NZL Sailing Team- Kiwis wins Bronze in Finns and top 10 in Multihulls

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 28 Jul 2013
Andrew Murdoch has secured his first medal at a major international Finn regatta with bronze at the 2013 Finn European Championship just finished in Warnemunde, Germany.

New Zealand boasts two top five finishers at the Championship with Josh Junior concluding the regatta in fifth place.

Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders have finished ninth at the inaugural 2013 Nacra 17 World Championship sailed at The Hague, Netherlands which has also just finished.

Wind failed to show in both Warnemunde and The Hague on the final day cancelling all racing after plenty of watching and waiting. The medals and final results have, in effect been decided on the overall standings at the end of the penultimate day.

2013 Finn European Championship

At the Finn European Championship a total of eight races have been sailed where the entire fleet of 103 boats raced together. The six day series has faced light, challenging conditions and no racing was possible on either the opening or final day of the regatta.

Two-time Olympian in the Laser class Andrew Murdoch (Kerikeri Cruising Club) announced his move to the heavy-weight single-hander earlier this year and in what is just his third major international in the class he has come away with today’s podium finish.

Before now the 31 year-olds best result in the Finn was a seventh at ISAF Sailing World Cup, Palma earlier this year. He is delighted.

'Pretty stoked to have just picked up Bronze at the Finn European Championship here in Germany,' says Murdoch. 'I have a couple of travel days (days off) now to Estonia where I'll begin preparing for the World Champs which start late August.'

23 year old Josh Junior has finished fifth after an excellent regatta. Today’s cancellation denied Junior his shot at ousting team-mate Murdoch for the bronze – a distinct possibility based on the points proximity.

Junior, who grew up sailing at the Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington, medalled at ISAF Sailing World Cup, Hyeres earlier this year and the young campaigner will now turn his focus to the up-coming World Championships.

Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) was the deserving winner of the overall title with Ed Wright (GBR) winning the silver medal.

The Finn fleet will come together again around one month from now in Tallinn, Estonia for the 2013 Finn Gold Cup to decide the 2013 Finn World Champion.

New Zealand’s final results 2013 Finn European Championship, Warnemunde, Germany

3rd Andrew Murdoch
5th Josh Junior
Full results here

2013 Nacra 17 World Championship

Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders have delivered an encouraging top ten result at the first ever Nacra 17 World Championship ending the regatta in ninth place. Across eight races sailed the kiwis were in the top ten in five of those and if the final day had provided wind they were within reach of further improving their final placing.

In May 2012 the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) selected the Nacra 17 as the equipment for the new mixed multihull class; Rio 2016 will be the first time a mixed gender discipline features in the Olympic sailing regatta.

19 year old Gemma Jones (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and 22 year old Jason Saunders (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club) paired up to campaign the class earlier this year and have competed at four other European regattas after receiving their new Nacra catamaran in the lead-up to this World Championship.

Saunders represented New Zealand at the 2012 London Olympics sailing finishing fifth in the Men’s 470 with Paul Snow-Hansen at the helm. Gemma Jones has represented New Zealand twice at ISAF Youth Worlds in 2011 and 2012 where she placed fifth in the SL16 multihull.

2013 Nacra 17 World Championship, The Hague, Netherlands

9th Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders
36th (11th in silver fleet) Nicole van der Velden and Tomer Simhony
51st (26th in silver fleet) Gareth Moore and Vickery Francis
Full results here