2013 Optimist Worlds- NZL Yachting Trust Team Day 4 at Lake Garda

by Angus Haslett on 21 Jul 2013
The NZL Yachting Trust New Zealand Optimist Team report in from Lake Garda, Italy, venue for the 2013 Optimist Worlds:

Hi all,

The first day of Teams Racing had around an hour postponement on shore then a further hour on the water as the breeze failed to fire early. Eventually though the Ora filled in and we saw around 10 knots for most of the team's racing event that got underway around 2pm but did not finish for some teams until around 7.30pm.

To go through to Day 2 the team needed three wins today, so they came out strongly in the first race against Austria and had a convincing win, equally so in their second race taking out Croatia who were out-sailed tactically by our team.

Race three was a real wake up call after the team managed to loose all first four places to Peru whose strong tactical element took out the Kiwi's two minutes before the race started!

It was only at the de-brief that coach Susannah Pyatt learnt just how clever the Peru manoeuvre had been when the team confessed they had been distracted by one of the very attractive Peruvian team members taking an opportunity to chat to one of the Kiwi team - subsequently getting the attention of the other Kiwi sailors- only to allow the rest of her team to set themselves up behind our sailors ready to take them out on the start line.

Race over in 10 seconds for our guys who were left stunned and wondering just how they managed to fall for that tactic!

So race four became critical and it was against the strong Portuguese team. determined to do well though and through some good tactical sailing forcing the Portuguese into a couple of errors, the NZ team finished strongly to take a comfortable win and progress through to day 2.

48 teams entered the teams racing competition and tomorrow only 16 will continue on, with the NZL International Yachting Trust World Optimist Team now ranking seventh they will be up against some tough competition but are once again taking on plenty of good learning and enjoying the change from fleet racing and are prepared for a challenging day tomorrow.

Another amazing feat was accomplished today with supporters Leslie Egnot and Sophie Egnot-Johnson (12) completing a marathon climb of 10 and a half hours to 1520 meters to conquer the highest peak of Rochetta, along the way passing climbers with carabiner's and ropes and taking on some hair raising rock faces that allowed no room for error. Quite simply a magnificent, determined and thrilling effort.

Day Two of Team's Racing tomorrow and we all hope for a return of the stronger true Ora breezes.

Regards from the:2013 NZL International Yachting Trust Optimist World's Team