ISAF Sailing World Cup- Kiwis chase 49er medal at DeltaLloyd Regatta

by Jodie Bakewell-White, Yachting NZ and Sail-World on 30 May 2010
New Zealand is in the medal race line up in the 49er and the Men’s RS:X for the final day of 2010 Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands. The regatta is also Round 5 of the ISAF Sailing World Cup.

A medal for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the 49er will be won if the pair have a solid final race.

Burling and Blair have continued their climb up the standings in the 49er class at 2010 Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands and will go into tomorrow’s medal race in third overall. Mathematically they are certain of sixth place in the event - a great result for this young crew in just their second year of competition in the Olympic two handed skiff event.

Three races were added last night to determine the top ten who will sail the medal race on the final day. The kiwis had their best day yet with a second, a sixth and a seventh on the water which sees them climb up the standings after lying fifth at the start of the penultimate day.

'After another consistent day again today they are now third overall and mathematically guaranteed a top six place,' reports Peter’s father Richard Burling.

'Today they had 12-18 knots which evidentially suited the boys. They are happy with their boat speed and enjoying the regatta,' he says.

Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch of Austria go into the 49er medal race in the top spot sitting on 71 points. The New Zealanders are on 78 points and just one point adrift of reigning World Champ in second, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Australia with 77 points. There’s an eight points gap to fourth place.

At the two previous ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas the 49er pair contested – in Melbourne and Miami – Burling and Tuke took the win in the medal race at each.

19 year old Burling and 20 year Tuke have been together in the 49er for eighteen months. They won silver at Sail Melbourne in December last year, and placed eighth at Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in January this year.

Jon-Paul Tobin has made the cut for the Men’s RS:X medal race and will be on the water again tonight in Medemblik. Despite a DNF in the first race of the day, Tobin followed it up with a 15th and he goes into the medal race in tenth place overall.

Points are close just ahead of him and a good result in the final double points medal race could see him improve his standing and final position. Poland’s Przemek Miarczynski has sailed an excellent series and goes into the medal race in the lead with a nine point margin.

The forecast for the final day in the Netherlands predicts that a south westerly in the morning will swing to the west and then towards the north increasing in pressure throughout the day. Five to ten knots in the morning are predicted to build with 20 to 25 knot gusts in the afternoon.

The Women’s match racing crew won the final two races in the silver fleet round robin sailed last night to give them a final overall result of 14th place in the fleet of 24. Natalia Kosinska has finished in 28th in the Women’s RS:X event.

New Zealand’s Standings
For full results, images and video see the regatta website

49er (Total fleet 72)
3rd Peter Burling and Blair Tuke – 78 points (5, 27, 5, 7, 7, 17, 5, 6, 1, 10, 2, 6, 7)

Men’s RS:X (Total fleet 100)
10th Jon-Paul Tobin – 58 points (7, 5, 6, 9, 5, 11, DNF, 15)

Women’s RS:X (Total fleet 60)
28th Natalia Kosinska (27, 22, 34, 25, 31, 32, 18, BFD)

Women’s Match Racing (Total fleet 24)
Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Sam Osborne – Silver Fleet Round Robin (3 wins/2 losses)

About this regatta:

Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, the Netherlands is the fifth of seven events in the 2009-10 ISAF Sailing World Cup series for Olympic class sailors. Racing starts on Wednesday May 26th and runs over five days with medal races scheduled for Sunday May 30th

The numbers:
30 Olympic medallists are competing
700 plus boats
53 countries