Skandia Sail for Gold - Day 2 round up

Brits come good in breezes on day two

After a calm start to the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, there was no shortage of wind for Tuesday’s second day (7 June) with Britain’s sailors making gains in the stronger breeze.

As race officers took the opportunity to catch up with the schedule, day two was a hard, long day in tough conditions, all about fitness and technique in the building breeze and waves. Weymouth turned it on with sunshine and an afternoon breeze that topped out in excess of 25 knots on the outer courses.

On the harbour course for the Paralympic teams, it was the 2.4mR’s turn to race in the morning, so they got a milder roughing up from the weather.

It was reigning world champion Thierry Schmitter (NED) that stole the show with two bullets to pull up to the top of the leaderboard, leapfrogging Damien Seguin but tied with the Frenchman on 10 points. Schmitter’s countryman, Rademaker remains in third scoring 5,2.

Schmitter, the current ISAF World Cup leader, loved the conditions. He said: “Sometimes it almost feels like you are in a washing machine. It makes you feel alive.”

Once the 2.4mRs were finished, the SKUDs and Sonars took over. But not for long, only managing one race before being sent ashore in the freshening conditions.

The race was won by Skandia Team GBR’s double world champions, Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell, who crept within two points of the overnight leaders, Beijing silver medallist helm Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS). The other Australian pair of Jamie Dunross and Rachael Cox, with whom Fitzgibbon won Paralympic silverware three years ago, dropped to third.

The Sonars had a better day of it, completing two races.

A bad day at the office for overnight leaders Australia's Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Rodney Angwin saw them slide to fifth, with a 1,2 for Skandia Team GBR’s John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas propelled them to the top of the rankings, with reigning world champions, Udo Hessels, Marcel Van De Veen and Mischa Rossen (NED) in second.  The Norwegian trio of Alex Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg lie third, tied on 12 points with their Dutch rivals.

To keep up to date with all the Paralympic classes action from Skandia Sail for Gold visit www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk
 

Article Author Karenza Morton 8/6/2011 08:33