemans Lore Hellemans 264
36 ESP 8697 Oscar Gomez Juan Silva 267
37 HUN 9503 Peter Foloksi Daniel Boisos 284
38 BEL 8443 Wouter de Munck Joke Lakiere 285
39 HUN 9555 Anna Balogh Tamas Galgoczy 286
40 AUS 9528 Joel Aulich Jarad Cavanagh 295
41 BEL 8909 Toon de Munck Hendrik Panneel 298
42 AUS 5751 Thomas Kelly Tristan Witty 300
43 ESP 8775 Tomas Moya Tian Feliv de Cabrera 339
44 HUN 9553 Dominik Grams Luca Mako 341
45 GER 8889 Oliver Mienert Jakob Stuhamn 346
46 HUN 9325 Gergely Petrahai Viktor Maki 353
47 AUS 9523 Samuel Duncan Lewis Duncan 354
48 CZE 9470 Michaela Koranova Sara Tkadlecova 365
49 HUN 9502 Bence Ory Marton Munka 366
50 ESP 8661 Gabriela Torres Miguel Gaya 372