Walsh and Barney in Tornado upset at Weymouth

by PR on 10 Oct 2007
Andrew Walsh and Ed Barney turned in an impressive second round performance in the Tornado at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy last weekend. Having finished third behind Beijing-nominated crew Leigh McMillan and Will Howden and experienced RYA Olympic Performance squad duo Rob Wilson and Mark Bulkeley in the Series first round opener - the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta - last month, Walsh and Barney turned the tables completely posting four wins and a second to ensure they did not even have to complete yesterday’s final race to seal round two victory.

With Wilson and Bulkeley finishing second for the second consecutive regatta and McMillan and Howden third it means all three crews are tied overall on four points going into the Series finale at WPNSA on 20-21October.

In the RS:X 8.5 Skandia Team GBR’s Bryony Shaw raced herself into an almost unassailable Series lead completing a clean sweep of five round two wins at WPNSA to back up her Sail for Gold triumph.

But it was the performance of recently-crowned Techno 293 Under 17 world champion Ali Masters that really caught the eye. Despite having only just moved on to the bigger 8.5 sailboard, the diminutive 15-year-old followed in Shaw’s wake in every race to claim second.

The unusual pairing of Stevie Morrison and Simon Hiscocks had little trouble in taking the 49er class, firing six bullets for a perfect event score while Leo McCallin also notched up a 100 per cent record in the RS:X 9.5.

The RYA Olympic Development Squad Finn class quartet of Giles Scott, Andrew Mills, Mark Andrews and Ed Greig enjoyed a close run battle, Scott ultimately edging out Mills by two points for event victory whilst securing an overall three-point Series lead. Andrews, who finished third at WPNSA, is second in the overall Series standings with Greig lying third.

Nic Asher and Elliott Willis head the Men’s 470 Series thanks to their one-point Weymouth and Portland win while Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark lead the Women’s 470 Series courtesy of their back-to-back round victories. Development Squad duo Hannah Mills and Katrina Hughes currently sit second overall.

Barrie Edgington, RYA Olympic Development Manager, said:

'It was a fantastic weekend of racing helped by great conditions and the attendance of Britain’s best Olympic Classes sailors. It was very encouraging to see some really close racing both at the front of the fleet and further back with some key battles emerging as we head towards the final Series round on 20-21 October.'

The RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series is designed to provide opportunities for aspiring Olympians and all Olympic Classes sailors throughout the UK to race against world class performers at world class venues.