Live Ocean Racing second overall at Foiling Week - win five races
by Sail-World.com/nz 6 Jul 2022 11:05 NZST
From left Liv Mackay, Jason Saunders, Serena Woodall, Helena SandersonLive Ocean Racing - Foiling Week, Lake Garda, Italy, July 2022 © Dani Devine
Live Ocean Racing made their first podium place on the ETF26 circuit, with a second overall in their fourth regatta, sailed as part of Foiling Week at lake Garda, Northern Italy.
Sailing against an eight-boat fleet, Live Ocean Racing's crew of Olivia Mackay, Helena Sanderson, Serena Woodall and Jason Saunders finished behind the veteran French crew skippered by top Tornado sailor Jean Christophe Mourniac, and ahead of the French Youth Foiling Team, skippered by top youth multihull and SL16 world champion, Charles Dorange, who were third overall.
“We’re stoked with how foiling week went for us this week," saild skipper Liv Mackay. "It was great to bring some younger women up into the team, Serena Woodall and Helena Sanderson. Our coach Jason Saunders also joined us sailing on board."
It was an awesome week of racing, with all 16 races in foiling conditions which was great experience for the team. Everyone learnt a lot throughout the week and we were really competitive for the first time, coming second overall. We’re very excited for the next event.”
The Live Ocean Racing crew set themselves up for a good regatta, winning the first three races - their first win on the ETF26 circuit, and went on to win another two - giving five race wins in the 16 race series.
In the previous three regattas in the ETF26 circuit, the Live Ocean Racing crew placed fifth in all three. Skipper Liv Mackay has been helming in all four regattas to date with a crew drawn event by event from the Live Ocean Racing squad, expected to carry over into the Womens and Youth AC40 America's Cup events.
Woodhall and Sanderson were recently inducted into the Live Ocean Racing team, and Foiling Week was their first regatta in the 26ft foiling catamaran. Their entrée came after four members of the Live Ocean Racing squad, Molly Meech, Alex Maloney, Erica Dawson and Jo Aleh were all double booked - competing in the 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.