US Sailing Team at the 2023 Sailing World Championships - Day 3
by US Sailing Team 14 Aug 2023 20:03 AEST
August 10-20, 2023
US Sailing Team at the 2023 Sailing World Championships - Day 3 © Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Day three brought the ILCA 6s and 7s out for their first day of competition under cloudy skies and forecasted breezes of 15-20 knots. 470s took a day off, and the gold fleet lineup for the remainder of racing was decided in 49er, 49er FX, and Nacra 17.
- Racing yesterday: 49er, 49er FX, ILCA 6 & 7, Nacra 17, M/W Hansa 303, 2.4m, and RS Venture
- Off yesterday: 470s
- Starting today, August 14: M/W iQFOiL, M/W Formula Kite
Clearing the top 25 in qualifying racing and advancing to gold fleet for finals racing:
- Steph Roble, OLY and Maggie Shea, OLY (6th, 49erFX), USST
- Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid (9th, 49er), USST
- Ian Barrows and Hans Henken (12th, 49er), USST
- Paris Henken, OLY and Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias, OLY (12th, 49erFX)
- Nevin Snow and Mac Agnese (17th, 49er)
- Sarah Newberry Moore and David Liebenberg (24th, Nacra 17), USST
The skiff standout performance of the day was US Sailing Team members Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid, winning two of the day's three races and moving up three places on the scoreboard. USST's Steph Roble, OLY and Maggie Shea, OLY scored two 2nd place finishes, crossing the finish line behind the Dutch team of Van Aanholt and Duetz in both races.
Complications with current forced a handful of challenging restarts on the ILCA 6 and 7 courses as the race committee worked to set fair courses. But USST's Charlotte Rose remained unshaken and opened her regatta in 6th overall after logging 4th and 9th place finishes in a fleet of 55.
Para sailors on Lake Braassemermeer saw moody skies and 15-29 knots of breeze for day three of racing. USA's Betsy Alison sailed a perfect day and added two more race wins to her scoreline, putting three points in between her and Poland. Alison set herself up for success with starts that supported her race plans and kept her in control of the fleet, and she thrived in the heavy wind for her first regatta back since surgery.*
*From preview: In July of 2022, Betsy was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma that appeared as a tumor in her left hip, invading the iliac bone and the gluteus muscles. She is now in recovery from radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery that removed the affected areas. Under Betsy's coaching, Team USA was the most successful Paralympic Sailing Team in history, including a Gold Medal for now-fellow teammate Maureen McKinnon at the 2008 Paralympics with partner Nick Scandone.