ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship day 2 - Tricky conditions

by Craig Heydon on 16 Jul 2012 On day 2 of the 2012 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship in Ireland tricky conditions challenged the crews.

The big movers on Sunday were Australia’s 420 girl’s crew of Carrie Smith and Ella Clark who started the day 13th overall. The West Australians sailed well in all three races, finishing with a seventh, a race win and a sixth to jump up to second overall. Smith and Clark are 11 points behind the leading British crew after the opening five races.

Australia’s multihull crew of Paul Darmanin and Lucy Copeland remain second overall in the SL16 class, four points behind their British competitors and tied on points with the third placed crew from Belgium. Darmanin and Copeland finished fourth in the opening race of the day, before a second and a sixth in the tricky conditions.

'Today was a long day on the water with three tough races in very shifty conditions,' said Darmanin. 'The wind ranged from five to 20 knots throughout the day with large shifts so it really tested us. 'We came away with a fourth, a second and a sixth which we are pretty happy with considering the conditions,' he said. 'We’re now sitting second overall after five races and are happy with how we are going and want to keep the good results flowing.'

In the Laser Radial boy’s fleet Mark Spearman continues to hold down third overall following a 15th, a 13th and an eighth from the day’s three races. Spearman is just five points adrift of the leading American and Italian crews in what is already proving to be a high scoring regatta. 'I sailed a consistent day in shifty conditions and was surprised to keep my third spot after a 15th, 13th, and an eighth,' said Spearman. 'The racing was influenced a lot by the clouds today with windy squalls coming through which benefited the right hand side in a massive way.'

Queenslanders Tom Siganto and Joel Turner have moved up from their overnight eighth to be sixth overall in the 29er fleet. Siganto and Turner crossed the line third in the opening race of the day, before finishing eighth and sixth to be 10 points off the podium after two days of racing.

Louise Evans is now 12th in the Laser Radial girl’s fleet, slipping slightly from her sixth on day one. Evans finished the day with a 16th, 10th and a 29th which she has now dropped.

Sydney windsurfer Sam Treharne is now 15th in the RS:X boy’s fleet following a 12th and two 15ths.

In the girl’s fleet Annalise Gilbert is currently 17th at her second visit to the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, with a 21st, 13th and 15th from the three races on Sunday.

Tom Klemens and James Oliver had a mixed day in the 420 boy’s fleet with the pair dropping from their overnight 18th to be 25th overall. The Victorians started their day with a 17th, before finishing 25th in race two and 30th in race three.

In the Nations Trophy Australia has moved up one position to be sixth overall.

The 2012 Australian Youth Sailing Team is being supported in Ireland by coaches Brendan Todd, Tessa Parkinson and Ben Callard.

Results here